Lesson 3.2.3.1.2

3.2.3.1.2 Autonomic nervous system, fight or flight and the James-Lange theory of emotion Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 7

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.2.3.1.2, Autonomic nervous system, fight or flight and the James-Lange theory of emotion: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Psychology (8182), Unit 7: Brain and neuropsychology, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What does the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system do during fight or flight?

    • It controls only voluntary muscle movements, such as lifting the arms to defend the face
    • It slows the body for rest, such as lowering heart rate and constricting the pupils
    • It prepares the body for action, such as raising heart rate and dilating the pupils
    • It stops digestion completely, but only in the arms and legs, never in the stomach

  2. Which of these is a typical physical change in fight or flight?

    • Constricted blood vessels in the brain, which reduce oxygen supply to the thinking areas
    • Increased heart rate and faster breathing, which supply more oxygen to the muscles
    • Decreased heart rate and slower breathing, which conserve energy for later use
    • Increased digestion in the stomach, which provides more energy to the muscles

  3. What is the role of the parasympathetic division?

    • It carries sensory messages from the skin to the brain so danger is detected early
    • It controls only the voluntary movements of the arms and legs during sport
    • It restores the body to calm after danger, such as slowing the heart and aiding digestion
    • It triggers the fight or flight response, speeding up the heart and sending blood to the legs

  4. What does the James-Lange theory of emotion propose?

    • That physiological arousal, such as a racing heart, comes first, and the emotion is the awareness of that arousal
    • That emotion comes first, and physiological arousal follows only after the feeling is named
    • That emotion is caused only by thoughts in the cerebral cortex, with no role for the body
    • That emotion and arousal happen at the same moment, with neither causing the other

  5. A person sees a snake and their heart races before they feel fear. Which theory does this best support?

    • The cognitive view that thoughts about the snake must come first, before any body changes
    • The social learning view that the response is copied from other people's reactions nearby
    • The Cannon-Bard theory, since the feeling of fear and the physical response occur at the same moment
    • The James-Lange theory, since the physical response comes first and the feeling of fear follows

  6. Which hormone released during fight or flight is produced by the adrenal glands?

    • Thyroxine, which controls metabolic rate over long periods and is made in the neck
    • Adrenaline, which increases heart rate and boosts the energy supply to the muscles
    • Insulin, which lowers blood sugar by helping cells take in glucose after a meal
    • Melatonin, which regulates the sleep and wake cycle through changes in light exposure

  7. Which situation is best explained by the parasympathetic division?

    • Heart rate slowing and digestion resuming after a frightening event has passed and the person relaxes
    • Pupils widening and breathing quickening as a person prepares to fight a rival in a match
    • Heart rate rising and muscles tensing as a person prepares to run from a barking dog
    • Blood moving to the large leg muscles as a person sprints to catch a bus

  8. Why would a fight or flight response be adaptive for early humans?

    • It made them sleep more deeply after a threat, reducing the chance of being attacked again
    • It made them digest food faster during danger, reducing their need to hunt later in the day
    • It prepared them quickly to escape or defend, improving their chance of surviving a predator attack
    • It slowed their heart during danger so they could stay still and remain unseen

  9. Which is a physical response linked to the autonomic nervous system?

    • Reading a written sentence, which uses the visual areas of the brain to decode letters
    • Planning the next day's tasks, which uses the cerebral cortex of the frontal lobes in daily life
    • Dilation of the pupils, which lets in more light and helps the person detect danger quickly
    • Moving the fingers to type a message, which requires voluntary control of skeletal muscles

  10. Suppose people given drugs that raise heart rate reported more intense emotions. What is the reasoning for James-Lange?

    • Changing the drugs changed only the colour of the skin, showing drugs alter appearance, not feeling
    • Changing physiological arousal changed the reported emotion, suggesting arousal contributes to feeling
    • Changing the drugs made participants sleep, showing that emotions are produced by sleep patterns
    • Changing the drugs had no effect on any response, proving emotion is unrelated to arousal in daily life

  11. A critic argues that people can feel emotion without strong physical arousal. Which evaluation point does this make?

    • Emotion occurs only in animals, so the critic's point has no bearing on human emotion
    • Emotion always depends on arousal, which strengthens the theory and rules out other factors
    • Emotion never occurs without arousal, so feelings are caused only by heart rate changes
    • Emotion may not always depend on arousal, which weakens the claim that arousal always comes first

  12. Which is a strength of research on the autonomic nervous system and emotion?

    • It relies only on participants' memories, which are always accurate and unbiased
    • It studies only one emotion, so it cannot be generalised to any other emotion
    • It ignores physical changes in the body, so it avoids any measurement problems
    • It uses measurable physiological changes, such as heart rate, recorded objectively in participants

  13. Why might a person's breathing speed up in a frightening situation?

    • The sensory neurons slow breathing rate, so the person can focus on what they see
    • The voluntary somatic system increases breathing rate, so the person can choose to panic
    • Sympathetic activation increases breathing rate, so more oxygen reaches the muscles needed for action
    • Parasympathetic activation increases breathing rate, so the body can rest and digest a meal

  14. Which pair correctly matches a division with its typical effect?

    • Sympathetic: increased digestion of food
    • Parasympathetic: increased heart rate
    • Sympathetic: increased heart rate
    • Somatic: increased pupil constriction in bright light

  15. A runner's heart is pounding before a race. Which explanation fits James-Lange?

    • The pounding heart is the physical arousal, and the feeling of excitement or fear follows from it
    • The pounding heart has no effect on feelings, which come only from the crowd's expectations
    • The race rules cause the pounding heart directly, with no role for the runner's body or mind in daily life
    • The feeling of excitement comes first, and the pounding heart is only a side effect afterwards

  16. Which is a limitation of the James-Lange theory?

    • It claims emotions are never felt, which is contradicted by everyday experience of happiness
    • It struggles to explain cases where people feel emotion before any clear physical change
    • It claims arousal has no physical basis, which is contradicted by heart rate measurements
    • It claims the brain is not involved in emotion, which is contradicted by all neuroscience

  17. Which is a typical effect of sympathetic activation on the digestive system?

    • Digestion slows, so energy goes to the muscles rather than to processing food
    • Digestion stops for ever, so the stomach never processes food again after the threat
    • Digestion speeds up, so food is processed quickly to supply extra energy during danger
    • Digestion is unaffected, because it is controlled only by the somatic division

  18. Which phrase best describes the body's response to a sudden threat in terms of the autonomic nervous system?

    • A gradual activation of the parasympathetic division, which lowers heart rate over an hour
    • A sensory-only response, with no change in the body at all
    • A slow, voluntary decision by the somatic division, planned over several minutes in that setting
    • A rapid, automatic activation of the sympathetic division, preparing the body to fight or flee

  19. What is the 'flight' part of 'fight or flight'?

    • Escaping from danger by running away or moving to safety, prepared by sympathetic activation
    • Sleeping deeply to conserve energy after a threat, prepared by the parasympathetic system
    • Remaining still to avoid being seen, prepared through the somatic system
    • Attacking a threat directly, prepared by parasympathetic activation during rest

  20. Why do the pupils dilate in a fight or flight response?

    • To let in more light, improving the ability to detect threats quickly
    • To cool the eyes, reducing the heat produced during physical activity
    • To keep out light, protecting the eyes from glare during an escape
    • To help the eyes focus on words in a book during rest

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