Stress I
List the 6 health risks connected to stress
hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, obesity, depression, anxiety
describe the general steps of the rodent research model
1. take baseline cortisol blood concentrations
2. rig the floor with random periodic mild shocks
3. record elevated cortisol blood concentration
4. introduce a psychological intervention
5. observe possible change in stress levels (compare cortisol blood concentration)
explain the traditional view of emotional processesing
stimulus/trigger
perception/awareness
emotional response
biological response
Define psychosis
A break from reality. Having trouble deciding what is real or not.
describe the difference between eustress and distress
distress is extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain
eustress is positive stress
What are the 3 traits of an effective outlet of frustration?
1. distracting
2. appealing
3. involve physical exertion
What is a panic attack? How does the study on panic attacks support the James-Lange Theory
A panic attack is a sudden spike in sympathetic response and a feeling of extreme fear. patients with panic attacks were asked to raise hand when they felt fear. The spike in sympathetic response came before the participants expressed the feeling of fear.
What are the 4 conclusions that we made about genetics and depression?
1. genetics place a role in depression
2. the greater the genetic overlap you have of someone with depression, the greater the chances you have of getting depression
3. the more severe the type of depression, the more genetics place a role
4. genetics is not the only factor in getting depression
What is the difference between positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Give an example for each
positive symptoms are symptoms that are present but should not be there.
ex: psychosis (hallucinations, delusions) and disorganized behaviors (irrational thinking, confusing speech)
negative symptoms are symptoms that are absent but should normally be there.
ex: lack of social etiquette, lack of emotions, catatonia, lack of consciousness, lack of motivation
no they are not related
immunosuppression is the suppression of the immune system caused by stress and cortisol
stress immunization is the built resistance to stress
When you are stressed, your fight or flight system prepares your body for physical action. So by actually doing some sort of physical action you are giving the body what it wants.
What are the two main findings from pure autonomic patients, bell's palsy patients, and patients with botox
1. their emotional response is significantly decreased compared to the normal population
2. they have a decreased ability to recognize emotional expressions in others
what 4 brain areas are the most susceptible to damage during depression?
amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, frontal lobes
Explain the difference between first, second, and third degree relatives. Give an example for each
First degree relatives are one step away from you and share 50% of their genes. ex: parents, siblings children
second degree relatives are two steps away from you and share 25% of their genes. ex: aunt/uncle, grandparents, half siblings
third degree relatives are three steps away from you and share 12.5% of their genes. ex: cousin, great grandparent
What is a negative feedback loop? Why is the HPA axis considered this and explain the mechanism behind this.
A negative feedback loop is a self-regulating mechanism that shuts itself off.
The HPA axis shuts itself off. This happens when enough cortisol is released into the bloodstream and it reaches a threshold. The hypothalamus detects this and shuts the system off by stopping the release of CRH.
Explain the pencil study. What were the results and how does this relate to the facial feedback hypothesis?
The facial feedback hypothesis states that the physical expression on your face can effect how you feel emotionally. This study supports this hypothesis because their facial expression changed how they interpret emotional material.
1. genetics place a significant role
2. the greater the genetic overlap one has with a schizophrenic relative, the greater the chance for that individual to have schizophrenia
3. genetics is not the only factor
Explain the steps of HPA activation
stress increases, hypothalamus activates and release CRH, CRH activates the pituitary gland which releases ACTH, ACTH activates the adrenal gland which releases cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine into the bloodstream.
What were the findings and significance from the rodent study on sense of control?
condition 1 (lever that worked): decreased cortisol
having a sense of control decreases stress
condition 2 (no lever): increased cortisol
taking away sense of control increases stress
condition 3: (lever that did not work): decreased cortisol
having a false sense of control decreases stress
What are the conclusions of the Schacter and Singer study? how does it support their theory?
The informed group did not react emotionally to the confederate because they were aware of the adrenaline shot
The uninformed group reacted emotionally based on the happy/angry confederate because they were unaware of the adrenaline shot
Both groups used cognitive assessment to determine what kind of emotional response to the adrenaline/confederates was appropriate
This supports the theory that cognitive assessment occurs after a biological response and before an emotional response.
Explain what happens to the HPA axis during depression.
What is Rh incompatibility? How does this result in brain damage?