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Answer the following questions based on the video lesson you just watched. All answers can be found in the video — no outside knowledge is needed.
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This lesson unpacks the science of stress from Section 14.1 of OpenStax Psychology 2e, tracing how researchers moved from flawed stimulus- and response-based definitions to the process-based model built on cognitive appraisal. You'll see why the same event — a lump, a job threat, a market crash — can produce wildly different biological reactions in different people, and why that difference comes down to what happens in your mind before your body ever reacts. The lesson also maps the full physiological chain, from Walter Cannon's fight-or-flight response to Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome and the cortisol-releasing HPA axis. In this video: • Three competing definitions of stress — stimulus-based, response-based, and the process-based model by Lazarus and Folkman — and why the first two fall short • Primary and secondary appraisal explained through Robin and Madhuri, two women who find the same lump but experience dramatically different levels of stress • Eustress vs. distress: the bell-curve relationship between stress level and performance, from the motivating "zone" to burnout and severe test anxiety • A 1983–2009 demographic stress study revealing how the Great Recession unexpectedly spiked stress most sharply among college-educated, full-time employed men • Cannon's fight-or-flight response: the cascade of adrenaline, pupil dilation, accelerated heart rate, and muscle tension triggered by a perceived threat • Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome — alarm, resistance, and exhaustion — illustrated by rats exposed to chronic stressors and the three-stage physiological breakdown • The HPA axis step by step (hypothalamus → pituitary → adrenal glands → cortisol) and why sustained cortisol release weakens immunity and contributes to heart disease, musculoskeletal disorders, and susceptibility to illness #OpenStax #Psychology #StressScience #HealthPsychology #APPsychology OpenStax Content adapted from "OpenStax Psychology 2e", by OpenStax licensed under CC BY 4.0. Content based on Web Version: Apr 23, 2026. Read the textbook online https://openstax.org/details/books/psychology-2e Music first girl talking to me. by ikkun (ex. Barradeen) | https://soundcloud.com/ikkunwastaken Royalty Free Music by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US
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