Stress - The Body's Response to Stress

Question 1

What is a stressor?

Answer 1

Something in the environment that we find threatening.

Question 2

What happens when the sympathetic branch is activated?

Answer 2

Body responds by preparing us for fight or flight.

Question 3

What is the pituitary-adrenal system?

Answer 3

Hormone based system, responses are slower.

Question 4

What does the pituitary-adrenal system consist of?

Answer 4

• Hypothalamus detects stressor.
• Pituitary gland stimulated.
• ACTH is released.
• Adrenal cortex is stimulated by ACTH.
• Adrenal cortex releases corticosteroids into the bloodstream.
• Stores of fat and protein are converted to energy. Immune system supressed.

Question 5

What is the sympathomedullary pathway?

Answer 5

Uses electrical impulses to communicate along nerve fibres so reactions occur quickly.

Question 6

What does the sympathomedullary pathway consist of?

Answer 6

• Hypothalamus detects stressor.
• Sympathetic branch is activated.
• Adrenal medulla is stimulated.
• Hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline are released.
• Heart rate, blood pressure and swear gland activity increased.

Question 7

What is the immune system?

Answer 7

Body’s defence against antigens.

Question 8

What is an antigen?

Answer 8

Dangerous foreign bodies such as bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Question 9

What 3 studies investigate stress and the immune system?

Answer 9

Kiecolt-Glasser et al (1984), Marucha et al (1998) and Cohen et al (1991).

Question 10

What happened in Kiecolt-Glasser et al (1984)?

Answer 10

• Med students gave blood samples one month before exams and on first day of exams.
• Natural killer T cell activity decreased between two samples, indicating weakening of immune system.

Question 11

What happened in Marucha et al (1998)?

Answer 11

• 3.5mm wounds made on hard palate of 11 dental students, during vacation and 3 days before major exam.
• Healing was assessed by daily photographs and foaming response to hydrogen peroxide.
• Found wound healing took 3 days average longer during exams than on vacation.

Question 12

Evaluate Kiecolt-Glasser et al (1984) and Marucha et al (1998).

Answer 12

• Natural experiment – high ecological validity.
• No control over extraneous variables.
• Individual differences may effect results.
• Objective – results based on facts.

Question 13

What happened in Cohen et al (1991)?

Answer 13

• Healthy volunteers injected with common cold virus, control group given placebo.
• All P given stress index, based on past year experiences.
• Almost all injected with cold virus showed signs of infection, only 1/3 developed cold.
• Positive relationship between stress index and cold symptoms.

Question 14

Evaluate Cohen et al (1991).

Answer 14

• Ethical issues - Psychical harm inflicted upon people.
• Correlational research – extraneous variables not considered.
• Cold symptoms as a measurement are highly subjective.