Stress Psychology: Stress-related illness. Flashcards
Name 2 studies that investigates acute stressors and examination stress
> Kiecolt Glaser
> Marucha
Outline what Kiecolt-Glaser did
They carried out a natural experiment by using blood samples taken from medical students one month before exams and during the exams. They measured the Natural Killer cell Activity in each blood sample.
What did Kiecolt-Glaser find?
They found that NK cell activity was significantly reduced in the sample taken during exams, compared to the other sample. This suggests that short-term stressors reduce the immune system functioning, thus increases vulnerability to illness.
Outline what Marucha did
Marucha performed punch biopsy’s inside of students’ mouths either during the summer holidays or 3 days before the exams.
What did Marucha find?
Marucha found that wounds gievn before the exams took 40% longer to heal than wounds during the holidays
Name 2 Studies that investigates Chronic Stress and relationship stress
> Kiecolt-Glaser
> Malarkey
Outline what Kiecolt-Glaser did
Kiecolt-Glaser tested the impact of relationship conflicts on wound healing.
What did Kiecolt-Glaser find?
They found that blister wounds on the arms of married couples healed more slowly after they had discussions which conflicting rather than supportive.
Outline what Malarkey did
Malarkey studied 90 newly-wed couples over a 24 hour period
What did Malarkey find
They found that Marital conflict produced significant changes in adrenaline and noradrenaline, which could lead to reduction in immune system functioning.
