PSYCH NOTEs

What is consciousness in psychology?

Consciousness refers to our awareness of ourselves and our environment, varying in clarity, focus, and intensity.

What are the levels of consciousness?

1. High Awareness (controlled processes) - fully alert and focused activities. 2. Middle Awareness (automatic processes) - activities with minimal attention. 3. Low Awareness - diminished awareness, like daydreaming or sleeping. 4. Altered States - induced by drugs, meditation, hypnosis, or mental disorders. 5. Unconscious/Subconscious - thoughts and memories below awareness that influence behavior.

What is a circadian rhythm?

A 24-hour biological clock that regulates sleep, wakefulness, body temperature, hormone levels, and other bodily functions.

What role does the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) play in circadian rhythms?

The SCN is the brain's internal clock that responds to light cues to adjust melatonin production.

What can disrupt circadian rhythms?

Disruptions like jet lag or night shifts can lead to fatigue, impaired concentration, and mood issues.

How often do sleep stages cycle throughout the night?

Sleep stages cycle approximately every 90 minutes.

What characterizes Stage 1 of Non-REM (NREM) sleep?

Stage 1 is the lightest sleep, with EEG showing theta waves, and may include hypnic jerks or brief hallucinations.

What occurs during Stage 2 of Non-REM (NREM) sleep?

Stage 2 involves deeper sleep, with EEG showing sleep spindles and K-complexes, body temperature drops, and heart rate slows.

What is unique about Stage 3 of Non-REM (NREM) sleep?

Stage 3 is the deepest sleep (slow wave sleep), characterized by delta waves and is crucial for physical recovery and immune function.

What happens during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep?

EEG resembles awake brain activity, most vivid dreams occur, the body is paralyzed (REM atonia), and it is essential for emotional regulation and memory consolidation.

What is the Activation-Synthesis Theory of dreaming?

This theory suggests dreams are the brain's attempts to make sense of random neural activity during REM sleep, creating a coherent narrative.

What does the Consolidation Theory suggest about dreams?

Dreams help the brain process and organize information, especially memories and learning, playing a role in problem solving and emotional processing.

What is the significance of REM sleep for memory?

REM sleep is essential for emotional regulation and memory consolidation.

What are hypnic jerks?

Hypnic jerks are sudden muscle contractions that can occur during the transition into sleep, often experienced in Stage 1 of NREM sleep.

What are sleep spindles?

Sleep spindles are bursts of brain activity observed in EEG recordings during Stage 2 of NREM sleep.

What are K-complexes?

K-complexes are large waves in EEG recordings that occur during Stage 2 of NREM sleep, often in response to external stimuli.

What is REM atonia?

REM atonia is the paralysis of voluntary muscles during REM sleep to prevent acting out dreams.

How does the brain process information during sleep?

During REM and deep NREM sleep, the brain consolidates experiences and integrates new information with existing knowledge.

What is the role of dreams in emotional processing?

Dreaming plays a role in emotional processing, helping to regulate emotions and integrate experiences.

What is the relationship between sleep and learning?

Sleep, particularly REM and deep NREM sleep, is critical for processing and organizing information related to learning.

What can happen if circadian rhythms are disrupted?

Disruptions can lead to fatigue, impaired concentration, and mood issues.

What types of activities are considered controlled processes?

Activities requiring full alertness and focus, such as taking a test or learning a new skill, are controlled processes.

What is sensation in the context of perception?

Sensation is the process of detecting information from the environment that meets a certain threshold and transducing stimuli into neurochemical messages for processing in the brain.

What is the just-noticeable difference?

The just-noticeable difference is the minimum difference in stimulus intensity that a person can detect 50% of the time, reflecting the threshold at which a change becomes perceptible.

Who helped define difference thresholds and what is Weber's Law?

Ernst Weber helped define difference thresholds, stating that the size of the just-noticeable difference is a constant proportion of the original stimulus intensity, meaning larger stimuli require larger differences to be noticed.

What is sensory interaction?

Sensory interaction is the process by which sensory systems work together, such as how the taste of a strawberry is enhanced by its aroma and appearance.

What is sensory adaptation?

Sensory adaptation is the process by which sensory receptors become less sensitive to constant stimuli over time, allowing individuals to focus on changes in their environment.

Give examples of sensory adaptation.

Examples include not noticing the sensation of your clothes or tuning out background music.

How can hallucinogenic substances affect sensation?

Hallucinogenic substances can alter our perception of sensation, leading to experiences such as synesthesia.

What is synesthesia?

Synesthesia is an experience of sensation in which one system of sensation is experienced through another, such as seeing colors when hearing musical notes.

What is the process of vision?

Vision involves pulses of electromagnetic energy (light) received through the cornea, pupil, and lens, which focuses the light on the retina.

What are rods and cones responsible for in vision?

Cones are responsible for fine detail and color, while rods are mainly responsible for peripheral vision and are more sensitive to light.

How do rods and cones send signals to the brain?

Rods and cones send neurochemical signals to the brain through bipolar and ganglion cells to the thalamus via the optic nerve.

What is the role of the thalamus in vision?

The thalamus distributes visual signals to the visual cortex for perception.

What is transduction in the context of vision?

Transduction is the process by which light energy is converted to neurochemical energy, allowing the brain to interpret different wavelengths of light as colors.

What are the two theories that explain color perception?

The two theories are trichromatic theory, which explains color perception through combinations of red, green, and blue receptors, and opponent process theory, which proposes that some receptors eliminate opposing colors.

What is prosopagnosia?

Prosopagnosia is face blindness, the inability of the occipital lobes to recognize faces.

What is audition?

Audition is the process by which sound waves enter the outer ear through the auditory canal to the eardrum.

What is the fovea?

The fovea is the central area of the retina where cones are concentrated, responsible for fine detail and color vision.

What happens to vision in low-light situations?

Rods, which are more sensitive to light, provide better vision in low-light situations.

What causes vision disorders?

Vision disorders can be caused by mechanical, neurological, or perceptual problems.

What is color blindness?

Color blindness can result from physical damage to the eye or its neural pathways (mechanical) or from malfunctioning cones, rods, or neural pathways (neurological).

What is the role of ganglion cells in vision?

Ganglion cells process signals from rods and cones and transmit them to the brain via the optic nerve.

What is the significance of the auditory canal in audition?

The auditory canal is the pathway through which sound waves enter the outer ear to reach the eardrum.

What are the three bones of the middle ear that transmit vibrations to the cochlea?

Hammer, anvil, and stirrup.

How does the stirrup contribute to hearing?

It vibrates the cochlear membrane, jostling the cochlear fluid.

What is the role of the basilar membrane in hearing?

Tiny hairs on the basilar membrane send electrochemical signals to the auditory cortex for interpretation.

What is sound localization?

The brain's ability to determine the location of a sound source based on timing and intensity differences of sound waves arriving at each ear.

What is the relationship between amplitude and loudness in auditory perception?

Certain basilar hairs are attuned to specific amplitudes, which determines loudness.

What are the three theories of pitch perception?

Place Theory, Frequency Theory, and Volley Theory.

What does Place Theory suggest about pitch perception?

Certain hairs are activated by specific frequencies.

How does Frequency Theory explain pitch perception?

Neurons fire in unison with vibrations to match the frequency of the vibrations.

What is Volley Theory in the context of pitch perception?

Groups of auditory neurons take turns firing to encode high-frequency sound waves.

What are the two main types of auditory disorders?

Conductive hearing loss (mechanical) and Sensorineural hearing loss (neurological).

How does olfaction function?

Through the activation of receptor cells in the olfactory membrane, sending neural signals to the brain.

What is unique about the processing of olfactory signals compared to other senses?

Olfaction is the only sense not first processed by the thalamus.

What are pheromones?

Chemical signals released by an individual that can affect the behavior or physiology of others in the same species.

What are the six types of gustation (taste)?

Salty, sweet, bitter, sour, umami (savory), and oleogustus (fatty).

How are taste sensations detected on the tongue?

Taste is detected on bumps that contain taste buds, each with chemical taste receptor cells.

What factors influence our experience of taste?

Texture and smell, as well as the number of taste receptors on the tongue.

What is the Gate Control Theory of pain?

Small fibers send pain signals to the brain while large fibers block these signals until stimulated.

What phenomenon can occur due to errors in the association area of the brain related to pain?

Phantom limbs that can feel anticipatory pain despite the limb no longer existing.

What is kinesthesia?

The sense of position regarding our body and its parts, allowing coordinated movement without visual input.

What role do the semicircular canals and vestibular sacs play in balance?

They contain fluid that moves with head rotation or tilt, stimulating hair-like receptors that send signals to the cerebellum.

What is the vestibular sense?

It monitors head position and movement to help manage balance.