Psychology ALL units 3/4

functioning

refers to how well an individual independently performs or operates in their environment

how can breathing retraining improve phobic response

Phobic anxiety involves fast-paced and often shallow breathing, sometimes causing hyperventilation and activation of other sympathetic nervous system responses.¹Breathing retraining involves teaching someone to control their breath and work on reducing fast-breathing through deep, slow breaths.²When someone has phobic anxiety, they can apply this technique to induce physiological relaxation to reduce phobic anxiety through parasympathetic responses.³

determinants of wellbeing

culture

A strong sense of identity, values, tradition, and connection between the past, present and future that drives behaviour and beliefs

biopsychosocial approach for intervention (techniques)

benzodiazepine

breathing retraining

systematic desensitisation

cognitive behavioural therapy

psychoeducation

environmental triggers

Stimuli or experiences in a person’s environment that evoke an extreme stress response, leading to the development of a phobia.

predispose

someone is more susceptible or likely to develop a particular trait, condition or behaviour.

psychological factors that contribute to specific phobia

precipitating factors (eg.classical conditioning)

perpetuating factors (eg. operant conditioning)

cognitive bias

memory bias

catastrophic thinking

biological factors that contribute to specific phobias

GABA dysfunction

long-term potentiation

social factors that contribute to specific phobia

environmental triggers

stigma

stigma

The feeling of shame or disgrace experienced by an individual for a characteristic that differentiates them from others.

precipitating factors

(In relation to specific phobia) Factors that increase the susceptibility to and contribute to the occurrence of developing a specific phobia.

perpetuating factors

(In relation to specific phobia) Factors that inhibit a person’s ability to recover from a specific phobia.

cognitive bias

A predisposition to think about and process information in a certain way.

memory bias

A type of cognitive bias caused by inaccurate or exaggerated memory

catastrophic thinking

A type of cognitive bias in which a stimulus or event is predicted to be far worse than it actually is.

social wellbeing

The ability for an individual to form and maintain meaningful bonds with others, and adapt to different social situations.

emotional wellbeing

The ability for an individual to appropriately control and express their own emotions in an adaptive way, as well as understand the emotions of others.

characteristics of high functioning and characteristics of low functioning

SEWB framework dimensions

connection to body

connection to mind and emotions

connection to family and kinship

connection to community

social determinants

historical determinants

political determinants

ways of considering mental wellbeing

levels of functioning

resilience

social wellbeing

emotional wellbeing

mental wellbeing continuum

A tool used to track fluctuating mental wellbeing.

long term potentiation

The long-lasting and experience-dependent strengthening of synaptic connections that are regularly coactivated.

wellbeing

A state in which an individual is mentally, physically, and socially healthy and secure.

mental wellbeing

An individual’s psychological state, indicating their ability to think, process information, and regulate emotions.

characteristics of a mental disorder

resilience

the ability to successfully cope with and manage change, uncertainty and adversity, and to ‘bounce back’ and restore positive functioning

social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB)

a holistic, multi-dimension framework that describes and explains physical, social, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing

SEWB domains

Connection to body and behaviours.

Connection to mind and emotions

Connection to family and kinship

Connection to community

Connection to culture

Connection to Country and land

Connection to spirit, spirituality and ancestors

connection to body and behaviours

Connecting to the physical body and health in order to participate fully in all aspects of life.

connection to mind and emotions

Ability to effectively manage thoughts and feelings.

connection to family and kinships

Connection to the immediate and wider family group and community.

connection to community

Connection to wider social systems, providing individuals and families the ability to connect with and support each other.

connection to culture

A strong sense of identity, values, tradition, and connection between the past, present, and future that drives behaviour and beliefs.

connection to Country and land

The traditional lands of a particular language or cultural group, both geographically and the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual connections to and within it.

connection to spirt, spirituality and ancestors

a concept that connects all things, and shapes beliefs, values, and behaviour.

Mental wellbeing as a continuum

mentally healthy — mental health problem - mental disorder

Internal factors

factors that arise within an individual.

Examples include:

• stress response

• thought patterns

• genetic predisposition

External factors

factors that arise from an individuals environment

Stress

a psychological and physiological experience that occurs when an individual encounters something of significance that demands their attention and/or efforts to cope

• normal and not necessarily a sign of low levels of mental wellbeing

• distress can occur

• known cause

• can be positive and negative

Anxiety

a psychological and physiological response that involves feelings of worry and apprehension about a perceived threat

• negative feelings

• unknown stimulus

• future-oriented

• is excessive and persistent, can interrupt daily functioning could mean lower levels of mental wellbeing

Specific Phobia

a type of diagnosable anxiety disorder that is categorised by excessive and disproportionate fear when encountering or anticipating the encounter of a particular stimulus

• sympathetic NS dominant

• disrupts daily functioning

• low levels of mental wellbeing when encountering phobic stimulus

Biopsychosocial approach

a holistic, interdisciplinary framework for understanding the human experience in terms of the influence of biological, psychological, and social factors

Biological factors

internal, genetic, and/or physiologically based factors

• GABA dysfunction

• Long-term potentiation

Psychological factors

internal factors relating to an individual’s mental processes, including their cognition, affect, thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes

• Classical conditioning

• Operant conditioning

• Cognitive biases

Social factors

external factors relating to an individual’s interactions with others and their external environment, including their relationships and community involvement

• Specific environmental triggers

• Stigma

GABA dysfunction

insufficient neural transmission or reception of GABA in the body

• GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter, and it regulates postsynaptic activation in neural pathways, preventing over excitation and uncontrolled firing

• can cause fight-flight-freeze response to be activated more easily

Long-term potentiation

the long-lasting and experience-dependent strengthening of synaptic connections that are regularly coactivated

• through repeated coactivation the signals involves in perceiving a phobic stimulus is more readily triggered

Classical conditioning

NS - what will become the phobic stimulus
UCS -
UCR - pain/fear
CS - phobic stimulus
CR - fear

How Operant Conditioning affects phobias

antecedent - phobic stimulus
behaviour - avoiding phobic stimulus
consequence - avoids fear response

negatively reinforces behaviour of avoiding phobic stimulus

Cognitive biases

a predisposition to think about and process information in a certain way

• Memory bias - a type of cognitive bias caused by inaccurate or exaggerated memory

• Catastrophic thinking - a type of cognitive bias in which a stimulus or event is predicted to be far worse than it actually is

Specific environmental triggers

stimuli or experiences in a person’s environment that evoke an extreme stress response, leading to the development of a phobia

Can be from:

• direct confrontation

• observation

• learning/indirect confrontation

Stigma around seeking treatment

refers to the sense of shame a person might feel about getting professional help for their phobia.

Evidence based Interventions

Biological - GABA agonists, breathing retraining
Psychological - Cognitive behavioural therapy, systematic desensitization
Social - psychoeducation

GABA agonists/benzodiazepines

a type of medication that depresses central nervous system activity and is often used as a short-acting antianxiety medication

• bind to GABA receptor sites and mimic the effects of GABA to increase its inhibitory response.

• GABA has its effect - reducing the likelihood of the neuron will fire

Breathing retraining

a method used to teach breathing control techniques that may reduce physiological arousal - SNS dominant

• step 1 - teach individual to consciously control their breathing through slow and deep inhalations and exhalations

• step 2 - applies breathing techniques when in presence of phobic stimulus. restores the amount of oxygen in body, PNS and reducing anxiety
  

Cognitive behavioral therapy

a form of psychotherapy that encourages individuals to substitute dysfunctional cognitions and behaviours with more adaptive ones

• cognitive component - identifying negative thoughts and feelings and replacing them with positive ones

• behavioural component - identifying negative behaviours and developing and maintaining more positive behaviours

Systematic desensitisation

a therapeutic technique used to overcome phobias that involves a patient being exposed incrementally to increasingly anxiety-inducing stimuli, combined with the use of relaxation techniques

• learning of relaxation techniques

• development of fear hierarchy

• gradual step-by-step exposure

• the continuation of this systematic exposure

Psychoeducation

teaching families and supporters of individuals with mental health disorders how to better understand, deal with, and treat their disorder

• challenging unrealistic or anxious thoughts

• not encouraging avoidance behaviours

Protective factors examples

biological - adequate nutrition and hydration, sleep
psychological - cognitive behavioural strategies, mindfulness meditation
social - support from peers

how does sleep relate to mental illness

• there is a link between sleep deprivation and mental illness

• bidirectional relationship

Cognitive behavioural strategies

techniques that utilise traits of cognitive behavioural therapy, particularly recognising and changing dysfunctional thought and behavioural patterns

• cognitive component - identifying dysfunctional feelings and thoughts and replacing these with more functional ones.

• behavioural component - identifying dysfunctional behaviours and developing and maintaining more functional behaviours

Mindfulness meditation

the practice of meditation in which an individual focuses on their present experience to promote feelings of calm and peace

support

genuine and effective assistance provided by family, friends, and community

• authentic and energizing support

• genuinely aims to promote mental wellbeing

• is focused on creating an environment that is likely to improve mental wellbeing

• uses legitimate and effective advice.

cultural determinants of wellbeing

• cultural continuity

• self-determination

culture

a strong sense of identity, values, tradition, and connection between the past, present and future that drives behaviour and beliefs

cultural continuity

the passing down and active practice of cultural knowledge, traditions, and values from generation to generation

self-determination

the rights of all peoples to pursue freely their economic, social, and cultural development without outside interference

consciousness

awareness of something either internal or external to oneself, including objects and events in the external world, and of our sensations, mental experiences and own existence at any given moment

types of investigations

case study - an in-depth , detailed study on a particular activity, behaviour or problem.

observational studies (field work) - observing and interacting with an environment in a naturalistic setting

correlation studies - look at a relationship between two variables

literature reviews - use secondary data to answer a question

DARE stands for:

detects, amplifies, records, electrical activity of ____

between- subjects design

A Between‑Subjects Design is an experimental method where different participants are assigned to different conditions.

within- subjects design

A within‑subjects design is an experimental method where the same participants experience all conditions of the independent variable.

types of sampling

Convenience Sampling: Picking participants who are easily accessible.

Random Sampling: Every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected, reducing selection bias

Stratified Sampling: The population is divided into meaningful subgroups (strata) such as age or gender, and samples are randomly selected from each group to ensure representation across categories

cortisol is released from the ___

adrenal glands (coordinated by the suprachiasmatic nucleas)

Zeitgebers examples

light levels (most potent)

meal timing

temperature

social cues

exercise

what is a zeitgeber?

A zeitgeber (from German, meaning “time‑giver”) is an external or environmental cue—such as light, temperature, or meal times—that synchronizes your internal biological clock (circadian rhythm) to the 24-hour day

Light is the most powerful zeitgeber for humans

examples of internal cues that regulate sleep-wake cycle

Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN): The master internal clock, located in the hypothalamus, that regulates circadian rhythms

Melatonin: A sleep-promoting hormone produced by the pineal gland

Cortisol: A hormone that increases in the morning to promote wakefulness

Body temperature fluctuations: Your core body temperature peaks during the day and drops at night, aiding sleep–wake regulation.

examples of external cues that regulate sleep-wake cycle

light levels

eating times

temperature (environmental)

social cues

when should bright light therapy occur and for how long?

exposure to high intensity light source should occur for a minimum of 15 minutes, for a minimum of 2 weeks

when should bright light therapy occur for shift workers?

right before their shift starts

a BAC of 0.05 and a BAC of 0.10 are equivalent to ____ hours of sleep deprivation

0.05 = 17 hours (partial sleep deprivation)

0.10 = 24 hours (full sleep deprivation)

examples of affective effects from sleep deprivation

poor emotional regulation;

irritability and moodiness

increase in negative emotions

reduced ability to cope with stress

examples of cognitive effects from sleep deprivation

reduced concentration

impairment of short-term memory; thus, diminishing the ability to actively process and mentally manipulate information

diminished ability to perform cognitive tasks, particularly as the duration of the task increases

lapses in attention

impaired decision-making processes and problem-solving abilities

examples of behavioural effects from sleep deprivation

sleep inertia (sense of disorientation after waking)

excessive sleepiness during the day

increased likelihood of engaging in risk-taking behaviours

fatigue/lack of energy

Describe the sequence of the first sleep cycle.

sleep cycle will begin with NREM stage 1, in which you would transition from being awake to a light stage of sleep and would likely experience a hypnic jerk.

Then you would move into NREM stage 2, which is still a light stage of sleep but is the first stage you would be completely asleep.

Then you would move into NREM stage 3, which is a deep stage of sleep and you would feel drowsy if woken in this stage.

Lastly, you would transition into REM sleep, in which they may experience vivid dreams.⁴

how much sleep do infants (neonatal period) need? what percentage of their sleep is REM?

16 hours.

50% REM

how much sleep do young children need? what percentage of their sleep is REM?

12 - 13 hours (1yr old)

10-12 hours (3-5yr old)

9-11 hours (6-13 yr old)

20-25% REM

how much sleep do adolescents need? what percentage of their sleep is REM?

9 hours

20-25% REM

how much sleep do adults need? what percentage of their sleep is REM?

8 hours

20 - 25% REM

how much sleep do elderly need? what percentage of their sleep is REM?

5-7 hours

15% REM

states of consciousness

a state of awareness with variations in level and associated with distinguishable psychological and physiological characteristics

normal waking consciousness (NWC)

state of consciousness associated with being awake and aware of objects and events in the external world, and of one’s sensations, mental experiences and own existence

altered state of consciousness

any state of consciousness that is distinctly different from NWC or any waking state in terms of level of awareness and experience