| What happens when adrenaline is released? | Increased heart and respiration rate - necessary for fight or flight |
| What happens first when encountering a threatening stimulus? | Firstly, the hypothalamus activates the pituitary gland to activate changes in the Autonomic nervous System.
The ANS changes from its normal resting state (the parasympathetic state) to being physiologically aroused (sympathetic state). |
| What does this trigger the release of? | Adrenaline from the adrenal medulla gland. |
| What happens when the threat subsides? | The parasympathetic nervous system returns the body to its natural state. |
| What is the chronic/long term stress called? | The HPA axis (Hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal) |
| What happens when the brain continues to perceive something as threatening? | Second system kicks in, the initial surge of adrenaline subsides, the hypothalamus activates a stress response system called the HPA axis. |
| What does the hypothalamus do in continued threat? | the hypothalamus releases a chemical messenger called corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) |
| What does CRH do for the pituitary gland? | Causes it to secrete adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) |
| What does ACTH do to the adrenal glands? | Stimulates it - eleases stress hormones called cortisol |
| What does cortisol do? | Releasing stored glucose from the liver (for energy) and controlling swelling after an injury.
The immune system is suppressed while this happens. |
| Weakness of flight or fight? | -Some psychologist suggest that there is a inital 'freeze' response
-Gary suggests that the first reponse to danger is to avoid confrontation, which is demonstrated by freeze response
-During the freeze response human and animlas are hyper-viligant, they analyse the situation to decide the best course of action for the threat
-Limited explanation |
| Weakness of fight or flight syndrome? | -Useful survival mechanims for ancestors who actually faced predators, modern day life doesn't really require intense biological response
-The stressors of modern day life can repeatldy active the fight or flight repsosne, can have negaative consequences on our health
-Eg: humans that face a lot of stress and continually activate the sympatheic nervous sytem, continually incresaes their blood pressure which can damage thier blood vessesl and heart disease
-Suggests its malaptive response to modern-day life. |
| Weakness of fight or flight? | -Seen as a typially a male resposne, recent research suggests that females adopt a 'tend and befrined' response to stressful/dangerous situations
-Taylor et al said women are more likely to protect their offspring (tend) and form alliances with other women (befriend), rather than fight or flee
-Fight of lfihgt response might be counterinutuitve for women, as running can be seen as a sign fo weakness and put offspring at risk
-Gender bias |
| A weakness of fight or flight? | -The explanation of responding to stress in research suggest that there may sex differences
-Eg: Lee and Harley found that males possess the SRY gene (exclusive to Y chromosome) which is thought to promote aggressive behaviour
-Significant bc it would suggest men are more likely to have a fight or flight resposne. The absence of this gene in females would suggest that their behaviour is likley to be different when responding to stress
-Suggesting that there may not be one genetic human stress reponse and that there are differences between biological sex. |
