About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about the role of the nervous system and the endocrine system in helping our body respond to a threat, focusing in particular on: (i) the physiological changes that take place when the autonomic nervous system (ANS) changes from its resting (parasympathetic) state to an aroused (sympathetic) state as a consequence of being confronted with a stressor; (ii) how the ANS and the endocrine system work together in first recognising a potential threat and then bringing about a state of increased physiological alertness, commonly known as the ‘fight or flight’ response.

About the lecturer

Mr Kevin Silber is a senior lecturer at the University of Derby where he primarily teaches biological psychology modules. Mr Silber is also an AQA A-Level examiner and is involved in authoring texts for A-Level psychology. Having started life as a neuroscientist, Mr Silber’s research interests still lie in biologically oriented topics. However, his main research interest is now focused on body image. Some of Mr Silber’s recent publications include ‘Working memory in children: A developmental approach to the phonological coding of pictorial material’ (2011) and ‘Sexual orientation and the sleep-wake cycle: A preliminary investigation’ (2000).