Psychology Chpt. 4

Consciousness

Consciousness

awareness of internal and external stimuli

Biological rhythms

internal
rhythms of biological activity

A circadian rhythm

is a biological rhythm that takes place over a period of 24 hours such as our sleep wake
cycle

Blindsight

due to damage to the primary visual cortex (occipital lobe)/Viewed as a defense mechanism to deny visual information that may cause us anxiety, fear or shame

Jet lag

collection of symptoms brought on by travel from one
time zone to another that results from the mismatch between
our internal circadian cycles and our environment

Rotating shift work

work schedule that changes from early to late on a daily or weekly basis

Sleep debt

result of insufficient sleep on a chronic basis

Sleep rebound

a sleep-deprived individual will tend to take a shorter time to fall asleep during subsequent opportunities for sleep

What is Sleep

Low levels of physical activity

Patterns of activity of the brain measured by electroencephalography (EEG)

Areas of the Brain Involved in Sleep

● Pineal gland secretes melatonin
● Pituitary gland secretes follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and growth hormone

Adaptive Function

Sleep conserves energy or keeps us safe from predation but little research supports these ideas

Cognitive Function

Sleep is necessary for cognitive function and memory formation

Rapid eye movement (REM)

characterized by darting movements of the eyes under closed eyelids
● Brain waves during —— sleep appear very similar to brain
waves during wakefulness.

Non-REM (NREM)

sleep is subdivided into three stages distinguished from each other and from wakefulness by characteristic patterns of brain waves

Stages of NREM Sleep

● Stage 1 sleep: first stage of sleep; transitional phase that
occurs between wakefulness and sleep; the period during
which a person drifts off to sleep; alpha waves
● Stage 2 sleep: second stage of sleep; the body goes into deep
relaxation; characterized by the appearance of sleep spindles
(high frequency) & theta waves; REM sleep
● Stage 3 sleep: third stage of sleep; deep sleep characterized
by low frequency, high amplitude delta waves

Emotional sleep/dream theory

integrate emotional and cognitive experiences…
form of problem-solving

Activation-synthesis theory

humans construct dream stories after they wake up, in a natural attempt to make sense of the nonsensical

Threat-simulation theory

simulates potential threatening events, thus enhancing the mechanisms required for efficient threat avoidance

Expectation-fulfillment theory

discharges emotional arousals that haven’t been expressed during the day

Continual-activation theory

creating and consolidating new long-term memories.

Memory consolidation theory

brains process and consolidate the memories and experiences of the day, integrating new information with existing knowledge

Sigmund Freud

Saw dreams as a way to gain access to the unconscious.
• Manifest content – the actual content of the dream.
• Latent content – the hidden meaning of the dream.

Carl Jung

Believed that dreams allowed us to tap into the collective unconscious.
Collective unconscious – theoretical repository of information shared by all
people across cultures.
- Believed that certain symbols in dreams reflected universal archetypes.- same
symbols mean similar things to different people

Research:
- Dreams may represent life events that are important to the dreamer.
- Dreaming may represent a state of protoconsciousness, or a virtual reality, in the
mind that helps a person during consciousness.

Lucid dreams

A person becomes aware that they are dreaming.

Sleep Apnea

breathing stops for 10–20 seconds or longer multiple times in an hour.

Treatment: Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) machines

Insomnia

difficulty in falling or staying asleep for at least three nights a week for at least one month’s time

Treatments:
● Exercise
● Limiting stimulant use
● Cognitive behavioral therapy

Narcolepsy

cannot resist falling to sleep at inopportune times Shares many features of REM sleep including

Treatment: Amphetamines

Hypnagogic hallucinations

vivid, dream-like hallucinations

PARASOMNIA

Sleep walking,REM sleep behavior disorder,Restless leg syndrome,Night terrors

Sleep walking

Usually occurs during slow-wave sleep

Restless leg syndrome

Involves uncomfortable sensations in the legs when trying to fall asleep that are relieved by moving the legs.
- Can be treated with a variety of medications

Night terrors

Sleeper experiences a sense of panic and may scream or attempt to escape. occurs during NREW sleep

SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME (SIDS)

Occurs when an infant stops breathing during sleep and dies.
- Infants younger than 12months are at the highest risk.
- Boys have a greater risk than girls

Contributing Factors:

Premature birth, smoking within home, hyperthermia

Substance Abuse Disorder:

addictive disorder where the person has a compulsive pattern of drug use

●Physical dependence involves changes in normal bodily functions
●The user will experience withdrawal from the drug upon cessation
of use
●Tolerance occurs when a person requires more drug to achieve
effects previously experienced at lower doses
●Psychological dependence is an emotional need for the drug

Depressants

Alcohol
●Suppress central nervous
system activity
●Agonists of the gamma-
aminobutyric acid (GABA)
neurotransmitter system

Stimulants

Cocaine, amphetamines, MDMA (ecstasy), nicotine, caffeine
● increase overall levels of neural activity
● agonists
(mimic/strengthen) of the dopamine neurotransmitter system

Opioids

Heroin, morphine, methadone, codeine
● Decrease pain
● Naturally, the body makes small quantities of opioid compounds that bind to opioid receptors reducing pain and producing euphoria
● Extremely high potential for abuse

Hallucinogens

Marijuana, psylocybin (shrooms), mescaline (peyote), LSD
● Result in profound alterations in sensory and perceptual
experiences
● Impact different neurotransmitters
● Multi-year use of marijuana correlated with early
adulthood schizophrenia

NICOTINE AND CAFFEINE

also stimulants

Caffeine

Increases levels of alertness and arousal

Nicotine

Plays a role in arousal and reward mechanisms

Psychoactive Drugs

Fentanyl
*highly addictive
*highly toxic/fatal
*use of Narcan

Xylazine

inject; acts like fentanyl
highly toxic & addictive
*not responsive to Narcan or any other remediation

Hypnosis

extreme self-focus

Dissociation view

dissociated state of consciousness

Social-cognitive theory

people perform a social role