The Flight or Fight Response

Question 1

When does the flight or fight response occur?

Answer 1

Body prepares itself for defending/attacking or running away

Question 2

What is flight or fight response?

Answer 2

Reactions to stressful situations

Question 3

What is the first step in the flight or fight response?

Answer 3

A threat or stressor is perceived

Question 4

What is the second step in the flight or fight response?

Answer 4

The hypothalamus prepares the body for action by triggering the activity of the sympathetic nervous system

Question 5

What is the third step in the flight or fight response?

Answer 5

The body switches from the parasympathetic state to sympathetic state

Question 6

What is the fourth step in the flight or fight response?

Answer 6

The process of preparing the body for rapid action necessary for flight or fight beings

Question 7

What is the fifth step in the response of flight or fight?

Answer 7

Sympathetic nervous system sends a signal to the adrenal medulla

Question 8

What is the sixth step in the response to flight or fight?

Answer 8

Adrenal medulla releases adrenaline

Question 9

What is the seventh step in the response of flight or fight?

Answer 9

Range of effects on the body prepare it for action

Question 10

What is the eighth step in the response to flight or fight?

Answer 10

-Heart rate, respiration, sweating increase
-Oxygen support to skeletal muscles, brain increase
-Blood vessels are constricted
-Blood is diverted away from skin
-Kidney, digestive system, glucose and fats are release

Question 11

What is the ninth step in the response to flight or fight?

Answer 11

Parasympathetic nervous system is activated

Question 12

What is the tenth step in the response to flight or fight?

Answer 12

Body returns to it’s resting state
Heart rate and blood pressure reduced
digestion begins

Question 13

The physiological responses associated with flight or fight may be adaptive for?

Answer 13

Stress response that requires energetic behaviour

Question 14

What is the negative consequence of flight or fight?

Answer 14

Stressors of modern life rarely require physical activity (exams)
-Sympathetic nervous system is repeatedly activated
-Increased blood pressure lead to physical damage to blood vessels
-Cause heart disease
- System may no longer be adaptive to stressors of today

Question 15

The flight and fight response can have negative effects on the body. What evidence is there to support this?

Answer 15

Physiological responses associated may be adaptive for stress response such as being chased.
Modern stressors rarely require physical activity (exams)

Question 16

The flight and fight response can have negative effects on the body. Why is this a weakness?

Answer 16

-If we stress repeatedly stress response is activated
-lead to physical damage of blood vessels and then heart disease

Question 17

The flight and fight response can have negative effects on the body. Although it is a weakness what is the counterargument?

Answer 17

-Adaptive for some stressors or threats we face today such as avoiding cars

Question 18

A weakness of the response is that during our evolutionary past, men and women had different toles in society. What explanation is there to support this?

Answer 18

-Women have different response for coping with stress
-Fleeing at any sign of danger puts offspring at risk
-More adaptive for women to tend to their offspring in a threat and make alliances with females

Question 19

A weakness of the response is that during our evolutionary past, men and women had different toles in society. Why is this a weakness?

Answer 19

-Male bias
-Assumption that flight or fight is a valid explanation of the stress in all humans is a reflection of the bias towards male psychology

Question 20

A weakness of the response is that during our evolutionary past, men and women had different toles in society. What is an additional point?

Answer 20

Studies have also shown that females release oxytocin when under stress and this supresses the flight or fight response.

Question 21

A weakness of the response is that during our evolutionary past, men and women had different toles in society. What evidence is there to support this?

Answer 21

Men would have been hunters so flight or fight response is appropiate
Women would have been gatheres whose role is to protect themselves and off-springs