Chapter 5

Question 1

What does the ANS do?

Answer 1

Regulates physiology to prepare for short-term needs.

Question 2

What cranial nerves carry parasympathetic fibers?

Answer 2

III Oculomotor VII Facial IV Glossopharyngeal X Vagus

Question 3

What part of the CNS has the greatest control over ANS?

Answer 3

Hypothalamus

Question 4

what part of the CNS holds nuclei which have a great deal of influence over autonomic function?

Answer 4

Brain Stem

Question 5

What division of the ANS may process and control certain functions at the level of the spinal cord without involvement of the brain?

Answer 5

Parasympathetic E.g. defecation and urination. Whereas most of its actions are involuntary, some actions of the ANS, especially breathing, work in tandem with consious processes. (Note: This is an important reason why breathing exercises are so important as a part of the therapeutic process.

Question 6

Which brain systems communicate between CNS and ANS?

Answer 6

Cerebrum (conscious activies affect hypothalmus control of the ANS) to Hypothalamus (integration and command center for autonomic/visceral functions; involved in emotions), to Brainstem (contains major ANS reflex centers) to spinal cord (contains ANS reflex centers for defecation and urnination)

Question 7

What makes up the endocrine system?

Answer 7

Consists of ductless glands throughout the body.

Question 8

What makes up the Neuroendocrine system?

Answer 8

Endocrine glands that are controlled by and interact with the nervous system.

Question 9

Describe the pituitary gland

Answer 9

The ‘master gland’; produces hormones that influence secretions of the thyroid, pancrease, adrenals, and gonads; also secretes growth hormones.

Question 10

Describe the thyroid

Answer 10

Produces hormones that regulate metabolic rate.

Question 11

Describe the adrenal glands

Answer 11

Control salt and carbohydrate metabolism; secrete hormones active in arousal and sleep.

Question 12

Describe the pancrease

Answer 12

Produces insulin and glucogen to control sugar metabolism.

Question 13

Describe the gonads

Answer 13

Ovaries and testes produce hormones involved in development of secondary sex characteristics and reproduction.

Question 14

Compare and contrast the endocrine and nervous systems

Answer 14

Both the endocrine and nervous systems share, synthesize, and release chemicals. In the nervous system, these chemicals are called NTs, in the endocrine system, these chemicals are called hormones. The effects of hormones can be prolonged.

Question 15

List and describe the three stress hormones

Answer 15

Coristol - Can be used as an index of stress NE - Both a hormone and a NT (produced in many places in the body) Epinephrine - Produced in the adrenal medulla - Used as an index of stress - Measured in urine

Question 16

What are the short term and long term effects of cortisol?

Answer 16

Short term: glucose release from liver and muscles. Long term: Immune changes, loss of muscle and bone mass. Loss of insulin sensitivity Hippocampus neuronal death.

Question 17

What is allostasis and allostatic load?

Answer 17

Allostasis: body’s maintainance of an appropriate level of activation under changing circumstances. Prolonged activation creates allostatic load, which is the wear and tear that occurs due to prolonged activation of the physiological stress response. - Allostatic load may be responsible for chronic health problems such as high BP and insulin resistance.

Question 18

Describe the difference between homeostasis and allostasis

Answer 18

Homeostasis is the regulation of the body to a balance, by single point tuning such as O2 sat, blood glucose or blood pH. Allostasis is adaptation but in regard to a more dynamic balance. Dehydration example.

Question 19

Relate the flight or figh response to gender

Answer 19

The fight or flightstress response may be a more dominant part of how males react to stress than females: - female behavioural responses may include more “tend and befriend” - Women release more of the hormone oxytocin, which is linked to social activities such as bonding and affiliation.

Question 20

What is General Adaptation Syndrome?

Answer 20

Helps to explain how stress relates to physical illness. - Continued stress will cause prolonged resistance which may be related to ulcers, hypertension, asthma, and possibly resistance to immune system - In exhaustion stage, the body is depleted and can lead to depressed or death.

Question 21

What is Lazarus’s view of stress?

Answer 21

• Stress is interactional (between a person and the environment) - Person’s appraaisal is key to determining what is stressful - Stress arises when the situation is threatening, challenging, or harmful.

Question 22

What are the three appraisals people make in Lazarus’s view?

Answer 22

Primary appraisal: person determines whether the even is irrelevant, benign-positive (good), or stressful Secondary appraisal: Person determiens whether they can successfully apply coping strategies to alleviate stress Reappraisal: person incorporates any new information –> appraisal is an ongoing process.

Question 23

What is LeDoux’s (1996) dual pathway of emotion?

Answer 23

Thalamus sends sensory input along two independent pathways: - One directly to amygdala (emotional and behavioural reaction) and the other one to the cerebral cortex (conscious interpretation)

Question 24

What is the role of the Amygdala?

Answer 24

• Can process input before interpretation by the cortex - Removal of visual cortex in rats did not impair classically conditioned fear response - People with hippocampal damage (unable to learn a connection between CS and UCS) still acquire a fear response.

Question 25

Mentally draw out LeDoux’s theory of emotion

Answer 25

Question 26

Describe split brain experiments

Answer 26

Sever corpus callosum hemispheres no longer communicate - but optic nerve remains intact
•With optic nerve
–Fibres cross over
•Right visual field - processed in left hemisphere
•Left visual field - processed in right hemisphere

Question 27

Relate hemispheric activations to emotions

Answer 27

Evidence for left hemisphere activation underlying positive emotions
Evidence for right hemisphere activation underlying negative emotions

Question 28

Describe polyvagal theory

Answer 28

Evolution has produced and ordered three ANS response systems
•Hierarchy based on maximizing survival and preferring safe situations
•Neuroception of danger (similar to LeDoux’s “lower road” from thalamus

Question 29

What are some physiological measures of stress?

Answer 29

Physiological measures of stress include measurements of:
•Blood pressure, heart rate, galvanic skin response, respiration rate
•Advantages: objective, reliable and direct
•Disadvantages: process may produce stress itself; expensive (Ron disagrees- no longer valid)
Physiological Measures of Stress

Question 30

What are the two categories of self-report measures of stress?

Answer 30

Two categories:
–Life Events Scale - checklist of life events
•Examples of life events: marriage, death, traffic violations (See scale in text chapter p.88)
–Everyday Hassles Scale - measures daily hassles (experiences of everyday living that may be threatening to a person’s well-being)
•Examples of everyday hassles: traffic, concerns of weight, household chores

Question 31

What is coping and how does it relate to stress?

Answer 31

Coping - strategies that individuals use to manage the distressing problems and emotions in their life
–How individuals successfully cope may be determined by both their personal resources and the specific personal coping strategies chosen

Question 32

What are personal resources and how do they relate to stress?

Answer 32

Personal control - individuals who are confident they have some control over their lives are better able to cope with stress
–Why is a high internal locus of control good in coping with stress?
•Feelings of not being in control may increase cortisol production
•However, control may be more important for people in Western societies, and for males

Question 33

What are the two kind of coping strategies?

Answer 33

Problem focused coping and emotion-focused (self-focused) coping.

Question 34

Describe problem focused coping

Answer 34

changing the source of the stress, such as making a plan to help you solve a problem
•Overall contributes to good health, especially when dealing with chronic stress

Question 35

Describe emotion focused coping

Answer 35

managing emotions that come from stress, such as venting about a problem
•Can be useful when problem-focused coping is not a viable coping strategy
•This category is poorly understood – will explain in class

Question 36

What are some behavioural interventions for stress management?

Answer 36

Psychologists have studied techniques to teach people how to manage stress:
–Relaxation and breathing training
–Affect regulation skills
–Mindfulness/meditation training
–Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT)
–Emotional disclosure

Question 37

What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?

Answer 37

type of therapy that aims to develop beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, and skills to make positive changes in behaviors
–With help of therapist, the individual would identify and clarify problems, learn new cognitive and behavioral skills to help cope with the problem, and practice these new skills
–An effective treatment for both prevention and management of stress and stress-related disorders

Question 38

Describe emotional disclosure and how it relates to stress

Answer 38

therapeutic technique in which people express their strong emotions by talking or writing about negative events that precipitated those emotions
–Self-reflection and focusing on positive aspects of experience
–Effective in helping people with physical problems
–Most effective when newer expressions of the narrative are more coherent and positive