AP Psych - Unit 2 - Psychoactive drugs + perception

psychoactive drugs

substances that alter brain function. change perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior. they act on CNS

4 types of psychoactive drugs

stimulants, depressants, opioids, hallucinogens

reuptake inhibitors

block reabsorption of NTs by presynaptic neuron. increase the concentration and time of action of NTs in synaptic cleft and enhance a NTs mission

stimulants

increase neural activity and arousal, increase alertness, attention, energy

caffeine

natural stimulant in tea, coffee, some sodas, that blocks adenosine

cocaine

from coca plant, stimulant that increases neural activity leading to euphoria, increased energy, and alertness. blocks reuptake of norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin

depressants

slow down neural activity and bodily functions. promote relaxation, sedation, lower inhibitions

alcohol

depressant that impairs judgement, coordination, cognitive functions, and can lead to intoxication in high doses. enhances gaba

another example of a depressant

benzodiazepines

hallucinogens

alter perception of reality, mood, and cognitive processes. result in profound changes in consciousness (LSD, ketamine, mushrooms)

marijuana

from cannabis plant, contains THC. alters mood, perception, cognition. effects are relaxation. can produce hallucinogenic effects, but not considered true hallucinogen

opioids

act on opioid receptors to produce pain relief, euphoria, and sedation (morphine, fent, codeine)

heroin

opioid derived from morphine. reduces activity of neurons that transmit pain signals

tolerance

condition where amounts of substance needed to achieve effect must be increased due to brains adaptation to a drug, the brain is no longer as sensitive to it

withdrawal

onset of symptoms (physical discomfort, psychological distress, cravings) when someone stops using substance after prolonged use

addiction

chronic brain disorder where one compulsively seeks drug despite harmful consequences. brain structure and function changes. loss of control over drug consumption

sensation

process where sensory receptors and NS receive and represent stimuli from environment

5 senses

sight, hearing, olfaction, gustation, tactile

perception

organizing and interpreting sensory info to make sense of world. is influenced by past experiences, context, and expectation

transduction

conversion of sensory stimuli into neural impulses (electrochemical) that brain understands

absolute threshold

min amt of stimulation needed for stimuli to be detected by sensory system, point at which this stimuli becomes noticeable to someone at least 50 percent of the time

just noticeable difference

smallest change in stimulus that can be detected by an individual

webers law

perceived difference in stimulus must be proportional to original intensity of stimulus; the higher the intensity of a stimulus, the more it will need to change so we can notice a difference

sensory adaptation

process by which sensory receptors become less responsive to constant stimuli over time

synesthesia

condition where stimulation of a sensory pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in another sensory pathway