ch. 3: levels of consciousness

consciousness

immediate sense of focus and awareness

subconscious

not fully aware; occurring below your level of thinking and awareness

unconscious

deeper level of awareness; contains thoughts and desires about which we have no true or direct awareness

levels of processing

serial and parallel processing

parallel processing

sensory information processing occurs simultaneously on many parallel tracks

serial processing

sensory processing takes place in a sequence

dual processing

high and low road

high road

conscious, deliberate processing, of which we are aware; intentional thinking; prefrontal cortex

low road

unconscious, automatic processing, of which we are unaware; things we do on autopilot; cerebellum

cocktail party phenomenon

spotlight on something and tuning environment out

change blindness

you fail to notice changes in your environment

SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus)

a pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm; near optic chiasm

cortisol

stress hormone

melatonin

sleep-inducing hormone

circadian rhythm

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle

inattentional blindness

we do not see things that we aren't paying attention to

sleep

natural loss of consciousness

REM sleep (paradoxical sleep)

relaxes muscle; our brain waves look like we're awake (beta waves); very vivid dreams; rapid eye movement; increases in length as amount of sleep increases; body is paralyzed

NREM 1

really easy to wake up; hallucinations

NREM 2

-sleep spindles

-body temp. decreases

-theta waves

-heart rate slows

NREM 3/4

-getting into deeper sleep

-delta waves

-sleep talking

-night terrors

-fragmented dreams

-dreams are not (technically) a part of this

-growth hormones being secreted

restoration theory

sleep repairs worn-out body

adaptive theory

protects us and replenish energy during dangerous time of day (evolution)

effects of sleep loss

-tiredness

-depressed immune system

-more chances of accidents

-reduced judgement

-effects situations in which we're bored in

-doesn't really effect performance of tasks that need physical skill or judgement

insomnia

inability to sleep

narcolepsy

two types:

-excessive sleepiness

-cataplexy: extreme emotion and loss of muscle tone (then they can fall on the spot)

sleep apnea

-throat closes and extreme snoring (gasping for air)

-sleep with mask that keeps their airways open

REM sleep behavior disorder

-no sleep paralysis

-acting out dreams

sleepwalking

walking or carrying out behaviors while asleep

night terrors

abrupt awakenings with panic and intense emotional arousal (most active in kids of 3 to 7 years)

restless leg syndrome

uncomfortable sensations in legs causing movement and loss of sleep

The Interpretation of Dreams (1900)

-by Sigmund Freud

-idea that dreams represent things in your consciousness

-wish fulfillment

manifest content

remembered storyline

latent content

underlying meaning

Information Processing Theory

-dreams help us sort out the day's events and consolidate our memories

-metaphor: filing cabinet

Activation Synthesis Theory

dreams are random neural firing as our brain is active and serve no meaning

Cartwright's Problem-Solving Theory

dreams give us a creative outlet to test out new things without consequences

hypnosis

-state of being extremely relaxed/in a trance

-brought on by focused attention

-will not force people to do things against their will

-personalities determine whether or not you can be hypnotized

behaviors of hypnosis

-post-hypnotic suggestion/amnesia

-age regression

-attention redistributed

-increase in fantasizing

-decrease in reality testing

post-hypnotic suggestion

behavior where people will perform any suggested behaviors after hyponosis

post-hypnotic amnesia

the failure to retrieve memories following hypnotic suggestions to forget

age regression

reenacting childhood

attention redistributed

focus on the speaker

divided-consciousness theory

-dissociative theory

-separation of mind and body

social influence theory

-state theory

-person playing a role may become immersed and become it

larks

early birds

owls

night owls

hypogognic sensations

-head jerking

-blurting something out

near-death experiences

dualism and monism

medical uses of hypnosis

-reduces pain (like amnesia)

-eliminates recurring nightmares

psychological dependence

a psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emotions

physical dependence

a physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued

tolerance

the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug's effect

withdrawal

the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug

stimulant

drug that increases neural activity

-metamphetamine, cocaine, caffeine, nicotine, ecstasy

depressant

-drug that depresses cerebellum and prefrontal cortex so we make no good decisisons

-reduces neural activity

-alcohol, heroin, opioid

hallucinogen

drug that distorts perception, thought, and mood

-ecstasy, marijuana

dualism

mind and body are separate

monism

mind and body are the same thing

neurotransmitter that is highly responsible for drug use and addiction

-dopamine

-causes a rush of euphoria

-drugs make you dependent on them so your body can't make dopamine on its own