Cognitive Connie

Let's explore Biological Influences on Behaviour

Understand how hormones, neurotransmitters, and neural circuits drive emotion, motivation, hunger, sexual behaviour, aggression, and stress — and what happens when these biological systems go wrong.

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The HPA Axis & Stress Response

Stress is the body's ancient solution to danger — a cascade of neural and hormonal changes that mobilise energy, sharpen attention, and prepare the organism to fight, flee, or seek allies. The response is orchestrated by two interlocking systems: the fast-acting sympatho-adrenomedullary (SAM) axis, which releases adrenaline and noradrenaline within seconds, and the slower hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, which releases cortisol over minutes to hours.

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The Psychology of Stress

Stress is the body's response to demands that exceed its resources — a cascade of neural, hormonal, and immunological changes that evolved to handle short-term physical threats but are repeatedly activated by the chronic psychological pressures of modern life. Understanding stress means understanding three interlocking questions: what happens in the body when we encounter a stressor, what kinds of stressors are most damaging and how they are measured, and why some people remain healthy under high stress while others do not.

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Pick a quiz to get going

01

Emotion & the Brain

8 questions · ~12 min · Intermediate

AmygdalaLimbic systemSomatic marker hypothesisLeDouxNeurotransmitters
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02

Hunger, Motivation & Sexual Behaviour

8 questions · ~11 min · Intermediate

HypothalamusHungerLeptinGhrelinSet point theoryReward systemDopamine
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03

Stress Physiology

8 questions · ~12 min · Intermediate

HPA axisCortisolGeneral Adaptation SyndromeFight or flightAllostatic load
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04

Sources of Stress

8 questions · ~11 min · Intermediate

Life eventsSRRSDaily hasslesHassles & Uplifts ScaleWorkplace stressDemand–control modelWorkloadControlSkin conductance
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05

Stress & Physical Health

8 questions · ~12 min · Intermediate

Sympathomedullary pathwayCardiovascular disordersType A/B behaviourCHDImmunosuppressionPsychoneuroimmunology
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06

Managing Stress

8 questions · ~11 min · Intermediate

HardinessSocial supportBuffering hypothesisStress inoculation trainingBiofeedbackKobasaMeichenbaum
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07

Biology of Aggression

6 questions · ~9 min · Intermediate

AmygdalaTestosteroneSerotoninMAOA geneDual hormone hypothesis
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Play through all Biological Influences on Behaviour quizzes as a guided path.

SubjectsBiological Influences on Behaviour
The HPA Axis & Stress ResponseThe Psychology of StressAmygdala

Study guides & reading

Study guide
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How to Study Stress in Psychology

SAM or HPA? SRRS or Hassles Scale? Type A or hardiness? Stress research is full of competing explanations for the same outcomes. A navigation guide through the landscape — and to the studies examiners will expect you to know cold.