ap psych test m22-5 (and some past topics) 11/20/23

psychology started as

the description and explanation of states of consciousness, but turned to direct observations of behavior

neuroscience advances relate

brain activity to mental states

consciousness

our awareness of ourselves and our environment

selective attention

directs what we are aware of, allowing us to assemble info from many sources as we reflect on the past and plan for the future

when we need to learn a complex concept or behavior

we are more attentive, and it becomes semi automatic with practice

stream of consciousness

each moment flowing into the next

spontaneous states of consciousness

daydreaming, drowsiness, and dreaming

physiologically induced states

hallucinations, orgasm, and food or oxygen starvation

psychologically induced states

sensory deprivation, hypnosis, and meditation

hypnotic induction

the hypnotist’s suggestions that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur

hypnosis

a social interaction in which the subject responds to the hypnotist’s induction

hypnotists’ power resides in

the subject’s openness to suggestion and ability to focus on certain images or behaviors

people who respond to such suggestions as postural sway without hypnosis are

more hypnotizable

hypnotic ability of highly hypnotizable people to

focus attention totally on a task, become absorbed in it, and entertain imaginative possibilities

hypnotically refreshed memories

unreliable, many who report these memories are highly hypnotizable, ideas can be planted and turned into a pseudo memory

can hypnosis force people to act against their will?

no, disproven by double-blind experiment in which the control group and experimental group did the same “bad” things

hypnotherapists

try to help patients harness their own healing powers through posthypnotic suggestions; helpful in obesity

hypnosis and pain

shown to reduce fear and the hypersensitivity to pain it brings, inhibiting pain related brain activity and requiring less medication, faster recovery and discharge from hospital

social influence theory of hypnosis

subjects behave like actors caught up in their roles, having their attention and fantasies directed because of power of trust; hypnotist’s ideas become the subject’s thoughts, which produce the hypnotic experiences and behaviors

erest hilgard

divided consciousness theory of hypnosis

stroop effect

green letters form the word red, slowing the process of saying the color of the letters; did not slow down hypnotized people when told to focus on the color and perceive the letters as irrelevant gibberish

dissociation

a split between different levels of consciousness, allowing simultaneous thoughts and behaviors e.g. multitasking and autopiloting

hypnotic dissociation

separating sensation from perception in the brain e.g. sticking hand in ice bath so it feels cold, but not painful, under hypnosis

hypnotic pain relief in terms of the brain and selective attention

hypnosis shown to reduce brain activity in a region that processes painful stimuli, but not in the sensory cortex that receives the raw sensory input

biological influences on hypnosis

distinctive brain activity and unconscious info processing

psychological influences on hypnosis

focused attention, expectations, heightened suggestibility, dissociation between normal sensations and conscious awareness

social cultural influences on hypnosis

presence of an authoritative person in a legitimate context, role-playing “good subjects”

perception still slightly occurs in

deep sleep; avoid falling out of bed, auditory cortex still responds to sound stimuli

circadian rhythm

the way our bodies roughly synchronize with the 24h cycle of day and night; our internal biological clock

body temperature over the day

rises as morning approaches, peaks during the day, dips in the early afternoon, and begins to drop again in the evening

at our daily peak

thinking is sharpest and memory is most accurate

as we age, our energy

moves earlier into the day, especially with women bc of children

sleep overtakes us when

consciousness fades and different parts of our brain’s cortex stop communicating

yawning is in response to

reduced brain metabolism as a way to increase your alertness

beta waves

awake and alert, low amplitude, high frequency, used in “fast” mental activities

alpha waves

awake and relaxed, higher amplitude, lower frequency, daydreaming while doing a semi-automatic task

delta waves

occur during deep sleep, greatest amplitude and lowest frequency

sleep

periodic, natural loss of consciousness

NREM-1 stage

5 to 10 minutes, the transition to sleep marked by slow breathing, irregular brain waves, and occasional hallucinations

NREM-2

about 20 minutes, body temperature begins to stop, eye movement stops, sleep spindles start, clearly asleep though you can still be somewhat easily awakened

sleep spindles

bursts of rapid rhythmic brain wave activity

NREM-3 stage

about 30 minutes, muscles relax, blood pressure and breathing rate drop, brain emits delta waves, deepest sleep and harder to awaken

REM stage

lasts about 10 minutes, go from NREM-3 through NREM-2 to this, rapid brain waves, heart rate and breathing rate rise, eyes dart around while closed, genital arousal, muscles are relaxed and paralyzed, vivid dreams commonly occur; also called paradoxical sleep

sleep paralysis

immobility from REM lingers as you awaken; motor cortex messages blocked by brainstem

as the night wears on , _ stage grows shorter and disappears, while _ and _ stages get longer

NREM-3, REM, NREM-2

after being awakened during REM

people are much more likely to remember their dream

as we age, amount of sleep

decreases

sleep patterns are influenced by

regulatory genes, culture, and environment

cultural and environmental influences on sleep

modern lighting, shift work, social media, distractions

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

above the optic chiasm, pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that affects pineal gland’s melatonin production, also plays a role in body temperature and blood pressure

sleep’s protective function

we are safer asleep in darkness instead of trying to navigate the world

sleep’s recuperative function

restores and repairs brain tissue by giving neurons time to remove free radicals and weaken unused connections

sleep’s memory function

helps restore and rebuild our fading memories of the day’s experiences, especially in slow-wave sleep and even naps can help us perform tasks that we were previously trained to do

sleep’s creative thinking function

inspires dreams and boosts general thinking, learning, and connection spotting

sleep’s growth support function

stimulates pituitary’s release of growth hormone —> improves muscle development and athletic ability ( tommy take notes)

today’s sleep patterns leave us

drained of energy and feelings of well-being

when uninterrupted, most adults sleep

9 hours; leaves us feeling refreshed, in a better mood, and performing more efficiently and accurately

sleep loss related to depression

increases risk because REM sleep processes emotional experiences

effect of sleep loss on students

difficulty studying, diminished productivity, tendency to make mistakes, irritability, and fatigue

ghrelin

hormone that arouses hunger; increased by sleep deprivation

leptin

hormone that suppresses hunger; decreased by sleep deprivation

cortisol

stress hormone that stimulates fat production; increased by sleep deprivation

sleep loss’s effect on immune system

suppresses immune cells, can even decrease average lifespan

sleep loss _ reaction time and errors on visual attention tasks

increases

daylight savings time causes

an increase in car accidents in the spring because of the extra hour of sleep and a decrease in the fall because of the lost hour of sleep

insomnia

persistent problems in falling or staying asleep

hypersomnia

feeling exhausted after 8-10 hours of sleep; excessive daytime sleepiness

parasomnia

abnormal or unusual behavior during sleep through partial arousals e.g. nightmares, night terrors, sleepwalking, or REM sleep behavior disorder

common quick fixes for insomnia

sleeping pills and alcohol; can aggravate the problem by reducing REM sleep and making you more tired the next day

narcolepsy

sudden short attacks of overwhelming sleepiness because of irregular regulation of sleep-wake cycles by the brain; genetic links have been discovered

orexin/hypocretin

hormone linked to alertness produced in hypothalamus; relative absence of production in narcoleptic people

real sleep aids

late afternoon exercise, avoiding caffeine later in the day, avoiding food or drink near bedtime, dim light to relax before bedtime, regular sleep schedule, avoiding naps, managing stress, don’t stress over getting less sleep, hide the clock face

sleep apnea

intermittent stopping of breathing during sleep; results in short-wave sleep deprivation causing fatigue and depression; associated with obesity; aided with CPAP machine

night terrors

sleep disorder common in children with high arousal and a terrified appearance, occurs in NREM-3 and seldom remembered

sleep walking and sleep talking

usually childhood disorders and runs in families; usually harmless, not remembered after returning to bed; likelihood increases after sleep deprivation

dreams

vivid, emotional, and bizzare; occur during REM, often marked by negative events or emotion and incorporate traces of the previous day’s experiences

processing of the environment while we sleep done by

the two track mind; may integrate sensory stimuli into the dream

freud’s wish fulfillment theory

dreams (manifest content) are a psychic safety valve that discharges otherwise unacceptable feelings (latent content); could be traced back to erotic wishes and the key to understanding inner conflicts; disputed because dreams are open to interpretation or hide nothing

manifest content

the apparent and remembered storyline of a dream

latent content

the unconscious drives and wishes of a dream that would otherwise be threatening

information-processing theory

dreams help sift, sort, and fix the day’s experiences in our memory for better retention and integration of learning into memories; disputed because why do we sometimes dream about things we haven’t experienced

physiological function theory

dreams provide the sleeping brain with periodic stimulation that preserves and expands its neural pathways; disputed because why do we have meaningful dreams

neural activation theory

dreams come from the brain’s attempt at making sense of random neural activity, neural activation creates random visual memories through internal stimulation; weaved into stories; disputed because these are individualistic and still tell us something about the dreamer

cognitive development theory

dreams are a part of cognitive development, brain maturation, knowledge, and understanding; mind controls dream content top-down; doesn’t address dreams’ neuroscience

REM rebound

the tendency for REM sleep to increase following its deprivation after repeated awakenings

substance use disorder

continued substance craving and use despite significant life disruption and/or physical risk

substance use disorder characterized by symptoms of

impaired control, social impairment, risky use, and drug action (i.e. tolerance and withdrawal)

severity levels of substance use disorder

mild - 2-3 symptoms

moderate - 4-5 symptoms

severe - 6+ symptoms

psychoactive drugs

chemicals that change perceptions and moods; effects depend on both biological effects and psychology of user’s expectations that varies depending on social and cultural contexts

tolerance

neuroadaptation to offset the drug’s effect, requiring a larger dose for the same effect

addiction

person craves and uses a substance despite its adverse consequences; can be powerful, but not completely irresistible

withdrawal

the discomfort, stress, and other negative effects that follow discontinuing an addictive drug or behavior

depressants

alcohol, barbiturates, opiates; calm neural activity and slow body functions

alcohol’s effects

disinhibition, unconscious sexual urges let out, slowed neural processing, sedation, impaired memory formation (blackouts), suppression of REM sleep, reduced self-awareness and control, affected by expectancy

barbiturates

aka tranquilizers; depress nervous system activity, induce sleep, reduce anxiety, can impair memory and judgment in higher doses, can be lethal if combined with alcohol

opiates

opium and its derivatives, also depress neural functioning, pupils constrict, breathing slows, lethargy and a blissful pleasure set in, intense craving, tolerance stops natural endorphin production, painful withdrawal

stimulants

nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy (MDMA); excite neural activity and speed up body functions

general stimulant effects

pupils dilate, heart and breathing rates increase, blood sugar levels increase, appetite drops, higher energy and self confidence, alertness increases, mood boosted

nicotine

high mortality, very addictive, bad withdrawal symptoms, nicotine rush signals CNS to release neurotransmitters and production of epinephrine and norepinephrine —> diminished appetite, boosted alertness, mental efficiency, reduced circulation to extremities, muscle relaxation at high doses

cocaine

produces a euphoria rush that depletes the brain’s supply of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine followed by a crash of agitated depression; may heighten aggression, emotional disturbances, suspiciousness, convulsions, cardiac arrest, respiratory failure