ap psych 5--states of consciousness

exposure effect + priming

• exposure effect—we prefer stimuli we have seen before over novel stimuli subconsciously. we have different levels of consciousness that add nuance to our lives

  • priming: people respond more quickly to questions they have seen before even if they don’t remember seeing them

  • blind sight: people who are blind can accurately describe how things are moving

conscious level

• what you are currently aware of in your environment

exposure effect + priming

• exposure effect—we prefer stimuli we have seen before over novel stimuli subconsciously. we have different levels of consciousness that add nuance to our lives

  • priming: people respond more quickly to questions they have seen before even if they don’t remember seeing them

  • blind sight: people who are blind can accurately describe how things are moving

conscious level

• what you are currently aware of in your environment

nonconscious level

• body processes we are not usually aware of like breathing

preconscious level

• info abt urself ur not thinking about but could come into ur consciousness

subconscious

• info we are not consciously aware of but could bring back like from priming and stuff

unconscious

• some events and feelings are repressed into our unconscious mind, disputed idea

how do drugs work?

• psychoactive drugs change the chemistry of the brain/body into altered state of consciousness

• brain is protected from harmful chemicals in the bloodstream with thick walls surrounding the brain’s blood vessels (blood-brain barrier). molecules in these drugs are small enough to pass through and they either mimic neurotransmitters (agonists) or block neurotransmitters (antagonists) see pg 37

  • some drugs prevent neurotransmitters from being REABSORBED into a neuron, aka reuptakes

• neurotransmitter levels are gradually effected which causes tolerance meaning that you want more of that drug, and also

different types of drugs

• caffeine, cocaine, nicotine, etc. are stimulants because they speed up processes and make you feel invincible

• depressants slow down body systems, alcohol is one of them

• hallucinogens cause changes in perceptions of reality like marijuana

• opiates like heroin and fentanyl are always agonists for endorphins and make you feel better, most addictive because they rapidly change brain

circadian rhythm

• circadian rhythm is just our pattern of our body, your sleep schedule is part of it (see pg 39)

what is sleep onset

• we enter sleep onset which is the bridge between awake and asleep, where we might experience hallucinations

phases of non-REM

• in NREM1 and 2, your brain produces theta waves which are pretty high-frequency

• towards the end of stage 2, you show sleep spindles (bursts of brain waves)

• in 3 and 4, you are in delta sleep, or deep sleep, because of low and slow waves

• after some time in delta sleep you go back in the direction of stage 1 and began to produce REM (rapid eye movement), which is also your “paradoxical sleep phase” because your brain waves appear to be very intense

if sleep is affected, what might happen

• not enough delta sleep=physically tired and sick, not enough REM sleep=REM rebound, more REM the next time they sleep normally. we also spend more time in REM due to stress

insomnia

• insomnia means having problems going/staying asleep

narcolepsy

• means falling asleep at random times (that cheerleader girl on yt) but can be treated sometimes with medication

sleep apnea

• sleep apnea means your breath stops at some point during the night, and thus you wake up. you can use a breathing machine to help you stay asleep

somnambulism

• somnambulism is sleepwalking/night terrors

dreams

• activation synthesis theory argues that dreams are just a physiological reflex without much deeper meaning, just a way the brain interprets things

• other people think that brains process the events of the day (information processing theory)

  • consolidation theory—one of the functions of dreams could be to help us get stuff in our short-term memory into our long-term mem