Chapter 4 Stress as an example of a psychobiological process

Chapter 4 Test 1 Total: ____ / 34

Multiple-choice questions (1 mark each)

1 Stress is a psychobiological response that involves both psychological and biological

components. Which of the following best represents these two components of the stress
response?
Psychological Biological
A Racing thoughts Feeling overwhelmed
B Feeling excited Increased heart rate
C Increased muscle tension Thinking ‘I can’t cope’
D Increased breathing rate Increased muscle tension
2 When compared to internal stressors, external stressors
A are thought to originate within the individual, as opposed to outside.
B include biological causes such as pain from an injury, as opposed to social factors
such as a relationship breakup.
C include psychological causes such as negative thinking patterns, as opposed to
biological factors such as sleep deprivation.
D include environmental factors such as extreme temperatures, as opposed to biological
causes such as pain from an injury.
3 The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a further division of the
A central nervous system.
B sympathetic nervous system.
C autonomic nervous system.
D parasympathetic nervous system.
4 Which of the following statements about stress, gut microbiota and nervous system
functioning is incorrect?
A Treatment with healthy microbiota can increase anxiety-like behaviour and intensify
stress responsiveness in humans and mice.
B Stress causes changes in gut microbiota and deficiencies in certain bacteria, which
have been linked to anxiety and depression.
C Specific gut microbiota associated with stress have been shown to increase anxiety-
related behaviours.
D Stress exposure early in life or in adulthood can change an organism’s microbiota
composition.

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Chapter 4 Stress as an example of a psychobiological process

5 Cortisol is associated with which type of stress and is initially released in which stage of
Selye’s general adaptation syndrome (GAS)?

Type of stress Stage of the GAS

A Acute Shock
B Chronic Countershock
C Acute Resistance
D Chronic Alarm reaction

6 The exhaustion stage of Selye’s general adaptation syndrome is characterised by

A the body having enough energy reserves to keep fighting the stressor for a long time.
B rising levels of cortisol in the body to repair damage and maximise resistance to the
stressor.
C increased susceptibility to a variety of physical and psychological conditions, such as
infection, stomach ulcers, anxiety and depression.
D the body becoming weak, with an increased resistance to physical and psychological
illnesses.
7 A strength of Selye’s general adaptation syndrome (GAS) as a biological model of stress
is that
A humans and rats are physiologically different. For example, human stress responses
tend to be more complex and variable than those of rats.
B it identifies various biological processes that occur as part of the stress response, such
as hormone secretion and immune system depletion.
C it acknowledges the psychological or cognitive processing involved in the human
stress response, which can affect how much an individual then experiences the
biological aspects of the stress response.
D it accounts for individual differences in stress responses.

Use the following information to answer Questions 8–10.

Yumi’s dog Ziggy was injured when he got hit by a car. He had to have expensive surgery,
which Yumi had to pay for. Now, she is worried she might not be able to afford to pay her
bills due later this month. She sits down and works out exactly how much money she needs
before her next pay and decides to ask her parents if she can borrow some money. Yumi’s
conversation with her parents goes well, and she manages to comfortably pay all her bills on
time.

8 In terms of primary appraisal in the transactional model of stress and coping, Yumi
worrying about being able to pay her bills later in the month is an example of

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Chapter 4 Stress as an example of a psychobiological process

A an irrelevant appraisal.
B a harm/loss appraisal.
C a threat appraisal.
D a benign/positive appraisal.
9 According to the transactional model of stress and coping, in secondary appraisal Yumi
would have
A determined whether paying for her dog Ziggy’s surgery and not being able to pay her
bills was significant for her or not.
B worked out that she had the available resources to cope with the situation, such as
being able to ask her parents for a loan, thereby minimising her stress.
C worked out that paying for her dog Ziggy’s surgery was not stressful for her, so she
did not need to assess her available resources.
D determined that she did not have the available resources to cope with the situation,
heightening her stress about paying her bills.
10 Which of the following examples would best represent Yumi showing coping flexibility
in her situation?
A realising that borrowing money from her parents would lead to her being further in
debt, so instead taking on extra shifts at work to pay her bills
B asking her parents for money to pay the bills, as this is appropriate for the situation
C avoiding paying her bills and just paying them next month instead
D calling her friend to whinge about her expensive vet bill for Ziggy

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Chapter 4 Stress as an example of a psychobiological process

Short-answer questions

11 Max had a heart attack, which his wife blames on his stressful work environment.
a According to the GAS, explain how the increased arousal levels associated with
Max’s work stress could have both helped and hindered his physiological
functioning. (2 marks)

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b Identify which stage of the GAS Max was most likely in when he suffered a heart
attack, and explain why this occurred. (3 marks)

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Chapter 4 Stress as an example of a psychobiological process

c With reference to the gut–brain axis (GBA), explain how Max’s stressful work
environment could have affected his gut microbiota and thus the functioning of his
nervous system. (4 marks)

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12 Dr Barnard designs a correlational study that aims to determine whether chronic stress
affects the exam performance of VCE Psychology students. She believes that those
students who are suffering from higher levels of chronic stress will perform less well on
the end-of-year examination overall. To establish if this is the case, Dr Barnard obtains a
list of all VCE Psychology students from across Victoria. She randomly selects 100 of
these students using a random number generator and asks them to complete a 15-item
rating scale to determine the level of chronic stress they are experiencing. At the end of
the school year, Dr Barnard obtains these participants’ examination marks for VCE
Psychology. The results of her study reveal that 32% of the participating VCE Psychology
students were suffering from chronic stress and that there was a negative correlation
between the student’s level of chronic stress and their performance on the VCE
Psychology examination.

She concluded that as the level of chronic stress went up, examination scores went down,
showing that chronic stress hinders examination performance in VCE Psychology
students.

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Chapter 4 Stress as an example of a psychobiological process

a Write a research hypothesis for this correlational study. (2 marks)

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b Explain one limitation of using a correlational study in this investigation. (2 marks)

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c Identify the sampling method Dr Barnard used in this study and outline one
disadvantage of using this sampling method. (2 marks)

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Chapter 4 Stress as an example of a psychobiological process

13 Jake is getting increasingly stressed because his home printer isn’t working and he can’t
print out a Psychology assignment that is due in class tomorrow in hard copy form. He is
worried because he remembers how scary his Psychology teacher was last lesson, when
they threatened to call home and give a detention to any student that didn’t submit their
hard copy assignment on time. After unsuccessfully trying to print a few more times, Jake
decides to go to a local stationary store and print out his assignment.

a Using the transactional model of stress and coping, describe Jake’s primary and
secondary appraisal in this situation? (4 marks)

Primary appraisal: _________________________________________________________

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Secondary appraisal:________________________________________________________

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b Provide a strength of using this model to explain the psychological processes

involved in Jake’s response to the stressor. (1 mark)

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Chapter 4 Stress as an example of a psychobiological process

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c Assess Jake’s response to the stressor in relation to his coping flexibility. (2 marks)

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d When Jake went to the stationary shop to print his assignment, was this an approach
or avoidance strategy? Justify your response. (2 marks)

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