1. What are the three stages of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome?
2. What brain region is thought to be primarily responsible for initiating the stress response (cascade of physiological responses that occur when some real, perceived, or expected threat (or challenge) is encountered)?
3. In general, what type(s) of stressors result in the release of catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine) and what type(s) of stressors result in the release of cortisol from the adrenal cortex?
4. How is homeostasis distinguished from allostasis?
5. How is the concept of allostatic load important in the context of stress? What implications does allostatic load have for health?
6. What are the two axes of the physiological stress response? Which axis results in the release of catecholamines and which results in the release of cortisol?
7. Make a case for which is the most important—the actual reaction (absolute vs. relative) to a stressor or the recovery from that stressor.
8. What is the difference between an active stressor and a passive stressor?
9. What is the main premise of the cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis?
10. Describe the nature of the stress response. Be sure to include the physical structures involved as well as the primary biochemical components.
11. Can exercise training provide any useful benefits in the recovery from stressors? If so, in what ways?
12. What was the main finding of the Crews and Landers (1987) meta-analysis?
13. What were the findings from the Traustadottir, Bosch, and Matt (2005) study that examined the moderating role of fitness on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocorticol axis response to psychosocial stressors among younger and older women?
