PSYC 2301: Chapter 04 - Consciousness

In this flashcards, it is all the terms found in the Mastering the World of Psychology book.

Consciousness

Everything of which we are aware at any given time - our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions of the external environmental

Unconscious Experience

Occurs outside of our direct awareness of it or applying little thought or attention to your actions.

William James

Likened consciousness to a flowing stream (the “stream of consciousness”)

Sigmund Freud

The notion that unconscious wishes, thoughts, and feelings are hidden from consciousness because they evoke too much anxiety.

John Watson

Urged psychologists to abandon the study of consciousness altogether, claiming that it could not be studied scientifically.

Circadian Rhythms

Within each 24-hour period, the regular fluctuation from high to low points of certain bodily functions and behaviors.

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)

The biological clock that controls the timing of circadian rhythms along with other kinds of timekeeping mechanisms.

Subjective Night

Time during 24-hour period when the biological clock tells a person to go to sleep.

Restorative Theory of Sleep

The function of sleep is to restore and repair the body and mind; restoration of energy and the consolidation of memory occur during sleep.

Circadian Theory of Sleep (Evolutionary or Adaptive Theory)

The theory that sleep evolved to keep humans out of harm’s way during the night; sleep helps prune excessive synapses formed during the day.

Alexander Borbely

Explains how a synthesis of the circadian and restorative theories can be used to explain the function of sleep; people fell sleepy at certain times of day is consistent with the circadian theory and that sleepiness increases the longer a person is awake is consistent with the restorative theory.

NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement)

A type of sleep in which our heart and respiration rates are slow and steady, our movements are minima, and our blood pressure and brain activity are at their lowest points of the 24-hour period.

Sleep Stages of NREM

Stage 01: transition from waking to sleeping; irregular waves with occasional alpha waves.

Stage 02: transition from light to deeper sleep; sleep spindles (waves with alternating periods of calm and flashes of intense activity) appear.

Stage 03: deeper sleep; slow-wave sleep begins when EEG shows that 20 percent of brain waves are delta waves.

Stage 04: deepest sleep beings when 50 percent of waves are delta waves.

Alpha Waves

Are associated with deep relaxation, when drowsiness is present they begin to appear.

Beta Waves

Are associated with mental or physical activity.

REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement)

You will see the eyes darting around under the eyelids; the brain is highly active.

Eugene Azerinsky (1952)

First discovered these bursts of rapid eye movement.

William Dement and Nathaniel Kleitman (1957)

Made the connection between rapid eye movement and dreaming.

Infants and Young Children Sleep

• Sleep the longest but with erratic sleeping patterns.

• Have the largest percentage of REM and slow-wave sleep.

• Sleep-wave cycle developing.

Children from 6 to Puberty Sleep

• Sleep best, stabilization of sleeping patterns.

• Most consistent sleepers and wakers.

Adolescents and Young Adults Sleep

• Sleep patterns influenced by lifestyles.

• Insufficient sleep may contribute to poor school performance, difficulty maintaining focus and concentration.

Adults Sleep

• More difficulty falling asleep; sleep more lightly.

• Spend more time in bed, but less time asleep, re: sleep quality.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

• Difficulty concentrating, affects attention span/focus.

• impaired cognitive performance.

• Negative mood.

• Recent studies suggest link affecting neurotransmitter production.

• Dozing off at inappropriate times.

Sleep Deprivation Effects on the Brain

• Decreased activity in temporal lobes during verbal learning tasks.

• Increased activity in prefrontal cortex and parietal lobes.

  • Compensates for decreased temporal lobe activity.

Common Sleep Deprivation Symptoms

• Fatigue

• Mood changes

• Difficulty concentrating

• Memory problems

• Paranoia

• Hallucinations

Parasomnias

Sleep disturbances in which behaviors and physiological states that normally occur only in the waking state take place during sleep: i.e., somnambulism (sleepwalking), sleep terrors, nightmares, and sleep-talking.

Dyssomnia

Sleep disorder in which the timing, quantity, or quality of sleep is impaired, i.e., narcolepsy, sleep apnea, and insomnia.

REM Dreams

• The type that occur almost continuously during the REM period, have a story-like quality.

• The areas of the brain responsible for emotions, as well as the primary visual cortex are active during REM dreams.

NREM Dreams

Occur during NREM sleep, may be less frequent and memorable than REM dreams.

Lucid Dreaming

Set of techniques that enable dreamers to control the content of dreams; lucid dreams about exercise actually seem to improve heart function.

The Freudian Perspective

Believed that dreams satisfy unconscious sexual and aggressive desire; these desires are unacceptable tot he dreamer and must be disguised in symbolic forms.

Manifest Content

Content of a dream as recalled by the dreamer, what you saw in the dream.

Latent Content

The underlying meaning of a dream.

Cognitive Theory of Dreaming

Simply thinking while asleep.

Activation-Synthesis Theory

Dreams are the brain’s attempt to make sense of the random firing of brain cells during REM sleep.

Evolutionary Theory

Vivid REM dreams enable people to rehearse skills needed to deal with threatening or future events; dreams as a survival/coping mechanism.

Meditation

Helpful for physical and psychological problems; controlling emotions, anxiety, managing thoughts, lowering BP and HR.

Hypnosis

Procedure though which a hypnotist uses suggestion to change thoughts, feelings sensations, perceptions, or behavior in the subject.

Sociocognitive

Expectations and suggestibility.

Neodissociation

Conscious is split in two, planning function and monitoring function.

Dissociated Control

Hypnosis weakens influence of executive control.

Mike’s Theory

Hypnosis may allow us to access information beyond our level of consciousness/awareness.

Psychoactive Drugs

Any substance that alters mood, perception or thought.

Controlled Substance

Approved for medical use; Antidepressants

Illicit Substance

Illegal substance.

Over-the-Counter

Antihistamines and decongestants.

Certain Foods

May alter our moods as well; such as chocolate.

Opiates

Mimic the effect of endorphins; Morphine and heroin.

Depressants

Acts on GABA receptors; Alcohol, barbiturates such as propofol and bensodiazepines (Valium and Librium)

Stimulants

Mimic the effects of epinephrine; Amphetamines and cocaine.

Substance Abuse

Continued use of a substance that negatively/adversely affects an individual’s work, education, social relationships and personal health.

Physical Drug Dependence

A condition in which a person takes a drug over time, and unpleasant physical symptoms occur if the drug is suddenly stopped or taken in smaller doses, i.e., drug tolerance and withdrawal symptoms.

Drug Tolerance

Becomes less affected by drugs, needs more for same effect.

Withdrawal Symptoms

Physical physiological and psychological symptoms that arise when use is discontinued.

Psychological Drug Dependence

A craving or irresistible urge for the drug’s pleasurable effects; impulsiveness has been associated with experimentation with drugs.

Opiate Dependence

When taken regularly will eventually completely suppress endorphin production, the body’s natural pain management systems break down and brain becomes dependent on opiates; morphine, heroine and derivative.

Caffeine

Produces wakefulness and alertness; increase metabolism but slows reaction tome; headache, depression and fatigue.

Nicotine (Tobacco)

Effects range from alertness to calmness, lowers appetite fro carbohydrates, increases pulse rate and other metabolic processes; Irritability, anxiety, restlessness, and increase appetite.

Methamphetamine/Amphetamines

Increase metabolism and alertness, elevate mood, cause wakefulness, suppress appetite; Fatigue, increased appetite, depression, long periods of sleep, Irritability, and anxiety.

Cocaine

Brings on euphoric mood, energy boost, feelings of excitement, suppresses appetite.

Depressants

Decrease activity in the central nervous system acting on GABA (inhibitory) receptors; slow down bodily functions and reduce sensitivity to outside stimulation.

Sedative-Hypnotics

Alcohol, Barbiturates, and Minor tranquilizers.

Alcohol

First few drinks stimulate and enliven while lowering anxiety and inhibitors, higher doses have a sedative effect, slowing reaction time, impairing motor control and perceptual ability; Tremors, nausea, sweating, depression, weakness, irritability, and in some cases hallucinations.

Barbiturates

Promote sleep, have calming and sedative effect, decrease muscular tension, impair coordination and reflexes; Sleeplessness, anxiety, sudden withdrawal can cause seizures, cardiovascular collapse, and death.

Minor Tranquilizers (bensodiazepines, Xanax (bars), Valium, Ativan)

Lower anxiety, have calming and sedative effect, decrease muscular tension; Restlessness, anxiety, irritability, muscle tension, and difficulty sleeping.

Narcotics (Opiates)

Relieve pain, produce paralysis of intestines; Nausea, diarrhea, cramps, insomnia. (Morphine, heroin, codeine, hydrocodone, Oxycontin Vicodin, dilaudid, etc.)

Hallucinogens (Psychedelics)

Alter and distort perceptions of time and space, magnify the mood of the user at the time the drug was taken; Marijuana, psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA.

Marijuana

Impairs attention and coordination and slow reaction; Anxiety, difficulty sleeping, decreased appetite, and hyperactivity.

Psilocybin

“Shrooms” produce euphoria, mental/perceptual distortions, acts on serotonin receptors in the prefrontal cortex, slows down time perception, enhances sensory experience.

LSD (lysergic Acid Diethyamide)

Average “trip” lasts 10 to 12 hours, usually produces extreme perceptual and emotional changes; Visual hallucinations and feelings of panic.

MDMA (Ecstasy)

Typically produces euphoria and feelings of understanding others and accepting them, lowers inhibitors, often causes overheating, dehydration, nausea, can cause jaw clenching, eye twitching and dizziness; Depression, fatigue, and in some cases a “crash,” during which a person may be sad, scared, or annoyed.

Benefits of Marijuana/THC in the Treatments of:

• Glaucoma (decrease internal eye pressure)

• Controlling epileptic seizures

• Stopping certain cancers in lab experiments

• Decreasing anxiety

• Slowing progression of Alzheimer’s

• Pain management

• Inflammatory bowel disease

• Relieving arthritis discomfort

• Improving overall metabolism

Designer Drugs

Attempt to mimic effects of other drugs without negative effects, use of these substances produce a profound effect on serotonin function, all are derived from amphetamine; STP (Serenity, Tranquility, Peace), Ecstasy (MDMA), and Meth.