Psychology: A Self-Teaching Guide

(Nora) #1
The Biology of Behavior: Is the Brain the Organ of Mental Life? 41

induces an increased sense of arousal and excitement. It plays an important role in
the fight-or-flight reaction,an involuntary process in which the body prepares
itself to cope with threatening situations. (The word adrenalinis synonymous
with epinephrine. However, when the word Adrenalinappears in capitalized form,
it refers to a specific drug with a trade name.)
Psychology has given increased attention to the role that the adrenal glands
play in the body’s adaptation to stress because of the work of the Canadian
researcher Hans Selye (1907–1982). Using rats as subjects, Selye discovered that
under conditions of chronic stress the body goes through a series of stages,
including resistance and eventual exhaustion, that lead to an early death. The
reaction pattern is called the general adaptation syndrome. Postmortem
examinations revealed that the adrenal glands of the subjects were damaged and
enlarged.

(a) Epinephrine induces an increased sense of.

(b) What reaction pattern is associated with chronic stress?


Answers: (a) arousal and excitement; (b) The general adaptation syndrome.

The pancreas glandis a large gland located under the stomach. One of the
hormones secreted by the pancreas is insulin. Insulinhelps to regulate blood
sugar. The disease diabetes is associated with an inadequate insulin production.
The disorder chronic hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is, paradoxically,
aggravated when one consumes either too much dietary sugar or too many
refined carbohydrates. A person suffering from low blood sugar finds it difficult to
concentrate, feel energetic, or otherwise function well.
The gonads are the sexual glands. In females the gonads are called the
ovaries.In males the gonads are called the testes. Estrogenis one of the prin-
cipal hormones produced by the ovaries. The secondary sexual characteristics in
females, such as minimal facial hair and larger breasts, are determined by estrogen.
Testosteroneis one of the principal hormones produced by the testes. The sec-
ondary sexual characteristics in males, such as lack of breast development and the
presence of facial hair, are determined by testosterone. There is also evidence to
suggest that testosterone is associated, particularly in youth, with aggressive behav-
ior. (It is important to note that both sexes produce estrogen and testosterone;
however, the relative amounts differ.)

(a) Insulin helps to regulate.

(b) Identify a hormone associated principally with the ovaries.


(c) Identify a hormone associated principally with the testes.

Answers: (a) blood sugar; (b) Estrogen; (c) Testosterone.
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