Consciousness, alertness, & attention

In what terms can consciousness vary

degree and quality

What are the levels of awareness

alertness, sleep, deeper unconsiousness, coma

alertness

increased awareness of different sensory inputs being received

what parts of the brain are involved with alertness

reticular formation- brain stem & reticular activating system

what does decreased awareness involve

sleep, deeper unconsiousness, coma

sleep

temporary and easily reversible loss of consciousness

deeper unconsiousness

lower level of awareness from sleep, not easily reversed

coma

lost consciousness, does not react normally to stimuli, does not move voluntarily, is not in a normal sleep/wake cycle

what is chronic low-level sleep deprivation associated with

poor cognitive performance, & increased risks of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes

How can sleep be measured

polysomnography that measures brain activity, muscle activity, and eye activity

EEG

measures brain activity

EMG

measures muscle activity

EOG

measures eye activity

How long is the typical adult sleep cycle

90 minutes

How long is the typical child sleep cycle

50 minutes

what are the characteristics of REM sleep

quick bursts of eye movement, beta waves, atonia, irregular breathing and heart rate, dreaming

REM rebound

catching up on REM after losing sleep

Stage 1 (NON-REM)

Theta wave (low frequency) - slow eye movement, light sleep

Stage 2 (NON-REM)

Theta wave, K-complexes, Sleep Spindles; eye motion stops, heart rate and breathing rate slows

Stage 3 (NON-REM)

Delta wave (slow waves), low frequency/high amplitude; deep sleep, memory processing and rest

Circadian rhythm

24 hr sleep-wake cycle

pineal gland → melatonin →

drowsiness

adrenal cortex → cortisol →

wakefulness

dysomnias

disorders that affect regular ability to fall/stay asleep

types of dysomnias

insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea

insomnia

difficulty falling asleep

narcolepsy

exessive daytime sleepiness; abnormal REM sleep; cataplexy (loss of muscle control)

sleep apnea

airway obstruction during sleep

parasomnias

sleep disorders that involve abnormal behavior during sleep

types of parasomnias

sleepwalking, night terrors, nightmares

sleepwaking

somnambulism

night terrors

sleeper is suddenly plunged into fight or flight6 response

Dream content meaning; manifest

surface-level details

Dream content meaning; latent

underlying meaning

Dream wish fulfilment

resolution of repressed conflict

Dream activation/synthesis model

neurons activate during REM and synthesize experience

Dream problem-solving theory

dreams as a way of processing/resolving real world problems

Dreams cognitive theory

dreams are a visulation of our cognitive processes

hypnosis

hypnotist induces a hyper-suggestible state in a subject; extremely responsive to certain suggestions even after hypnosis session

meditation

quieting mind, focusing attention; beginners experience alpha waves, more experienced have more theta waves; included in wellness approaches

stimulants

increase CNS activity, energize/invigorate, mimic sympathetic NS repsonse

types of stimulants

caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, MDMA, Cocaine

caffeine

mild stimulant; antagonizes adenosine (sleepiness) receptors

nicotine

highly addictive stimulant

amphetamines

stimulant; increased energy and alertness, concentration and focus, appetite reduction, mood swings, psychosis

MDMA (ecstasy or molly)

stimulant; empathy and pleasure, energy, focus, appetite reduction, promotes serotonin, norepi, dopamine release, depletes serotonin reserves → depressed afterwards

Cocaine

stimulant; strong, blocks serotonin, dopamine, and norepi reuptake → causes buildup in the brain

depressants

reduce activity in the CNS; lower HR & blood pressure

types of depressants

alcohol, barbituates and benzos, opioids

alcohol

depressant; enhances GAVA receptors action; low doses reduces conscious inhibitions and planning ability, high doses affect speech, motor function, cognition, memory

anterograde amnesia

blackouts; inability to create new memories

overdose of alcohol

breathing stops → death

Korsakoff syndrome

associated with chronic alcoholism; anterograde amnesia, confabulation, lack of BI (thiamine)

Barbiturates and Benzos

depressant; increase GABA receptor activity, treat anxiety and insomnia; high risk of overdose, addiction, and withdrawal danger (benzos)

Opiods

depressant; cause sedations, sleepiness, respiratory depression; interact with endorphins and bind with opiod receptors on neurons; pain relief

endorphins

produced in the body and naturally interact with opioid receptors; block pain, induce euphoria, associated with runner’s high

morphine

derived from opium poppy; endorphin agonist; codeine, hydrocodone, oxycontin, & fentanyl are derivatives

heroin

synthetic morphine derivative (more potent and addictive); endorphin agonist

Hallucinogens

distort perceptions, enhance sensation, promote introspection; have complex mechanisms

types of hallucinogens

LSD, Ketamine, Peyote, Psilocybin (shrooms), PCP

THC

psychoactive component of MJ; bind cannabinoid receptors in the brain, our body naturally produces endocannabinoids

CBD

non-psychoactive cannabinoid in mj

Marjiuana

has a complex profile of effects; can be a stimulant, depressant, hallucinogenic

attention

ability to direct our awareness to a single aspect of external stimulit

types of attention

selective and divided

characteristics of selective attention

focus, fringe area, margin, Donald Broadbent, Triesman Model, Inattentional blindness, change blindness, unattended stimuli

focus

full attention

fringe area

no attention

margin

partial attention

donal broadbent (1st theory)

basic sensory information enters a sensory buffer; dichotic listening task; shadowing

shadowing

repeating words instantly (no memory component)

Treisman model

unattended information is attenuated (reduced in intensity); intense or important information can come to attention

inattentional blindness

direct attention causes people to miss things happening in the background; invisible gorilla experiment

change blindness

the failure to notice changes that take place

unattended stimuli

color and design might subconsciously affect our mood and behavior

characteristics of divided attention

Multi-tasking, Daniel Kahneman, Allport’s Module Resource Theory

multi-tasking

sequential attention; degrades one ability to perform complex tasks; simultaneous attention is rare

daniel kahneman

we have a certain capacity for attention that we allocate among tasks

allport’s module resource theory

attention comes from distinct, specialized modules of the brain; controlled processing; automatic processing

controlled processing

conscious focus on a task; most skills start off controlled

automatic processing

unconscious work on a task/doing things on autopilot; with practice, skills can become automatically processed- requires less attention and allows for multitasking