A Level Health Psychology: Stress Vocabulary

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering A Level Health Psychology 9990 topic 3.4 Stress key concepts, physiological terms, measures, management strategies, research studies, and issues & debates.

What is the definition of stress in A Level Health Psychology?

The physical and psychological response that occurs when a person feels that demands or pressures challenge their ability to cope.

What is a stressor?

An event, condition, demand or stimulus that produces a stress response.

How is a perceived stressor defined?

A demand or event that a person interprets or appraises as threatening, difficult or requiring adjustment.

What does the physiology of stress refer to?

The bodily processes and changes that occur when a person responds to a stressor.

What is Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)?

Selye’s model describing the body’s general physiological response to prolonged stress through three stages: alarm, resistance and exhaustion.

What occurs during the alarm stage or alarm reaction of GAS?

It is the first stage of GAS, when the body detects a stressor and mobilises for action through the fight-or-flight response.

How is the fight-or-flight response defined?

A rapid physiological response that prepares the body to confront a threat or escape from it.

What occurs during the resistance stage of GAS?

The second stage of GAS, when the body attempts to adapt to continued stress while maintaining a heightened level of physiological activity.

What characterizes the exhaustion stage of GAS?

The final stage of GAS, when prolonged stress depletes the body’s resources and increases vulnerability to illness or physiological damage.

How is arousal defined in the context of stress?

A state of physiological and psychological activation or alertness.

What role does the hypothalamus play in the stress response?

A brain structure that helps coordinate the body’s stress response by activating hormonal and autonomic processes.

What is the function of the pituitary gland during the stress response?

An endocrine gland that releases hormones, including ACTH, which stimulate other glands during the stress response.

Where are the adrenal glands located and what do they release?

Glands located above the kidneys that release stress-related hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline.

What is the specific function of the adrenal cortex during stress?

The outer part of the adrenal gland that releases cortisol during the stress response.

What is the function of the adrenal medulla?

The inner part of the adrenal gland that releases adrenaline and noradrenaline during the fight-or-flight response.

What is ACTH and what does it do?

Adrenocorticotropic hormone released by the pituitary gland that stimulates the adrenal cortex to release cortisol.

What is cortisol and what is the consequence of persistently high levels?

A stress hormone released by the adrenal cortex that helps provide energy for coping with demands; persistently high levels can contribute to health problems.

What is epinephrine / adrenaline?

A hormone and neurotransmitter that increases physiological arousal, including heart rate, during the fight-or-flight response.

What is norepinephrine / noradrenaline?

A hormone and neurotransmitter involved in alertness and physiological arousal during stress.

How is acute stress defined?

Short-term stress produced by an immediate demand or threat; it can temporarily increase physiological arousal and may sometimes be adaptive.

How is chronic stress defined?

Stress that continues over a long period and can place prolonged strain on bodily systems and health.

What is immunosuppression?

A reduction in the effectiveness of the immune system, which can occur during prolonged stress.

What is hypertension?

Persistently high blood pressure, which can be associated with chronic stress and increased cardiovascular risk.

What is coronary heart disease (CHD)?

Disease caused by narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, reducing blood flow to the heart; chronic stress can contribute to its risk.

How is a life event defined in the context of stress?

A significant change or experience that requires a person to adjust, such as marriage, divorce, bereavement or changing jobs.

What is the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)?

Holmes and Rahe’s questionnaire that assigns Life Change Unit scores to major life events to estimate the amount of readjustment and stress a person has experienced.

What are Life Change Units (LCUs)?

Numerical values assigned to life events on the SRRS to represent the amount of adjustment each event is assumed to require.

How is work stress defined?

Stress arising from workplace demands or conditions, such as high workload, low control, effort-reward imbalance or conflicting demands.

What is job strain?

Stress associated particularly with high work demands combined with low control over how work is completed.

What behavior pattern defines a Type A personality, and who linked it to stress and CHD?

A behaviour pattern associated with competitiveness, time urgency, impatience and hostility; Friedman and Rosenman linked this pattern with stress and coronary heart disease.

What is a Type B personality?

A comparatively relaxed, patient and less competitive behaviour pattern that is generally associated with lower stress reactivity than Type A.

What is an individual explanation in psychology?

An explanation that locates the cause of behaviour or experience within the person, such as personality, biology, cognition or coping style.

What is a situational explanation in psychology?

An explanation that locates the cause of behaviour or experience in environmental or social circumstances, such as work demands or major life events.

What is a measure of stress?

A method used to operationalise and assess stress through biological, behavioural or psychological indicators.

What is operationalisation?

Defining a concept in a specific, measurable way so that it can be studied scientifically.

What is a biological measure of stress?

A measure based on physiological processes or bodily responses, such as heart rate, brain activity or cortisol level.

How is heart rate defined?

The number of heartbeats per minute; it can change with physiological arousal and stress.

What is heart rate variability (HRV)?

Variation in the time interval between heartbeats; higher HRV is generally associated with greater relaxation and lower HRV with stress.

What is electrocardiography (ECG)?

A method of recording the electrical activity of the heart and calculating measures such as heart rate and heart rate variability.

What is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?

A brain-imaging technique that identifies changes in blood oxygenation and blood flow associated with neural activity.

What is perfusion fMRI and how was it used by Wang et al.?

A form of fMRI used to measure changes in cerebral blood flow, allowing researchers such as Wang et al. to examine brain responses during psychological stress.

What is cerebral blood flow?

The supply of blood to brain tissue; changes can indicate differences in neural activity during tasks or stress.

How is neural activity defined and inferred by fMRI?

Activity of nerve cells in the brain; fMRI infers this activity from changes in blood flow and oxygenation.

Which specific brain region was identified by Wang et al. as showing stress-related activity?

The ventral right prefrontal cortex.

What is salivary cortisol?

Cortisol measured from a saliva sample; it provides a non-invasive biological indicator of activation of the stress response.

What is a non-invasive measure?

A measure that does not require entering the body or breaking the skin, such as collecting saliva.

How is a psychological measure defined?

A measure of thoughts, feelings, attitudes or self-perceptions, usually collected through self-report.

What is a self-report method?

A data collection method in which participants provide information about themselves, their experiences or their behaviour.

What is a questionnaire?

A written set of questions used to collect self-report data from participants.

What is a psychometric test / psychometrics?

A standardised psychological measurement tool, or the field concerned with measuring psychological characteristics and assessing the reliability and validity of those measurements.

What is a Type A personality questionnaire?

A self-report measure used to assess characteristics associated with the Type A behaviour pattern.

What is a life events questionnaire?

A self-report measure, such as the SRRS, that records significant life events to estimate stress or readjustment demands.

What is subjective data?

Data influenced by a participant’s or researcher’s personal perceptions, interpretations or judgments.

What is objective data?

Data that are less dependent on personal interpretation and can be recorded or measured using standardised procedures or instruments.

What is quantitative data?

Numerical data that can be counted, scored or analysed statistically.

What is qualitative data?

Descriptive, non-numerical data that provide detail about experiences, meanings or explanations.

What is validity in psychological research?

The extent to which a measure or study accurately measures what it claims to measure.

What is construct validity?

The extent to which a measure accurately represents the psychological concept or construct it is intended to measure.

What is ecological validity?

The extent to which findings or measures reflect behaviour and experiences in real-life settings.

How is reliability defined?

The consistency of a measure or procedure; a reliable measure should produce similar results under similar conditions.

What is standardisation?

Using the same instructions, procedures and conditions for participants so measurements are consistent and replicable.

What is replicability?

The extent to which a study or procedure can be repeated so researchers can check whether similar findings are obtained.

What is triangulation?

Using more than one method or type of measure to study the same phenomenon, helping researchers compare evidence and strengthen conclusions.

What is a correlation?

A statistical relationship between two measured variables; a correlation shows association but does not by itself demonstrate cause and effect.

How is stress management defined?

Strategies or treatments used to reduce stress, change responses to stressors or prevent stress from becoming harmful.

What is biofeedback?

A psychological technique in which a person receives information about physiological activity and learns to control that activity voluntarily.

What is feedback in stress management?

Information given to a person about a response or performance so that the person can adjust or improve it.

What is electromyography (EMG)?

A technique that records electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles and can be used in biofeedback to help a person learn to reduce muscle tension.

What is muscle tension?

The contraction or tightening of muscles; elevated tension can accompany stress and can be targeted through relaxation and biofeedback.

What is relaxation training?

A set of techniques designed to reduce physiological arousal and tension.

How is imagery defined in stress management?

The deliberate creation of mental pictures or scenes; in stress management, calming or positive images are used to reduce distress.

What is guided imagery?

A relaxation technique in which a person is directed to imagine calming, safe or positive scenes or experiences.

What did the Cambridge key study by Bridge et al. (1988) examine?

Examining relaxation and imagery as methods of reducing psychological distress during treatment for breast cancer.

What is a randomised controlled trial (RCT)?

An experimental design in which participants are randomly allocated to treatment and control/comparison conditions to test the effect of an intervention.

What is a control group?

A comparison group that does not receive the experimental treatment, or receives a different condition, allowing the treatment effect to be assessed.

What is mood disturbance?

A disruption in emotional state, such as increased anxiety, depression, tension or distress.

What is stress inoculation training (SIT)?

A cognitive-behavioural method developed to help people prepare for and cope with stress by learning about stress, developing coping skills and practising those skills.

What occurs during the conceptualisation phase of SIT?

The first phase of SIT, in which the person learns how stress affects them and identifies stressors, thoughts and responses.

What occurs during the skills acquisition and rehearsal phase of SIT?

The second phase of SIT, in which the person learns and practises coping strategies such as relaxation, cognitive restructuring, problem solving or positive self-talk.

What occurs during the application and follow-through phase of SIT?

The third phase of SIT, in which coping skills are applied to increasingly stressful real-life or simulated situations and maintained over time.

What is a coping strategy?

A cognitive, behavioural or emotional method used to manage demands that are experienced as stressful.

What is cognitive restructuring?

A technique that identifies and changes unhelpful or unrealistic thoughts into more adaptive ways of thinking.

What is positive self-talk?

Deliberate use of supportive or coping-focused statements to help manage stressful thoughts and situations.

What does application to everyday life mean in psychological research?

The extent to which psychological findings, theories or treatments can be used to solve practical problems or improve real-world outcomes.

How are ethics defined in psychological research and treatment?

Principles that protect participants and clients from unnecessary harm and ensure psychological research or treatment is conducted responsibly.

What is informed consent?

Agreement to participate made after receiving sufficient information about what participation involves, as far as this can ethically be disclosed.

What does protection from harm require?

The ethical requirement to minimise physical or psychological harm, stress, discomfort or other risk to participants.

What is the right to withdraw?

The ethical right of participants to leave a study at any time without penalty and, where appropriate, withdraw their data.

What is debriefing?

Providing participants with appropriate information after participation, including explaining the true purpose when information was withheld and addressing possible distress.

What is generalisability / generalisation from findings?

The extent to which findings from a sample can reasonably be applied to other people, settings or situations.

What is the 'nature' perspective in psychology?

The view that behaviour or psychological characteristics are influenced mainly by biological or inherited factors, such as genes, hormones or brain processes.

What is the 'nurture' perspective in psychology?

The view that behaviour or psychological characteristics are influenced mainly by environmental factors, learning, experience and culture.

What is the nature versus nurture debate?

The debate about the relative contribution of biological inheritance and environmental experience to behaviour.

What is a nomothetic approach?

An approach that studies groups of people to identify general laws, patterns or principles that can be applied broadly.

What is an idiographic approach?

An approach that focuses on the unique individual and aims to understand behaviour in depth rather than produce broad general laws.

How is determinism defined in psychology?

The view that behaviour is caused by factors outside a person’s conscious control, such as biology, past learning or environmental conditions.

What is biological determinism?

The view that behaviour is caused or strongly controlled by biological factors such as genes, hormones or neural processes.

What is environmental determinism?

The view that behaviour is caused or strongly controlled by environmental experiences, conditioning or situational factors.

What is psychic determinism?

The psychodynamic view that behaviour is determined by unconscious motives, conflicts and earlier experiences.

What is soft determinism?

The view that behaviour is influenced and constrained by causes, but people may still make choices within those limits.