PSYC 102 #2

biopsychosocial model

the causes and effects of physical and psychological well-being are a combo of biological, psychological, and social factors
-B: physical health, immune response
-S: school, family, work, peer group
-P: self-esteem, perceptions, social skills

burnout

-long-term exhaustion
-loss of motivation
-caused by chronic stress

PTSD

-clinically diagnosed disorder
-flashbacks, nightmares, social withdrawal, anxiety, insomnia
-weeks after traumatic event

stress

a physiological response to an event that is appraised as taxing or exceeding one's ability to adapt and is magnified by the social context

stress appraisal theory

the cause of stress reactions is one's interpretation of the event

primary appraisal

evaluation of the situational demands and whether they are challenging or threatening

secondary appraisal

evaluation of our available resources + if we have enough to deal with the challenge

psychological uncertainty

-leads to stress response
-inability to predict what will happen/outcome

time pressure

-leads to stress response
-having to make decisions under a time limit or without sufficient info

goal conflict

-leads to stress response
-being stuck between 2 goals

approach-approach

wanting 2 desirable things

avoidance-avoidance

choosing between 2 bad things

appraoch-avoidance

wanting 1 thing that has good and bad consequences

stress response

a set of physiological responses to stress

Sympathetic-adreno-medullary (SAM) axis

-FAST reaction
-starts in hypothalamus
-activated sympathetic system
-releases catecholamines through adrenal gland

epinephrine (adrenaline)

-hormone

-secreted by adrenal gland

-activates sympathetic system

-effects on body

Norepinephrine

-hormone
-secreted by adrenal gland
-activates sympathetic system
-effects on brain (psychoactive)

effects of catecholamines

-suppress digestion
-increase focus
-increase respiration
-increase heart rate
-fight or flight reaction

cortisol

-stress-specific
-hormone
-released through HPA axis
-secreted by adrenal gland
-regulates energy use
-increases glucose (sugar) in blood to improve brain function + speed up healing of tissues
-suppresses immune system
-suppresses digestion
-suppresses reproduction systems
-slow effects, build up over time, stick around long

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

3 stage response to stress

GAS. 1.Alarm phase

-catecholamines and cortisol activate sympathetic system

-prepare to deal with stressor

GAS 2.Resistance phase

-result of prolonged threat
-modifies normal biological functions

GAS. 3.Exhaustion phase

-body can't deal with stress
-physical, emotional, psychological resources drained
-increased susceptibility for long-term consequences

poison ivy study

-ppl touched by poison ivy and were told it was harmless showed less swelling

marrow transplant study

patients with better coping skills felt less pain after operations
(biological factors are best predictors)

negative effects of chronic stress

-changes brain structure
-increased risk of cardiovascular disease
-problems regulating immune function
-gastrointestinal issues
-sped up aging

prefrontal cortex (PFC)

-cortical region in brain
-involved in goal-directed behaviour + inhibition of impulses
-low PFC function= can't control impulses, can't regulate emotions, inflexible behaviour

inflammation

-release of cytokines by immune system
-chronic stress leads to dysregulation of cytokine production which leads to higher inflammation

coronary heart disease (CHD)

-heart's blood supply is blocked
-leads to heart attack
-stress is a predictor of CHD
-increased blood pressure damages heart arteries
-cortisol reduces liver function, cholesterol breaks down less efficiently
-chronic inflammation

heart attack

-stress is involved in 30-50% of heart attacks
-acute stress increases heart rate --> trigger heart attack
-stress masks symptoms of heart attack

baboon TB finding

-baboons exposed to tuberculosis
-aggressive alpha-males died

type-A personality

-ambitious
-driven
-controlling
-aggressive

inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

-gastrointestinal tract
-severe pain
-damages intestines
-chronic fatigure
-causes stress --> increases inflammation

peptic ulcer

-lesion in stomach lining
-caused by bacteria
-stress slows down regeneration

aging cause

improper division of cells

telomere

-chemicals "caps"
-prevent chromosomes from fraying and sticking to eachother
-telomeres wear away as you age

telomerase

-enzyme
-rebuilds telomeres
-slows down aging
-telomerase creation slowed down with chronic stress

defensive (avoidance) (repressive) coping

reducing stress by distancing yourself from trigger
-procrastination
-going on phone instead of doing work
-substance use
-stress eating (activate high-reward brain areas)
-lack of positive coping practice

learned helplessness

agent believes they have no control over situation

animal shock study

animals repeatedly shocked in cage wont jump to safety once tether is removed

flashbulb memories

-vivid specific memories
-often negative events

acute stress

-boosts encoding and consolidation (only for stressful event)
-harder to recall info
-reduces short-term memory (tied to fluid intelligence)

executive function (EF)

-goal directed problem solving
-working memory (short term)
-inhibitory control
-multitasking
-related to PFC function
*word/colour

stress and EF bidirectional relationship

high EF Type A personalities
-adaptive stress-coping strategies
-negative health consequences
-reduced aggression

-longterm effects occur through effects of norepinephrine modulating PFC

burnout

exhaustion: emotionally and physically
cynicism: detachment in work, no value in work
reduced efficacy: reduced ability to work, inadequacy feeling

4 stages of burnout

recurrent stressors:
defensive coping:
emotional and physical strain
cycle

predictors of burnout

-lack of control
-lack of reward
-lack of social support

negative consequences of burnout

-job dissatisfaction
-spillover effect on home life
-headaches, fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders, muscle tension, hypertension, cold/flu, sleep disturbances
-depression, anxiety, irratability

burnout occupations

-law enforcement, defensive coping, alcohol
-nursing, role ambiguity
-teaching, exposure to many students

burnout in university students

-15-25% of undergrad students
-higher for males (low social support)
-academic stress+loneliness predictors
-defensive coping

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

-intrusive memories 1 month+ after traumatic event
-event can be experiences, witness, or learned about

PTSD changes in brain

-hyperactive amygdala (activate HPA axis)
-prefrontal cortex (flow of norepinephrine impairs PFC, cant inhibit memories)
-hippocampal volume (can't form new memories or recall old ones)
-identical twins more likely to experience PTSD in army

coping with stress

-defensive/avoidant/repressive coping
-change primary appraisal (re-interpretation)
-change secondary appraisal (add resources, social support)

constructive (active) (rational) coping

-directly deal w stressor
-find solution
-change how we react to it

problem-focused coping

-type of constructive coping
-find solution, acquire more resources

emotion-focused coping (reframing)

change perception of event as smth not threatening

"executive rat" study

if a rat has control over when it gets shocked, it will be significantly less stressed compared to a rat who is shocked just as often but has no control

trait predictors of higher constructive coping

-optimism
-grit
-high self-esteem

improving grit

-grit naturally increases with age
-low heritability
-strong environmental influence

positive psychology

-researches methods of improving well-being, coping with stress, finding meaning in life

hedonic well-being

-positive emotions
-feel good
-avoid pain

eudamonic well-being

-sense of purpose and meaning in life

positive reappraisal

interpret negative event as positive challenge
-emotion-focused coping

goal flexibility

not fixed on one goal

attending to positivity

watching media with positive emotions will help

disreputation

coming up with reasons why some evidence against our self esteem should be ignored

PERMA

model of subjective well-being
P ositive emotions (feeling joy)
E ngagement (feeling absorbed in activities, flow)
R elationships (feeling loved and supported)
M eaning (sense of purpose in life)
A ccomplishments (feeling of mastery)

tools to improve well-being

-empathy and gratitude training (books, journal)
-random acts of kindness
-improving concentration (focus training, mindfulness meditation)

problems with PERMA

-doesn't account for physical well-being
-doesn't focus on resiliency
-broad

aerobic excercise

excercise that increases your heart rate + oxygen intake
-running
-rowing
-swimming
-biking
-20 mins a day adds 2-4 years to your life
-reduced stress

guided relaxation therapy

A progressive series of instructions to consciously focus and then relax different body parts; most often guided by another person and it begins from the top of the head down
-yoga
-massages
-meditation
-short-term treatment for anxiety + panic attacks

mindfulness meditation

-meditator places their attention onto one aspect of the present (like breath)
-then accepts every sensation, thought, emotion without judgment

effects if meditation

-reduced stress and anxiety
-higher concentration and self-control
-better at managing emotions like anger and fear
-focusing on the moment

presbyopia

reduction in eye's ability to focus on nearby objects
-fixed with glasses/contacts

senile miosis

-less light reaches retina
-can't see in low-light conditions

loss of visual acuity

-measure of the ability of the eye to distinguish shapes and the details of objects at a given distance

reduced sensitivity to detecting motion

-can't coordinate vision and action
-reason why older people shouldn't drive

sensitivity reduction in inner ear

-loss of sensitivity to tones and speech
-loss of sensitivity to quiet sounds

tinnitus

persistent ringing in ear
-reduces sensitivity to quiet sounds + recognizing speech
-predictors: working in noisy environments, listening to loud music in headphones

senses that reduce with sensitivity

-taste sensitivity to salt and bitterness (food is blander)
-smell
-coarse movement, loss of muscle and bone mass

coarse motor control

controlling large muscles
-walking
-balance
-jumping

fine motor control

precise motor movements
-pinching
-picking up objects
-writing

cerebellum

-regulates fine movement
-loses neurons with age
-reason why we lose ability to perform fine motor actions

effects of loneliness

-over 50% higher risk of developing clinical disorders
-correlated with changes in mental abilities
-reduces IQ score (esp. fluid)

cognitive abilities that decrease with age

-cognitive speed (speed of processing)
-working memory (short-term memory)
-episodic memory (long-term memory)
*procedural and semantic memory DO NOT CHANGE with age

dementia

-reduce ability to think, remember, speak, control emotions with age
-alzheimer's
-parkinson's
-huntington's

mild cognitive impairment (MCI)

-first subtle stage of dementia
-50-60% of ppl with MCI develop dementia later
-NOT natural part of aging

MCI diagnosis

-standardized neurophysiological assessment with clinician
-must score at least 1.5 standard deviation below mean morm

MCI risk factors to progress to dementia

-symptom severity
-autobiographical/procedural memory loss
-brain white matter changes
-presence of APOE4 allele

alzheimers disease

-most common form of dementia
-significant loss of working and episodic memory
-problems finding words, reasoning, spatial navigation, controlling emotions
-affects the entire brain, esp hippocampus (related to long-term memory formation and spatial nagivation)

causes of alzheimers

-genes (somewhat heritable) (APOE4 allele in 25% of patients)
-protein buildup (prevent neurons from functioning or signals brain's neuron connections shouldbe pruned_
-environmental effects (concussions)

factors to protect against atypical aging

-regular excercise
-quality social relationships
-personal mastery (ability to control negative emotions, feel sense of control and self-esteem)

effects of long-term partners

aging effects tied to long-term partner
-partners engage in same behaviours (healthy/unhealthy)
-partners provide emotional support
-partners help form new routines
-person with high personal mastery increases for partner as well

social cognition

ability to reason, remember, and infer the desires and beliefs of other ppl

theory of mind (ToM)

the ability to represent the beliefs and desires of people who are not you

right temporal-pariental junction

brain region that is selectively active when we think about the thoughts of others
-does not activate when thinking about bodily sensations, only a person's thoughts

attribution

an inference on why someone behaved a certain way
-is it disposition/personality OR the situation theyre in?

consistency

do they act this way in similar situations?

high c = disposition

low c = situation

distinctiveness/uniqueness

do they act this way in different situations?

high d = situation

low d = disposition