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constructs
concepts that require a belief in something that cannot be seen or touch, but seem to exist because of their effect on behavior
consciousness
the subjective awareness (or perceptions) of the environment and of one's own mental processes [External & Internal components]
What do some psychologists (such as Behaviorists [i.e. Watson]) believe that the science of Psychology should not deal with?
the question of the consciousness at all
Consciousness and Sensory Awareness
experiencing your enviroment though perception of sensory stimulation (in watered down terms: awareness of the world around us)
How can we adapt to our environment?
by learning what stimuli must be attended to and which can be ignored
Sensory as Direct Inner Awareness
knowledge of one's own thoughts, feelings, and memories without using sensory organs such as touch or smell; the subjective self
Consciousness as an Altered State
states other than normal waking awarness, including daydreaming, sleep, meditations, the distorted perceptions produced by drugs, or [debated] hypnosis
Preconsciousness
material that is not in awareness but can be brought into awareness by focusing one's attention; easy to retrieve/bring to mind
Subconscious
unavailable to awareness under most circumstances
Freud called this 'unconscious'
Nonconscious
incapable of being experienced either through sensory awareness or direct inner awareness
Hypnosis
an altered state of consciousness during which people respond to suggestions and behave as though they are in a trance
Things to remember about hypnosis
Not everyone can be hypnotized
Today, it is used in areas from entertainment to surgery to cessation therapy
Not valid for use in courtroom testimony, and sketchy as treatment for psychological disorders
How does sleep alter our consciousness?
by reducing alertness, awareness, and perception of events around us
sleep
a periodic, natural reduction of consciousness
What is much of how people, animals, and even plants function governed by?
circadian rhythms (Latin for 'around the day') (aka "biological clocks")
What is the circadian rhythm of humans?
a cycle of changes (such as temperature or wakefulness) which occur about every 24 hours
What did sleep researchers discover by brain wave patterns measured by EEG?
we sleep in stages
Pre-sleep/sleep onset stage
When we close our eyes to relax before falling asleep, our brain slows
Stage 1 [NREM-1]
Lightest stage of sleep from which you can be easily awakened
May be accompanied by a dreamlike state where we experience brief hallucinatory, dreamlike images
hypnagogic sensations
This is when you may also experience that sensation of falling (at which moment, your body may suddenly jerk!) or floating weightlessly
After how many minutes of stage 1 do we descend into stages 2 and 3?
After about 30 minutes
Stage 2 [NREM-2]
Has medium brain waves with short bursts of activity about every 15 seconds
If/when awakened from this deep sleep, a person is groggy and confused (almost inebriated-like experience)
sleep spindles
short bursts of neural activity. May possibly be tied to memory consolation
How long does it take to go through the sleep stages?
It takes about an hour to go through the stages, then the cycle reverses itself (back to 2 & 1, then REM)
REM sleep
characterized by rapid eye activity under closed eyelids; brain waves resemble the walking state [aka paradoxical sleep]; the body also typically experiences temporary paralysis
How many trips through the sleep stages do you experience with 8 hours of sleep?
5 trips
As the night goes on which stages get shorter and which grow longer?
As the night goes on, Stage 3 sleep gets shorter and REM grows longer
Three Sleep Functions
Protection
Helps us recuperate
Sleep helps store/restore memories ()
During sleep where are recent experiences stored? Where are they shifted to?
stored in the hippocampus are shifted to permanent storage in the cortex
What does deprivation of REM sleep cause?
difficulty learning or retrieving memories
REM rebound
following REM deprivation, the tendency for REM sleep to increase
Effects of sleep deprivation
experiments show problems in attention, confusion, and misperception
Dreams
images or thoughts that occur mainly during REM sleep
What do dreams primarily reflect?
biological activity - brain is interpreting signals from the body
Why do we tend to dream about the events of the day?
most current neural activity of the cortex would be that which represented the events or concerns of the day
Nightmares
distressing dreams that tend to occur during, and awaken a person from, REM sleep
Night Terrors
horrific dreams that tend to occur during deep sleep; stage 3
Insomnia
the inability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep
Sleep onset - difficulty falling asleep
Difficulty remaining asleep through the night
How many Americans are affected with insomnia?
about 1/3
Effects of insomnia
Shown to have more anxiety; have more muscle tension; are more depressed
Sleep Paralysis
terrifying experience in which the body becomes paralyzed during REM sleep, and remains so, even after one wakes.
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
condition in which person physically and/or vocally acts out dreams during REM sleep; typically wake up easily and remember dream
Narcolepsy
sufferers fall asleep suddenly into REM sleep (usually less then 5 min), at unpredictable and/or inappropriate times
Medications (amphetamines) have helped some sufferers, but there is no known cure
Apnea
sleepers stop breathing (from seconds to minutes) repeatedly through the night
Can be treated with a CPAP nasal mask or surgery
Sleepwalking (Somnambulism)
excursions the person does not remember because they take place in very deep stages of sleep (not REM); tends to run in families