Exam 3: Consciousness, Senses, and Perception

Phenomenology

the study of consciousness

Waking Consciousness

feeling alert (thoughts/ feelings clear)

Altered State of Consciousness

the mind can be aware, but it’s not in its usual wakeful condition

Unconscious

feelings that are not available to awareness

Circadian Rhythm

cycle connected with the 24 hour period of the earth’s rotation (internal or biological clock)

• sleep and wake cycle

Which part of the brain is associated with the sleep and wake cycle?

the hypothalamus

What are the importances of sleep?

1. bodily growth

2. forming memories

3. recuperation

Consciousness

a state of awareness about ourselves and the environment influenced by perception, arousal, and memories

Adaptive Theory of Sleep

explains when you sleep

Restorative Theory of Sleep

explains why you sleep (serves to replenish chemicals)

Stages of Sleep

N1 - N2 - N3- REM

N1

NREM - light sleep (dozing off) - 5% of all sleep

N2

NREM - sleep spindles - 50% of all sleep

N3

NREM - deep sleep

REM

90% of all dreams occur during this stage

Delay Phase Sleep Syndrome

when you go to bed later and wake up later

Advanced Phases Sleep Disorder

when you go to bed earlier and wake up earlier

Sleep deprivation

any significant loss of sleep

Nightmares

bad dreams that wake you up, often with feelings of worry and fear

Night terrors

a state of panic while asleep

Sleepwalking

moving around or walking around in one’s sleep

Sleep Apnea

a person stops breathing for about 10 seconds

Insomnia

inability to fall or remain asleep

Narcolepsy

sleep attacks (sleep seizures)

What did Freud suggest about dreams?

dreams are some kind of wish fulfillment that stemmed from conflicts and events that are in the unconscious mind since childhood

Manifest Content

the actual dream

Latent Content

the hidden meaning of the dream

Activation-synthesis Hypothesis

dreams from memories and past experiences

Activation-information Mode Model

consists of bits and pieces from the previous day’s experiences

Hypnosis

a state of consciouness in which the person is susceptible to suggestion

Elements of Hypothesis

1. deep relaxation

2. willing to participate

3. heightened suggestibility

4. vivid imagination

Psychoactive Drugs

alter thinking, perception, and memory (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, ecstasy, heroin, caffeine) changes in psychological activities include judgement, self-control

Physical Dependence

requires a specific dose to prevent withdraw symptoms

Tolerance

more and more of the drug is needed to achieve the same effect

Withdrawal

physical symptoms resulting from a lack of an addictive drug in the body systems

Psychoactive Dependence

the feeling that a drug is needed to continue a feeling or emotional or psychological well-being

Stimulants

increase neural activity

Types of Stimulants

1. amphetamines

2. cocaine

3. nicotine/ tobacco

4. caffeine

Depressants

depress or slow down

Types of Depressants

1. barbiturates

2. benzodiazepines

3. rohypnol

4. alcohol

Hallucinogens

alter the perception of reality

Types of Hallucinogens

1. LSD

2. PCP

3. MDMA

4. Marijuana

Preconsciousness (subconsciousness)

stuff we are not thinking about but can recall or bring to consciousness quickly

Sensation

a response from the external to the brain; what happens when receptors in the sense organs are activated

Transduction

the process of converting outside stimuli into neural activity

Sensory Reduction

filtering of incoming sensations before sending neural messages into the cortex

Coding

converting of sensory info into a form that could be understood by the brain and the nervous system

Absolute Threshold

the least amount of energy needed for a person to consciously detect a stimulus 50% of the time

Just Noticeable Difference

the minimum level of stimulation that a person can detect 50% of the time

Subliminal Stimuli

sensory stimuli below the level of conscious awareness

Retina

converts light into neural activity through the optic nerve, where transduction takes place

Rods

photoreceptors that detect degrees of light and dark gray and peripheral vision

Cones

allow us to see color and fine detail

Pupil

allows light to enter the eye by changing sizes

Cornea

protects the eye and bends light waves into the back of the eye so the image can be seen

Iris

controls the pupil and adjusts your vision to different lighting

Blind spot

the part of the retina where the optic nerve passes through and there are no light-sensitive cells

Myopia

can’t see far away (nearsightedness)

Hyperopia

can’t see close up (farsightedness)

Opponent-Process Theory

perception of color comes from opponent or opposite color; visual neurons are stimulated by light of one color and inhibited by light of another color

Trichromatic Theory

color visions based on 3 types of cones (red, blue, green)

Monochrome Colorblindness

cones (2 or more) are not functioning properly

What is the process of hearing?

1. outer ear funnels sound waves

2. the hammer, anvil, and stirrup strike each other sending vibrations to the cochlea

3. the fluid in the cochlea is moving which causes ripples in the basilar membrane

4. membrane lined with hair cells

Pinna

the visible, external part of the ear that funnels sounds waves and focuses sound

Auditory Canal

runs from the pinna to the eardrum

Eardrum

Membrane that vibrates in response to the sound waves and transmits vibrations inward

Cochlea

fluid-filled, snail shaped structure of the inner ear that receives neural messages and sends signals to the brain

Wavelength

interpreted as frequency; high, medium, low

Amplitude

interpreted as volume; waves height

Pitch

sound (high/low tones) corresponds to the frequency

How many decibels causes permanent hearing loss?

90 decibels

Olfaction

the ability to smell odors

Phermones

chemical substances that trigger a behavioral response (body scent)

Gustation

the sense and perception of tastes (90 % of what we deem as taste is really smell)

Taste buds

the receptor cells for taste

Somesthetic Senses

bodily sensations; the perception of the body and its position in space

Skin Senses

touch, pressure, temperature, and pain

Kinesthetic Senses

inform us how body parts interact with one another

Vestibular Senses

the sense of balance; equilibrium

Sensory Conflict Theory

motion sickness; info from eyes and body conflict

Perception

the way sensations are experienced

Monocular cues

depth perception based on one eye only

Binocular cues

perceiving depth based on both sides