PSY-250 Study Guide - Final Guide: Vascular Resistance, Sympathetic Nervous System, Adrenal Medulla
1 May 2018
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PSY 250: Health Psychology
Final Exam Study Guide (Ch. 1-7, & 13)
Chapter 1: What is Health Psychology?
▪ Modern definition of health: complete state of physical, mental, & social well-being and not just absence of disease
▪ Biopsychosocial model: basis of modern perspectives on health;
• Proposes that health & disease are consequences of the interplay of:
– biological (e.g., genes, gender, physiology),
– psychological (e.g., motivations, beliefs, traits),
– social factors (i.e., media, family, peers, culture).
▪ Research in health psychology: descriptive strategies find patterns while experimentation finds causes
• Correlational research: examines how changes in one factor relate to changes in another;
– involves measuring, not manipulating, both factors;
– Thus, it allows us to study variables that cannot be manipulated
• Quasi-experiments: studies that compare two (or more) naturally-existing groups
Chapter 2: Systems of the Body
▪ Basics of the nervous system: plays key role in stress response, coordination of internal processes, & connection to
outside world; based on activation of neurons (i.e., cells that communicate via electrochemistry)
• Central & peripheral divisions: former includes brain & spinal cord while latter is everything else;
– PNS is further divided into the somatic (voluntary) and autonomic (involuntary) systems
• Sympathetic & parasympathetic branches of the autonomic NS: play key roles in stress response;
– sympathetic activation leads to release of (nor)epinephrine
▪ Neurotransmitters: chemicals released into synapse;
• bind with receptors of next neuron, causing an exchange of ions (i.e., charged particles);
• play an important role in health behaviors & outcomes, especially addiction
– (Nor)epinephrine: part of a class of excitatory neurotransmitters known as catecholamines”;
• released when sympathetic NS is activated;
• allows us to handle physical stressors by causing a cascade of physiological changes (see
SAM axis for more details)
– Serotonin: role in mood, arousal, sleep, etc;
• dysfunction is implicated in depression & anxiety;
• drugs known as SSRIs block the reuptake of serotonin in key areas of brain
– Dopamine: role in mood, pleasure, movement;
• excess is implicated in psychosis (e.g., schizophrenia)
– Acetylcholine (ACh): excitatory;
• plays role in memory & is implicated in Alzheier’s disease
– GABA: inhibitory;
• increased by depressants such as alcohol;
• deficits are implicated in anxiety disorders;
• can explain why alcoholism is a common comorbid condition
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2
▪ Brain structures
• Pituitary gland: governs the endocrine system;
– releases several key hormones (i.e., substances released into the blood stream which serve as
chemical messengers);
– plays role in HPA stress axis
• Limbic system: brai’s eotioal syste which includes
– the hypothalamus (regulates emotions & eating; damage can lead to overeating in rats)
– the amygdala (involved in threat detection, fear & aggression;
• damage leads to decreased fear in rats & an inability to detect fear from facial expressions
in humans)
▪ Endocrine system: coordinates with nervous system to govern od’s stress response; involves release of hormones
• SAM axis: sympathetic NS stimulates the adrenal medulla to release (nor)epinephrine; increased circulation,
respiration, energy mobilization; decreases in oessetials
• HPA axis: involves stimulation of the adrenal cortex (i.e., outer layer) which releases the stress hormone
cortisol;
▪ part of a class of hormones known as glucocorticoids;
▪ increased fat & protein mobilization;
▪ further shutdown of non-essentials;
▪ implicated in many chronic illnesses
▪ Cardiovascular system assessment
• Total peripheral resistance (TPR): measures the force against the flow of blood in the peripheral
vasculature;
• relates to vasoconstriction;
• increased TPR in response to stress is maladaptive (-)
• Cardiac output (CO): measures the volume of blood pumped by the heart per unit time;
• Assesses cardiovascular efficiency;
• increased CO in response to stress is adaptive (+)
▪ Non-specific immune system: generalized response to invading microbes; not tailored to specific antigens
• Phagocytosis: process in which macrophages & other cells ingest foreign microbes;
– they display these microbes to specific immune agents (e.g., B cells) for identification purposes and
then get removed
• Natural killer (NK) cells: immune agents that kill tumor cells by inducing apoptosis (i.e., cell suicide);
– can also release toxic substances
• Inflammation: response to localized infections that involves a host of pro-inflammatory agents;
– adaptive in short-term but maladaptive if activation is prolonged or if it occurs in response to
psychosocial stress
– Cytokines (including interleukins): signaling proteins that help coordinate the Inflammation process
and recruit various agents including B & T cells
– C-reactive protein (CRP): protein produced by the liver that can detect infected, dying cells;
• reacts to chemicals that are only emitted from the surface of these cells
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Thus, it allows us to study variables that cannot be manipulated: quasi-experiments: studies that compare two (or more) naturally-existing groups. Pns is further divided into the somatic (voluntary) and autonomic (involuntary) systems. Serotonin: role in mood, arousal, sleep, etc: dysfunction is implicated in depression & anxiety, drugs known as ssris block the reuptake of serotonin in key areas of brain. Dopamine: role in mood, pleasure, movement: excess is implicated in psychosis (e. g. , schizophrenia) Acetylcholine (ach): excitatory; plays role in memory & is implicated in alzhei(cid:373)er"s disease. Gaba: inhibitory; increased by depressants such as alcohol: deficits are implicated in anxiety disorders; can explain why alcoholism is a common comorbid condition. 1: brain structures, pituitary gland: governs the endocrine system; releases several key hormones (i. e. , substances released into the blood stream which serve as chemical messengers); Inflammation: response to localized infections that involves a host of (cid:862)pro-inflammatory agents(cid:863);
