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Psychology, Unit 3, AOS1
Vagus nerve
One of the body's largest nerves that facilitates communication between the central nervous system (CNS) and the enteric nervous system (ENS), with bi-directional neural signals.
Microbiome
The gut environment that hosts a diverse population of microorganisms, known as microbiota.
Microbiota
Microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses that inhabit the gut.
Dysbiosis
A condition characterized by an unhealthy balance of bacteria in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which can affect psychological processes.
What is the General adaption syndrome (GAS) Mode
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The Gas model is made up of three different stages: Alarm reaction, resistance, exhaustion.
Its looking at stress as an illness, example of modelling.
Shock stage
Our body is feeling the stressor for the first time, and our becomes stressed because it doesn't know what to do, therefore our bodies tolerance to stress drops below normal levels.
Parasympathetic NS is dominant because the body is freezing to the stress because it doesn't yet know what to do and is in shock.
Countershock stage
Our body rebounds from the shock stage and helps us survive by activating the fight-flight response, and our body tries to fight and deal with the stress.
Our sympathetic NS is dominant because it starting to release adrenaline and cortisol to prepare the body.
Resistance stage
Cortisol continues to be released from our bloodstream to deal with the stressor.
The body is conserving its energy to cope with the long term stress.
Sympathetic NS is dominant because cortisol is keeping the body alert and our heart rate may be higher because of the sustained stressor.
Our body is trying to get back to homeostasis.
Exhaustion stage
Our bodies tolerance to stress drops below normal levels, because eventually after releasing so much cortisol over a long period our body eventually couldn't handle it because we had such high levels of cortisol. Therefore, our body became drained, and burnt out.
Our body will be vulnerable to diseases, and our immune system will be weak.
Strengths of GAS model
A simple model that fits our understanding of stress as a physiological reaction.
Suggests a predictable pattern of responses that can be easily tested.
Weaknesses of the GAS model
Assumes everyone responds to stress in a physiological way, and doesn't take into account psychological factors and individual differences.
The study was conducted on rats, and humans are very different.
Bit too simplistic.
Lazarus and Folkman's
Transactional model of stress and coping
We're looking at the psychological factors that impact stress.
Primary appraisal
Is stage 1
Initial interpretation of whether the stressor is relevent to you or not.
It either branhces of to irrelevent, positive, or stressful
Secondary appraisal
Is stage 2
This stage comes after harm/loss, challenge, threat.
Its when we revaluate whether we can cope or not, and by assesing all the harm/loss, threats, and challenges if we can now overcome it by making a change.
Stressful stage
Involved in stage 1
When your stressor matters, but in a bad way where you can't cope. = distress
Branches off to harm/loss, threat, challenge
Harm/loss satge
Involved in stage 1
This stage is in the past, because its the damage that's already been done.
Such as time that's been wasted, or you know you haven't done enough preperation.
Positive stage
Involved in stage 1
When your stressor matter, but in a good way where you can cope.
Irrelevant stage
Involved in stage 1
Where your stressor doesn't matter to you, and doesn't cause you any stress.
Threat stage
Involved in stage 1
This stage is in the future, it is when you assess any potential problems that could come out of the issue.
Such as not passing year 12
Challenge stage
Involved in stage 1
This stage is in the present, its when you asses the oppitunities and consquences for changes that require you to overcome your stressor.
Such as studying 3 hours per night until the SAC
Reappraisal stage
Happens after our secondary appraisal stage
When we judge whether or not extra resources are needed to cope after we've found our other ones.
Such as extra tutoring.
Coping stage
These stages are after our secondary reapraisal.
After we've evualtes if we can cope or not, and if we can overcome our stressor. We then see if our coping resources are inadequate, or adequate.
If they're inadequate, you've decided you cannot cope
If they're adequate resources, that means you've decided that you can cope. Which means you either chose emotional or problem focused coping.
What does coping mean?
Its basically our ability to manage stress, and adapt to other ways of managing stress if our old ways don't work.
What are coping skills and strategies?
The different techniques we use to deal with our stressors to minimise the negative impacts.
What is context-specific effectiveness?
It is when we need to take the environment, situation, or scenario into consideration when you're met with a stressor. Contextual factors can either influence if we find something overwhelming, or challenging but manageable.
What is coping flexibility?
Its our ability to stop coping strategies that don't work and try new methods to overcome a stressor.
How does physical exercise act as a coping strategy?
It helps us redirect our anxious energy by completing exercise. Because when we're stressed our sympathetic nervous system becomes activated which can then activate our fight-flight response, which makes our body aroused.
What are some physiological benefits of physical exercise?
Helps reduce our cortisol levels and strengthens our immune system.
Helps our body to be healthy by exercising
What are some psychological benefits of physical exercise?
Reduces fatigue and anxiety
Increases serotonin which helps to improve our mood
What are avoidance strategy?
They are used when we feel we have little control over our stressor, or if we believe we don't have any coping strategies to manage our stressor effectively.
When we avoid doing something.
Not effective in the long run and increases anxiety.
what are approach strategies?
Strategies that directly target the stressor. Its when we confront our stressor rather than running away from them.
What are the two main approaches for approach strategies?
Problem focused coping
Emotional focused coping
What are problem focused coping?
Involves putting effort in to manage or change the source of the stressor.
Such as getting advice, and finding different solutions.
What is emotional focused coping?
Involves putting effort in to manage or change our negative emotional responses to the stressor.
Such as avoiding feeling sad, and angry. Instead we change by feeling more positive emotions, such as being hopeful.
Fight-flight response
Our autonomic NS activates our the fight-flight reaction without us knowing. It responds to our stressors by confronting them (fight), or escaping them (flight), to help increase our chances of survival.
Note 
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