HDE 133 MT1

Midterm #1 Flashcards

Stressor

Any specific challenge or threat causing stress

Stress

The reaction to the stressor

Stressful life event

Distinct impactful stressful events

Hassles

Day-to-day basis stressors (hw, traffic, noise pollution) can accumulate

Appraisals

An individual’s subjective judgement of the significance of the event

What is an objective index of stress exposure?

An external indicator, such as documented events or neighborhood conditions.

What is experimental manipulation of stress?

Researchers deliberately introduce a stressor under controlled conditions.

Prospective vs. retrospective stress assessment?

Prospective measures forward in time; retrospective asks about past experiences.

How can hormonal stress responses be measured?

By measuring cortisol reactivity.

What brain imaging method is used to measure stress responses?

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

What is the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)?

A self report that asks about events in the last month

What is an interpersonal stressor?

Generally, a stressor involving social relationships or interactions with other people.

What is the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST)?

A standardized laboratory task involving socially evaluative challenges, such as public speaking and mental arithmetic.

What is prospective measurement of stressors?

Assessing stressor exposure as events occur or across a forward

What is retrospective measurement of stressors?

Asking participants to recall past stressor exposure.

What happens when arousal is too low?

Performance is relatively weak, and the individual may experience boredom.

What happens when arousal is too high?

Performance decreases because excessive tension, arousal, or anxiety becomes detrimental.

At what level of arousal is performance optimal?

At a moderate level of arousal.

What did Seery et al. (2010) examine?

The relationship between cumulative lifetime adversity and mental health and well

What four outcomes were measured in Seery et al. (2010)?

Life satisfaction, functional impairment, global distress, and posttraumatic stress symptoms.

What general pattern is illustrated by the Seery et al. (2010) graphs?

Some lifetime adversity was associated with better outcomes than either no adversity or very high adversity.

Is stress always good or always bad?

No. Whether stress has beneficial or harmful effects depends on aspects of the stressor and the individual.

What is the primary function of the thalamus?

It acts as a relay station for sensory signals.

How does the thalamus process visual information?

It receives visual signals from the eyes and relays them to other brain regions, such as the visual cortex.

What is one major function of the amygdala?

Detecting salient or important information in the environment, including potential threats.

What are examples of direct danger detected by the amygdala?

A snake, spider, or knife.

What is an example of an indirect danger signal detected by the amygdala?

A fearful facial expression.

Does the amygdala respond only to negative emotions?

No. It responds to both negative and positive emotional expressions.

How does the amygdala activate the body's stress response?

It sends signals to the hypothalamus and brain stem when it detects a potential stressor.

What emotional responses is the amygdala involved in?

Fear and anxiety.

What are some functions normally regulated by the hypothalamus?

Body temperature, metabolism, circadian rhythms, and sleep.

What role does the hypothalamus play in the stress response?

It helps activate the body's stress responses through the SAM and HPA axes.

What are the two major stress-response systems activated by the hypothalamus?

The sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) axis and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.

What two pathways can sensory information about a potential threat take after reaching the thalamus?

A direct pathway to the amygdala or a pathway through the sensory cortex to the amygdala.

What is the pathway from the thalamus through the visual cortex?

Visual information travels from the thalamus to the visual cortex for further processing before reaching the amygdala.

What happens after the amygdala detects a potential threat?

It communicates with the hypothalamus and brain stem to help activate the body's stress response.

What psychological characteristics are associated with greater amygdala reactivity?

Higher neuroticism, anxiety, and depression.

Prefrontal cortex

Conscious control of thoughts, emotions, and behavior; abstract thinking; decision

What role does the prefrontal cortex play in emotion regulation?

It supports the conscious regulation of emotional responses.

What kind of stressors are associated with the prefrontal cortex in the lecture?

Psychological stressors.

What is hormesis?

Generally, a process in which low or moderate exposure to a stressor produces beneficial adaptive effects, while higher exposure may be harmful.

3 Conditions for stress to be harmful

Traumatic, Chronic/long-term, No control

When is a stressor helpful?

Short-term/acute, Have resources, Stress-is-enhancing mindset

How is the nervous system organized?

The nervous system divides into the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and peripheral nervous system (somatic and autonomic). The autonomic nervous system further divides into sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.

What are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system?

The sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest).

What is the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?

The sympathetic system prepares the body for action during stress, while the parasympathetic system supports resting and digestive functions.

What is the fight

or

What happens to the cardiovascular system during fight or flight?

Heart rate increases.

What happens to the respiratory system during fight or flight?

The airways dilate to support increased airflow.

What happens to the gastrointestinal system during fight or flight?

Digestion is inhibited, including reduced intestinal activity and secretions.

What is the sympathetic

adrenal

What is the sequence of the SAM stress

response pathway?

What hormones are released by the adrenal medulla during the SAM response?

Epinephrine and norepinephrine.

How can researchers measure SAM

axis activity?

What is the hypothalamic

pituitary

What is the sequence of the HPA stress

response pathway?

What does CRH stand for, and what does it do?

Corticotrophin

What does ACTH stand for, and what does it do?

Adrenocorticotrophic hormone; released by the anterior pituitary to stimulate cortisol release from the adrenal cortex.

What is the HPA

axis negative feedback loop?

How can researchers measure HPA

axis activity?

What is the main difference between the SAM and HPA pathways?

SAM activates the sympathetic nervous system and releases epinephrine/norepinephrine from the adrenal medulla; HPA releases cortisol from the adrenal cortex through CRH and ACTH.

What happens to the dermal system during fight or flight?

Sympathetic activation increases sweating and may cause goosebumps or changes in skin blood flow.

What is the adrenal medulla? - Generally, the inner region of the adrenal gland that releases epinephrine and norepinephrine during sympathetic activation.

What is epinephrine?

Generally, adrenaline; a catecholamine involved in increasing physiological readiness during stress.

What is norepinephrine?

Noradrenaline involved in sympathetic signaling and cardiovascular responses.

What is cortisol's role in the stress response?

A glucocorticoid released by the adrenal cortex that helps mobilize energy and regulate physiological responses to stress.

How is prenatal stress measured?

Researchers measure stressors through life

How does prenatal stress affect cognitive and motor development?

Research has associated prenatal stress with lower motor development in infancy and lower cognitive development, including attention regulation.

What did Kinney et al. (2008) find about the timing of prenatal stress and autism?

In the study's storm

Effects of stress on birth complications (3)

shorter pregnancy/preterm birth, low birth weight, risk of miscarriage

Effects of stress on emotional outcomes (3)

difficult temperament, higher anxiety in childhood, behavioral problems

Effects on cognitive/motor

lower motor development, low attention regulation

Effect on psychiatric development (3)

ADHD, ASD/schizophrenia, mood disorders (anxiety/depression)

Fetal programming hypothesis

stressors that occur during sensitive periods lead to permanent changes in development

Results of Kinney survey

emergencies at 5 mo caused most kids to develop autism

Levendosky survey

timing dependent, differed by sex

2 mechanisms of prenatal stress

reduces bloodflow to the fetus, risk of premature birth b/c of CRH (determines timing of birth)

What does "experience builds brains" mean?

Early childhood experiences shape brain development. The brain doubles in size during the first year and reaches approximately 80% of adult volume by age three.

What is the difference between tolerable and toxic stress?

Tolerable stress involves a serious but temporary stress response buffered by supportive relationships. Toxic stress involves prolonged activation of stress

What are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)?

Potentially traumatic childhood experiences involving abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction, such as domestic violence, parental substance abuse, or divorce.

How does toxic stress affect brain development?

Toxic stress can disrupt developing neural connections and brain architecture. Sheridan et al. (2012) found lower cortical gray matter volume among previously institutionalized children than among never

What is the relationship between parent stress, parent cortisol, and infant cortisol?

Parent and infant cortisol levels are positively associated in the study shown by Stenius et al. (2008). Essex et al. (2002) also found higher child cortisol levels associated with exposure to maternal stress during both infancy and age 4.5.

How can an intervention improve infant cortisol regulation?

Berlin et al. (2019) examined an EHS + ABC intervention. The diagram suggests improved maternal sensitivity helped explain changes in infant cortisol regulation; check the professor's interpretation.

How do ACEs affect child mental health?

Greater ACE exposure is associated with increased risk of childhood mental health problems, including aggression, depression/anxiety, withdrawal, and attention problems.

What is the dose response relationship between ACEs and mental health?

As the number of ACEs increases, the risk of mental health problems generally increases.

What is the difference between tolerable and toxic stress?

Tolerable stress is buffered by supportive relationships, while toxic stress involves prolonged activation of stress response systems without adequate support.

What are the three major hormonal changes associated with puberty?

Growth hormone causes the pubertal growth spurt. Adrenarche involves the HPA axis and contributes to pubic hair, armpit hair, and acne. Gonadarche involves the HPG axis and the development of reproductive organs and secondary sex characteristics.

How can stress influence the timing of puberty?

Exposure to adversity such as family conflict, abuse, housing instability, violence, and trauma is associated with earlier puberty, especially in girls. Some research links neglect to delayed puberty.

How does puberty influence biological reactivity to stress?

Pubertal development is associated with increased HPA axis reactivity, meaning adolescents may show stronger cortisol responses to stress.

What is the bidirectional relationship between stress and puberty?

Stress can contribute to earlier pubertal development, while pubertal development can increase biological reactivity to stress.

Why is adolescence considered a sensitive period of brain development?

Pubertal hormones may create new windows of brain plasticity in regions such as the amygdala and hippocampus, making them more sensitive to environmental experiences.

How does stress affect amygdala reactivity during adolescence?

Swartz et al. (2015) found that adolescents exposed to high stress who also had high risk showed the greatest increase in amygdala reactivity to fearful faces with age. Check what the professor meant by high versus low risk.

How is stress associated with adolescent mental health?

Exposure to stressors such as abuse, domestic violence, poverty, and stressful life events increases the risk of mental health problems, especially major depression and anxiety disorders.

Why do depression and anxiety increase during adolescence?

Adolescents experience more stressors such as peer conflict, rejection, and academic pressure, alongside biological changes including puberty, increased HPA axis reactivity, and changes in amygdala activity.

What are cohort effects in adolescent mental health?

Differences in mental health across generations or time periods. CDC data from 2013 to 2023 showed increases in persistent sadness or hopelessness among high school students, especially girls, although rates among girls declined from 2021 to 2023.

Allostatic load

Generally, the cumulative wear and tear on the body caused by repeated or chronic activation of stress response systems. The professor's definition is blank on the slide.

How is chronic stress associated with cardiovascular disease?

Chronic stressors such as poverty, childhood maltreatment, job stress, and neighborhood violence are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

How can stress increase the risk of cardiovascular disease?

Through biological factors such as atherosclerosis, which involves plaque buildup in arteries, and lifestyle factors such as smoking, physical inactivity, and obesity.

How does stress affect hippocampal volume in adulthood?

Chronic stressors such as childhood maltreatment, poverty, and combat exposure are associated with reduced hippocampal volume. The hippocampus is important for learning, memory, and regulation of the HPA axis.

How does stress affect prefrontal cortex volume in adulthood?

Chronic stress exposure, including childhood maltreatment and poverty, is associated with reduced prefrontal cortex volume and activity.