3.3.2 Evaluation: Cortisol & chronic stress Flashcards
(54 cards)
(HPA pathway) evidence of the HPA pathway in response to stress has been seen in what?
number of research studies
(HPA pathway) Lacey et al (2000) found elevated levels of cortisol in who?
students one hour prior to an exam compared to a control group
(HPA pathway) what does Lacey et al’s evidence support?
the predictions of the HPA pathway
(HPA pathway) Lacey et al’s research was based on students and exam stress, what is an issue with this?
can’t generalise - not all stresses in life and all people
(HPA pathway) where may there be differences in the HPA response to stress?
between ages and genders
(HPA pathway) Lopez-Duran et al found variations in cortisol release in who?
children in stressful situations
(HPA pathway) Lopez-Duran et al found the time of peak cortisol release varied from 10-60 minutes, which gender showed greater cortisol release?
boys
(HPA pathway) Lopez-Duran’s research suggests what?
gender differences in the HPA pathway response
(HPA pathway) Seltzer put a sample of girls of what age into a stressful situation?
7-12
(HPA pathway) Seltzer found the girls showed higher levels of what compared to controls?
oxytocin
(HPA pathway) Seltzer found girls showed lower levels of what compared to controls?
cortisol
(HPA pathway) seltzer’s research suggests social relationships may mediate what?
negative effects of cortisol on the body
(cortisol) what did Tyrell and Baxter found on people without adrenal glands?
they cannot produce enough cortisol
they need additional quantities of cortisol in order to survive
(cortisol) what does Tyrell and Baxters research suggest about cortisol?
it is important when stressed
(cortisol) stress does not always raise cortisol this is a weakness for the HPA pathway because it implies what?
cortisol will always be released if a stressor is perceived
(cortisol) Lewis et al did a review of studies on exam stress they ranged from how much of a decrease in cortisol to how much of an increase?
58% decrease
95% increase
(cortisol) in Lewis’ own study what did he find with cortisol and exam stress?
no difference in cortisol levels in response to exam stress
(cortisol) Lewis’ research suggest that stress does not always do what?
raise cortisol levels
(cortisol) Miller et al - variations in findings on cortisol and stress could be due to a variety of factors such as what?
length of time a stressor continues
nature of the threat
emotions associated with the stressor
(cortisol and memory) Kuhlmann et al administered cortisol to who and what did they have to do?
a group of women asked to learn 30 words
some words were negative words e.g. murder
(cortisol and memory) what did Kuhlmann find the group given cortisol did?
remembered significantly fewer words than the group not given cortisol - especially for negative words (may have caused stress)
(cortisol and memory) what does Kuhlmann’s research suggest?
a negative correlation between cortisol and memory
(cortisol and memory) one issue of Kuhlmann’s research is it lacks ecological validity why?
being asked to recall words in a lab environment is not representative of real life stressors
(cortisol and memory) what is another issue of Kuhlmann’s research?
beta gender bias - research was carried out on women cant generalise to men
