PSYC 2300 Final Exam questions with
complete sole 2025/2026
The state of stress has two components: - ANS ✔✔Stressor — event that creates demands
Stress response — person's reactions to the demands
When we view a stressor as threatening, the natural reaction is ______. - ANS ✔✔arousal and
fear
People who experience a large number of stressful events are ______ - ANS ✔✔particularly
vulnerable to the onset of anxiety and other psychological disorders (Diathesis-Stress Model)
Stress plays a central role in certain psychological disorders, including: - ANS ✔✔- acute stress
disorder
- PTSD
- DSM-5 lists these patterns within a group called "trauma-and-stress-related disorders" —
triggered by traumatic stressors
Physical disorders of stress are typically called _____ - ANS ✔✔psychophysiological disorders
- listed in DSM-5 under "psychological factors affecting medical condition"
- significant stressors that produce or worsen a physical illness
Two pathways to fight-or-flight response: - ANS ✔✔1. Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
pathway
2. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) pathway
,Walter Bradford Cannon - ANS ✔✔- fight-or-flight response (1932)
- HPA axis primarily studied
HPA pathway - ANS ✔✔When faced by stressors, the hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland
which stimulates the adrenal cortex to release a group of corticosteroids (stress hormones) into
the bloodstream
- ex. Cortisol
People differ in: - ANS ✔✔their general level of arousal and anxiety — "trait anxiety"
Sense of which situations are threatening: - ANS ✔✔- called "situation/state anxiety"
- situation based (ex. fear of flying)
During and immediately after trauma, we are temporarily ______ - ANS ✔✔aroused, anxious,
and depressed
- symptoms can persist well after trauma
- may be suffering from: acute stress disorder ; PTSD
Situations that cause Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders ______ - ANS ✔✔would be
traumatic to anyone (unlike anxiety disorders)
Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) - ANS ✔✔Symptoms begin within 4 weeks of event and last for less
than one month
PTSD - ANS ✔✔- symptoms may begin either shortly after event, or months or years afterward
- 80% of ASD develop into PTSD
, Aside from the differences in onset and duration, the symptoms of acute stress disorders and
PTSD are almost identical: - ANS ✔✔- reexperiencing traumatic event — flashback
- avoidance
- dissociative symptoms
- increased arousal, anxiety, and guilt
What are some examples of triggers of trauma- and stress-related disorders? - ANS ✔✔combat
terrorism
victimization/abuse
natural disasters
Why do people develop trauma- and stress-related disorders? - ANS ✔✔- trauma can cause
stress, however, the event alone may not be the entire explanation
To understand the development of trauma- and stress-related disorders, researchers have
looked to the ______ - ANS ✔✔- severity of traumas
- survivors' biological processes
- personalities
- childhood experiences
- social support systems
the more severe the trauma and the more direct the exposure the __ the outcome is in terms of
potential harm - ANS ✔✔worse
What are the biological processes proven to be shown in victims of trauma? - ANS ✔✔-
traumatic events trigger physical changes in brain and body
- evidence suggests that once a stress disorder sets in, further biochemical arousal and damage
may also occur — especially in hippocampus and amygdala
complete sole 2025/2026
The state of stress has two components: - ANS ✔✔Stressor — event that creates demands
Stress response — person's reactions to the demands
When we view a stressor as threatening, the natural reaction is ______. - ANS ✔✔arousal and
fear
People who experience a large number of stressful events are ______ - ANS ✔✔particularly
vulnerable to the onset of anxiety and other psychological disorders (Diathesis-Stress Model)
Stress plays a central role in certain psychological disorders, including: - ANS ✔✔- acute stress
disorder
- PTSD
- DSM-5 lists these patterns within a group called "trauma-and-stress-related disorders" —
triggered by traumatic stressors
Physical disorders of stress are typically called _____ - ANS ✔✔psychophysiological disorders
- listed in DSM-5 under "psychological factors affecting medical condition"
- significant stressors that produce or worsen a physical illness
Two pathways to fight-or-flight response: - ANS ✔✔1. Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
pathway
2. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) pathway
,Walter Bradford Cannon - ANS ✔✔- fight-or-flight response (1932)
- HPA axis primarily studied
HPA pathway - ANS ✔✔When faced by stressors, the hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland
which stimulates the adrenal cortex to release a group of corticosteroids (stress hormones) into
the bloodstream
- ex. Cortisol
People differ in: - ANS ✔✔their general level of arousal and anxiety — "trait anxiety"
Sense of which situations are threatening: - ANS ✔✔- called "situation/state anxiety"
- situation based (ex. fear of flying)
During and immediately after trauma, we are temporarily ______ - ANS ✔✔aroused, anxious,
and depressed
- symptoms can persist well after trauma
- may be suffering from: acute stress disorder ; PTSD
Situations that cause Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders ______ - ANS ✔✔would be
traumatic to anyone (unlike anxiety disorders)
Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) - ANS ✔✔Symptoms begin within 4 weeks of event and last for less
than one month
PTSD - ANS ✔✔- symptoms may begin either shortly after event, or months or years afterward
- 80% of ASD develop into PTSD
, Aside from the differences in onset and duration, the symptoms of acute stress disorders and
PTSD are almost identical: - ANS ✔✔- reexperiencing traumatic event — flashback
- avoidance
- dissociative symptoms
- increased arousal, anxiety, and guilt
What are some examples of triggers of trauma- and stress-related disorders? - ANS ✔✔combat
terrorism
victimization/abuse
natural disasters
Why do people develop trauma- and stress-related disorders? - ANS ✔✔- trauma can cause
stress, however, the event alone may not be the entire explanation
To understand the development of trauma- and stress-related disorders, researchers have
looked to the ______ - ANS ✔✔- severity of traumas
- survivors' biological processes
- personalities
- childhood experiences
- social support systems
the more severe the trauma and the more direct the exposure the __ the outcome is in terms of
potential harm - ANS ✔✔worse
What are the biological processes proven to be shown in victims of trauma? - ANS ✔✔-
traumatic events trigger physical changes in brain and body
- evidence suggests that once a stress disorder sets in, further biochemical arousal and damage
may also occur — especially in hippocampus and amygdala
