Psych Chp. 5: Consciousness

Conciousness

awareness of internal and external stimuli

Electroencephalograph (EEG)

monitors electrical activity of the brain

Beta waves

normal awake thought, alert problem solving

Alpha waves

relaxation, blank mind, sleepy

Theta waves

light sleep

Delta waves

deep sleep

Circadian rythms

24 hr biological cycles, controlled by several biological clocks

Superchiasmatic nucleus (SPN)

area in hypothalamus, principal clock

insomnia

problems in getting adequate sleep, difficulty falling and remaining asleep, persistent early-morning awakening

Narcolepsy

sudden onsets of sleep during normal waking periods

Sleep Apnea

frequent, reflexive gasping for air that disrupts sleep

Somnambulism (sleepwalking)

repeating episodes of rising from bed during sleep and walking about, occurs during slowwave sleep 

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)

physically act out dreams during REM, deterioration in the brainstem, sign of potential development of neurodegenerative diseases, especially Parkinson’s

Wish fulfillment (Freud)

people fulfill unmet needs through wishful thinking in dreams

Problem-solving/mood-regulation (Cartwright)

dreams allow people to reflect on experiences, work through problems, and regulate emotional tone

Activation-synthesis model (Hobson)

dreams are side effects of neural activation during REM that produces beta waves associated with wakefulness

Focused attention meditation

attention concentrated on specific object, image, sound, sensation

Open monitoring meditation

attention directed to moment-to-moment experience, become observer of stream of conciousness

Increase alpha and theta waves, decreased stress and anxiety, decreased parietal lobe activity, increased left prefrontal lobe activity

Benefits of Meditation

Narcotics

morphine, heroin, oxycodone, etc

Sedatives

barbiturates, benzodiazepines

Stimulants

caffeine, nicotine, cocaine/crack, crystal meth, amphetamines

hallucinogens

LSD, psilocybin (mushroom), MDMA (ecstasy)

Cannabis

marijuana, THC, hashish

pain relief, anxiety reduction, constipation, increased risk of infectious diseases, impaired mental and motor functioning

Effects of narcotics

CNS depressant, relaxation and decreased anxiety, drowsiness, impaired mental and physical functioning

Effects of sedatives

Increased CNS activity, euphoria, increased energy and alertness, psychosis, increased sweating/urination, decreased appetite

Effects of stimulants

euphoria, sensory/perceptual distortions, anxiety, paranoia, kills 5-HT neurons, impaired judgment

Effects of hallucinogens

relaxation, sensory/perceptual distortions, increased hunger, short-term memory impairments, decreased IQ in young users

Effects of cannabis

CNS depressent, liver cirrhosis, mild euphoria and relaxation, bad withdrawl (delirium tremens)

Effects of alcohol

tolerance

body adapts and learns to function with the drug in system, creates compensatory mechanisms

withdrawl

symptoms from body’s mechanisms not having a chance to change back to normal from not taking substance, sign of tolerance

1 hour

How long for one drink to metabolize

Korsakoff’s syndrome

caused by definiciency of thiamine, amnesia, motor problems, associated with alcohol abuse

hypersomnia

excessive, non-refreshing sleep, treatment: stimulants

Stage 1 of sleep

transitional stage of light sleep, theta and some alpha waves

Stage 2 of sleep

Light sleep, theta waves, sleep spindles, K-complexes

Stage 3 of sleep

slow wave sleep, difficult to awaken, feel groggy when woken up, delta waves

Stage 4 of sleep

slow wave sleep, difficult to awaken, feel groggy when woken up, majority delta waves

REM (Stage 5)

alert when awaken, side to side eye movements, paralysis (muscle atonia), dreamining, beta waves

first half: SWS, second half: REM, sleep cycles 4-5 times a night

Sleep architecture features

circadian rhythm and metabolic processes

What drives sleepiness?

Role playing theory

theorizes that hyponosis is due to subject’s expectations and subjects are acting out a role

Altered State of Consciousness Theory (Hilgard)

hypnosis creates a dissociation in consciousness

physical dependence: narcotics, sedatives, alcohol

must continue taking drug to avoid withdrawl

psychological dependence: cocaine (stimulants)

must continue taking drug to satisfy mental + emotional craving

CNS depressents: sedatives, narcotics, alcohol

What drugs are at most risk for overdose?

electromyograph (EMG)

tracks muscular activity and tension

Electrooculograph (EOG)

tracks eye movement

1 drink

0.6 oz of alcohol

binge drinker

over five drinks (m) or 4 drinks (f) within 2 hours at least once a month

heavy drinker

14+ drinks/week (m), 7+ drinks/week (f)