Ap Psych Unit 4: States of Consciousness and Intelligence

depressants

drugs that decrease central nervous system activity, slows down brain and spinal cord

alcohol: reaction time is slowed, won't be able to perform normal activities, decision making, more willing to pick fights(beer muscles--believing they are stronger than they are)

barbiturates: sleeping pill

stimulants

drug that increase central nervous system activity, increase energy, heart rate, manics are likely to use this kind of drug during an episode

caffeine: Largely in beverages, need to be consuming large amount of this in order to become addicted

nicotine: a very addictive drug that leads individuals to keep smoking, many side effects, the drug itself does not cause cancer

cocaine: Taken through powered substance through nostrils, get energy rush, big in manic phases, Can be physically and psychologically addicting

amphetamine: Very highly addictive, causes physical addiction after one use, very strong(like 1 million times stronger than cocaine), makes the person think they are strong, powerful, and invincible, makes the person want to feel this again

opiates (narcotics)

a specific class of drugs naturally derived from the opium poppy plant used primarily for pain relief, most additive class of drugs, mainly for medical use

codeine: helps one sleep

morphine: Step up from codeine, used in hospice care, very very good for allowing people to exist in pain free state, typically administered through a drip

heroin: Street drug, powder form, high in seconds, very addictive

prescription painkillers (percocet, vicodin, oxycontin, fentanyl): Starts to get addicted when patients don't follow their dosage rules, Makes patient feel good

Hallucinogens

Largely taken recreationally(voluntary) because patients want to see things they want to see(schizophrenia symptoms), least additive

mushrooms(psilocybin): derived from cow manure, causes one to see/hear things

LSD(acid+speed): causes people to be high energy and "tripping"

peyote: a small cactus containing the hallucinogen mescaline, which causes intense, long-lasting psychedelic effects

Marijuana (cannabis): effects everybody differently, releases THC into body

physical addiction

When you don't get drug you're addicted to, you get withdrawal symptoms

withdrawal

headaches, sweat, irritability, physical symptoms showing addiction

tolerance

When drug taker needs increasing more of that drug to get the same effect, alcohol tends to have high tolerance

psychological dependence

Feeling like you NEED the substance to feel normal, missing your drug

narcolepsy

uncontrollable sleep attacks

insomnia

make it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep

night terrors

episode of intense fear while sleeping

somnambulism

sleep-walking

sleep apnea

trouble breathing while sleeping

bio-rhythms/circadian rhythm

The body's natural internal 24 hour clock that controls sleep-wake cycle

jet lag

tiredness after long flight across time zones

phase advance shift/phase delay shift

advance: internal clock moves forward(early bird), opposite for delay

Electro-encephalograph (EEG)

measure electrical activity going on in brain

non-REM sleep

consists of three stages focused on physical restoration, deep rest, and memory consolidation

REM(rapid eye movement) sleep, also called paradoxical sleep

an active brain state characterized by vivid dreaming, high emotional processing, and temporary muscle paralysis, REM sleep increases throughout the night

REM rebound

you will make up for the REM sleep you lost

beta waves

smaller and faster brain waves, typically indicating mental activity, awake and alert; REM sleep also resembles this

alpha waves

the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state, NREM-1

theta waves

brain waves indicating the early stages of sleep, NREM-1 and NREM-2

sleep spindles

bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain-wave activity, NREM-2

delta waves

The large, slow waves associated with deep, restorative sleep; NREM-3

stage 1 sleep

drowsiness, when you first fall asleep, eyes move slowly under eyelids, muscle activity slows down, can be easily awaken in this stage

stage 2 sleep

light sleep, eye movement stops, heart rate slows, body temperature decreases

stage 3 sleep

deep sleep, hard to be awaken, often feel groggy if woken up, sleepwalking and night terrors occur here

Freud's wish fulfillment

dreams preserve sleep and provide a "psychic safety value"--expressing otherwise unacceptable feelings; contains manifest (remembered) content and a deeper layer of latent content (hidden meaning)

information processing theory

dreams help us sort out the day's events and consolidate our memories

physiological function

regular brain stimulation from REM sleep may help develop and preserve neural pathways

activation synthesis

REM sleep triggers neural activity that evokes random visual memories, which our sleeping brain weaves into stories

cognitive development theory

dream content reflects dreamers' cognitive development- their knowledge and understanding. Dreams simulate our lives, including worst case scenarios

aptitude test

a test designed to predict a person's future performance

Ex: SAT, MCAT, LSAT, GMAT

achievement tests

tests designed to assess what a person has learned

Ex: AP exams

test-retest reliability

using the same test on two occasions to measure consistency

Ex: taking a practice SAT test in April and May

criterion validity

comparison of performance on a test with some external and independent measure or criterion of what the test was supposed to predict

Ex: correlation between SAT and GPA

alternate forms reliability

the correlation between pairs of test scores achieved by the same person on 2 different forms of the same test

Ex: taking a practice test then taking the real test

content validity

direct measurement of relevant knowledge and abilities related to particular skill that has been analyzed systematically to produce the test

Ex: student's knowledge being tested by a test that covers the material in the textbook and lectures

construct validity

evidence that the ability measured by a test is systematically related to a larger pattern of behavior that makes conceptual sense

Ex: a person who scores high on an altruism test is always ready to help others

multiple intelligences (Howard Gardner)

proposes that human intelligence is not a single, fixed, general ability (IQ) but rather a collection of at least eight distinct, autonomous modalities

Triarchic Theory (Robert Sternberg)

analytical: type of knowledge/ability you would learn in school setting , drawing conclusions, logic, geometry, history, science, theories, problem solving

practical: Can you apply what you know to real world situations, street smart

creative: create new ideas/solutions, handle new/novel situations

down syndrome

a condition of intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21(trisomy 21), risk gets higher if the mother is older when she got pregnant

Phenylketonuria (PKU)

A genetic disorder when the person has a lack of a particular liver enzyme, without this enzyme, the person can't break down phenyl(in many diet sodas, meat products), if a person with this has something with Phenyl, they could develop mental retardation

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant women drinking alcohol; causes physical, emotional, mental, and many other problems

anoxia

lack of oxygen to the brain

savant syndrome

Someone who is particularly excellent in one area,

Ex: memory, mental math, or musical

factor analysis

a statistical method used to reduce a large number of observed variables into a smaller, more manageable set of underlying, latent factors

spearman's g

if a person is good at one area, they are usually the same in all areas

divergent thinking

Measure the person's creativity, come up with as many solutions to a problem

convergent thinking

narrows the available problem solutions to determine the single best solution

fluid intelligence

Refers to the ability to reason/solve novel problems, solve problems quickly, typically increases throughout the years until you hit a certain age before it declines

crystallized intelligence

The accumulation of knowledge and wisdom and experience over time, ability to know more stuff, complex problem solving, learning from mistakes, application of learned knowledge, Gets better as you get older.

cultural bias

an aspect of an intelligence test in which the wording used in questions may be more familiar to people of one social group than to another group, when the test is not equally fair to all groups of individuals

stereotype threat

Fear of confirming negative stereotype of one's group which can lead to anxiety and to perform negativity, usually minority groups

flynn effect

The rise in average IQ scores that has occurred over the decades in many nations