psych final study guide chap 6

consciousness

our immediate awareness of our internal and external states; requires attention and awareness

stream of consciousness

how we experience our consciousness bc consciousness keeps moving yet seems to be the same

attention - limited capacity

brain’s processing power is finite

can include sustained attention, divided attention, and spatial attention, which are all types of selective attention (select specific stimuli while ignoring others)

biological rhythms

internal rhytms of biological activity

circadian rhythm (biological clock)

pattern of leep wake cycles that in human roughly correspond to period of day and night

superchiasmatic nucleus

small group of neurons in hypothalamus

gets notified when day turns to night via incoming informaiton from retina, then directs pineal gland to secrete melatonin, triggering sleepiness

biological rhythms during the day

during the day, photoreceptors in teh retina communicate to the scn and melatonin remains love

when not exposed to light, the scn extends the body’s day and other rhythms like body temp and melatonin production no longer coordinate

sleep regulation

brain’s ability to swithc between sleep and wakefulness in response to external environment

disruptions of normal sleep

circadian rhythm sleep disorder: excessive sleepiness or insomnia due to mismatch of sleep cycle vs others sleep cycles (ex.jet lag)

insomnia

inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, often triggered by stress

insufficient sleep: sleep debt

without enough sleep we can feel depressed, have lower productivity, lower immune system responses, more mistakes, increased blood bpressure, increased stress, obesity, irritability, other cognitive impairment

brain structures involved in process of sleeping

thalamus, hypothalamus, pons, scn

hormones involved in sleeping

melatonin, follicle stimulating hormone, lutenizing hormone, growth hormone

restorative theory of sleep

sleep restores our brains and bodies, sleep deprivation reduces immune systems funcitoning

adaptive theory of sleep

theory that organisms sleep for teh purpose of self-preservation, to keep away from predators

sleep deprivation

reduced maintenance of attention, make decisions, recall memories

cognitive functions - sleep and learning

sleep better after leanrning content, more creative, better able to process emotion

stages of sleep (general)

rem (rapid eye movement): darting eye movements under lids and active brain waves

non-rem: variation in brain waves identifying 4 phases ranging in wakefulness

stage 1

transition into sleep (5 mins)

• heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, body temperature, adn muscle tension decrease

• alpha waves change to theta waves

• easy to wake

• experience hynagogic state, hypnagogic hallucinations, myoclonic jerks

stage 2

non-rem, harder to wake (15-20 mins)

• slowing of brainwaves - still theta (sleep spindles nad k-complex)

• rhythmic breathing, occasional body twitches, but generally relaxed

• near the end, brainwaves slow to delta waves (deep sleep)

stages 3 and 4

non-rem - deepest sleep (5-15 and 20-30 mins, respectively)

• characterized by low frequency high amplitude waves

• slow heart rate, brain, and body in total relaxation

• mostly delta waves

• sleep walking and bed wetting more likely

• hard to wake

stage 5

rem (5-15 mins)

• rapid and jagged brainwaves (just like being awake)

• increased heart rate, rapid and irregular breathing, and dreaming.- paralysis of muscle systems

  • paradoxical sleep: deep sleep nad relaxed, but considerable brain activity

• dreaming during this time

• rem rebound if deprived of sleep

• consolidation of memories for newly learned material

• lesions to pons does not impact learning and memory

freudian dream analysis

dreams reprisent expression of unconscious wishes or desires, usually unacceptable

manifest content

part of freudian dream analysis

what you’re able to recall - actual event

latent content

part of freudian dream analysis

symbolic meaning

dreams

emotional , story-like sensory experiences typically during rem

many commonalities among people’s dream

cartwright’s information processing theory

dreams involve processing information from day, people spend more time in rem if they have experienced mutliple stressors, or extensive learning

hobson’s activation-syntehsis hypothesis

during sleep the brain has a lot of random activity bia brainstem that activates the sensory systems, dreams reflect brain’s efforts to make sense of, or find meaning in, the neural activity taking place during sleep (synthesizing)

nightmares

dreams filled with intense anxiety, helplessness, powerlessness, danger

lucid dreams

when the sleeper knows they’re dreaming and can actively guide th eoutcomes

daydreams

fantasies that occur when one is awake and aware of external reality but is not fully conscious

cognitive-behavioural therapy

psychotherapy that focuses on cognitive processes and problem behaviours

parasomnia

group of sleep disorders that leads to disruptive motor activity in sleep, sleepwalking, night terrors, etc

sleepwalking

aka somnambulism, most often takes place during the first 2h of sleep

rem sleep behaviour disorder (rbd)

muscle paralysis during rem seizes to occur

a lot of motor activity

related to parkinson’s disease (now acts as a diagnostic indicator)

night terrors

related to sleepwalking, people wake up suddenly screaming in fear and agitated, increased heart rate and breathing

tends to occur in stages 3 and 4, no memory of it happening

sleep apnea (and types)

repeatedly ceasing to breathe during the night, depriving brain of oxygen and causing frequent awakenings

brain fails to send a breathe signal, throat muscles become too relaxes, in extreme cases can lead to cardiac arrest

two types: obstructive (airway gets blocked) and central (disrupted signal from brain)

narcolepsy

marked by an uncontrollable urge to fall asleep

may suddenly fall into rem and awake feeling refreshed - treated with psychomotor stimulants

addiction

psychological or physical compulsion to take a drug, resulting from regular ingestion and leading to maladaptive patters of bejavour and changes in physical response

physical change ex. changes in bodily function

psychological dependence ex. emotional need

tolerance

mark of physical dependence on a drug, in which the person is required to take incrementally larger doses of teh drug to achieve the same effectwi

withdrawal symptoms

unpleasant and sometimes dangerous side effects of reducting intake of a drug after a person has become addicted

psychoactive drugs

chemicals that affect awareness, behavior, sensation, perception, or mood

broad categories of psychoactive drugs

depressants, stimulants, opiates, hallucinogens

depressants

drugs that tend to suppress the cna

alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines

agonists of gaba

ex. alcohol

ehytl alcohol binds to gaba(inhibitory neurotransmitter) neurotransmitter and reduces its rate of firing

biphasic effect

starts as a stimulant but ends as a depressant

alcoholism

long-term pattern of alcohol addiction

binge drinking: consuption of mutliple drinks in a row

alcohol dehydrogenase

chemical responsible fro rbeaking downa dn eliminating alcohol is defieicnt, leading to individuals reacting very negatively to even small amounts of alcohol

sedative-hypnotic drugs

type of depressant

produces feelings of relaation and drowsiness

ex. benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety)

stimulant

substance that increases the activity fo the cns

agonist of dopamine (block reuptake of dopamine)

associated with reward and craving - potential for abulse

ex. cocaine, methemphetamines, amphetamines, caffeine, nicotine)

methamphetamine

stimulant

produces feelings of euphoria

amphetamines

stimulant

manufactured, increases energy, lower appetite, increases activity of dopamine

opiod

derived from sap of opium poppy

pain reliever (analgesic), but highly addivtive

mimics the effects of endorphins

danger for overdose - opioid crisis

hallucinogens

substances that dramatically cahnge one’s state of awareness, causing powerful changes in sensory perception

as a group they show considerable variability

are thorugh to have fewer additive qualities

mescaline and lsd - serotonin agonists

pcp and ketamine antagonists of nmda glytamate

prenatal exposure has shown negative impacts on inhibition, behavrioual self-control, and working memory

cannabis

hemp plant

prudces cannabis and hashish

thc active chemical

produces a mixture of hallucinogenic, depressant, and stimulant effects

interferes with memory, sensorimotor tasks, can impact sperm count and abnormal ovulation

hallucinosis

can be caused by lsd

state marked by strenghtening of visual perceptions and profound psychological and physical changes

binds to serotonin receptors

reward learning pathway (pleasure pathway)

brain circuitry that is important for learning about rewarding stimuli

activated by pleasurable stimuli or events and comes to anticipate a response

reward-deficiency syndrome

people might abuse drugs because their reward centre is not readily activated by usual life events

hypnosis

altered state of consciousness during which people can be directed to act or experience the world in unusual ways

guided into suggestible state

how does hypnosis work (theories)

dissociation

divided consciousness theory: splits awareness into two parts

social process theory; participant highly motivated to believe in hypnosis and ignores pain

hypnotic procedures and effects

motor control readily influenced by hypnotist

posthypnotic responses

predetermined signal that elicits a response after being roused from hypnosis

posthypnotic amnesia

directed to forget something learned during hypnosis

hypnotic hallucinations

guided to experience or not experience events or objects

hypnosis scientific stuff

cerebral cortex and thalamus slow activity

guided to mental absorption or total focus, where cerebral blood flow and neural activity speed back up

anterior cingulate cortex is implicated in general awareness and the unpleasantness we feel during pain