Stress: Adrenaline and acute stress (Bio Explanation)

Question 1

What points can be made when describing the explanation?

Answer 1

Sympathomedullary pathway
Fight or flight
Evolution
Effects on the heart

Question 2

What is the sympathomedullary pathway?

Answer 2

Hypothalamus coordinates a response with the autonomic nervous system and sends an electrical signal to the adrenal medulla to release adrenaline and noradrenaline

Question 3

How does the sympathomedullary pathway cause a fight or flight response?

Answer 3

It gets the body ready for fight or flight as blood is diverted away from nonessential systems to where it is most needed for action. It prepares the body to face the stressor by giving recourses to act either offensively or defensively

Question 4

How is the fight or flight response the product of evolution?

Answer 4

It was an adaptive stratergy in the EEA as most stressors required an energetic response. We still have it now due to genome lag

Question 5

What effects does adrenaline have on the heart?

Answer 5

Linked to cardiovascular disorders as the heart beats faster and blood vessels constrct
Heidt: Medical staff in the ICU had raised white blood cells and increased risk of heart attacks

Question 6

Who investigated into the effects of adrenaline on the heart?

Answer 6

Heidt

Question 7

What was Heidt’s study into the effects of adrenaline on the heart?

Answer 7

Medical staff in the ICU had raised white blood cells and increased risk of heart attacks

Question 8

What evaluative points can be made?

Answer 8

Supporting evidence 
Not cause and effect 
Application
Gender differences
Individual differences

Question 9

What is the supporting evidence?

Answer 9

Leor: More people died of cardiovascular problems after an earthquake showing that stress worsens heart problems
Cardiomyopathy: Severe emotional stress causes adrenaline to affect the heart

Question 10

Which psychologist had supporting research?

Answer 10

Leor

Question 11

How is research not cause and effect?

Answer 11

Dimsdale: Other factors can contribute to heart disease
Liu: Participants completed a survey and 4% died in the next 10 years. No pattern after controlling for demographic factors

Question 12

Which psycholigists investigated into the causal relationship between acute stress and heart problems?

Answer 12

Dimsdale

Liu

Question 13

What was Liu’s study into the relationship between acute stress and heart problems?

Answer 13

Participants completed a survey and 4% died in the next 10 years. No pattern after controlling for demographic factors
Shows it’s not a causal factor

Question 14

How can the explanation be applied?

Answer 14

Biofeedback
People are hooked up to machines showing their biological response to stress and they learn to control it.
Demonstrates that adrenaline is released

Question 15

What gender differences are not accounted for in the explanation?

Answer 15

Women release more oxytocin and have a tend and befriend response
Shows that the explanation is nomothetic and doesn’t take into account that women react differently

Question 16

What individual differences are not accounted for in the explanation?

Answer 16

It’s deterministic as it assumes that everyone reacts the same
Tomaka: When we see our bodies changes as positive, we have a more adaptive response
Jamieson: Gave participants a stressful task. The group told to think about their response positively did better

Question 17

What psychologists investigated the effect of psychology on biological reactions?

Answer 17

Tomaka

Jamieson

Question 18

What was Jamieson’s study into the effect of psychology on biological reactions?

Answer 18

Gave participants a stressful task. The group told to think about their response positively did better