AP Psychology - Chapter 3

constructs

concepts that require a belief in something that cannot be seen or touched, but seem to exist because of their effect on behavior

consciousness

the subjective awareness (or perceptions) of the environment and of one's own mental processes [External & Internal components]

What do some psychologists (such as Behaviorists [i.e. Watson]) believe that the science of Psychology should not deal with?

the question of the consciousness at all

Consciousness and Sensory Awareness

experiencing your enviroment though perception of sensory stimulation (in watered down terms: awareness of the world around us)

How can we adapt to our environment?

by learning what stimuli must be attended to and which can be ignored

Sensory as Direct Inner Awareness

knowledge of one's own thoughts, feelings, and memories without using sensory organs such as touch or smell; the subjective self

Consciousness as an Altered State

states other than normal waking awarness, including daydreaming, sleep, meditations, the distorted perceptions produced by drugs, or [debated] hypnosis

Preconsciousness

material that is not in awareness but can be brought into awareness by focusing one's attention; easy to retrieve/bring to mind

Subconscious

• unavailable to awareness under most circumstances

  • Freud called this 'unconscious'

Nonconscious

incapable of being experienced either through sensory awareness or direct inner awareness

Hypnosis

an altered state of consciousness during which people respond to suggestions and behave as though they are in a trance

Things to remember about hypnosis

• Not everyone can be hypnotized

• Today, it is used in areas from entertainment to surgery to cessation therapy

  • Not valid for use in courtroom testimony, and sketchy as treatment for psychological disorders

How does sleep alter our consciousness?

by reducing alertness, awareness, and perception of events around us

sleep

 a periodic, natural reduction of consciousness

What is much of how people, animals, and even plants function governed by?

circadian rhythms (Latin for 'around the day') (aka "biological clocks")

What is the circadian rhythm of humans?

a cycle of changes (such as temperature or wakefulness) which occur about every 24 hours

What did sleep researchers discover by brain wave patterns measured by EEG?

we sleep in stages

Pre-sleep/sleep onset stage

When we close our eyes to relax before falling asleep, our brain slows

Stage 1 [NREM-1]

• Lightest stage of sleep from which you can be easily awakened

• May be accompanied by a dreamlike state where we experience brief hallucinatory, dreamlike images

hypnagogic sensations

This is when you may also experience that sensation of falling (at which moment, your body may suddenly jerk!) or floating weightlessly

After how many minutes of stage 1 do we descend into stages 2 and 3?

After about 30 minutes

Stage 2 [NREM-2]

• Has medium brain waves with short bursts of activity about every 15 seconds

• If/when awakened from this deep sleep, a person is groggy and confused (almost inebriated-like experience)

sleep spindles

short bursts of neural activity. May possibly be tied to memory consolation

How long does it take to go through the sleep stages?

It takes about an hour to go through the stages, then the cycle reverses itself (back to 2 & 1, then REM)

REM sleep

characterized by rapid eye activity under closed eyelids; brain waves resemble the walking state [aka paradoxical sleep]; the body also typically experiences temporary paralysis

How many trips through the sleep stages do you experience with 8 hours of sleep?

5 trips

As the night goes on which stages get shorter and which grow longer?

As the night goes on, Stage 3 sleep gets shorter and REM grows longer

Three Sleep Functions

1. Protection

2. Helps us recuperate

3. Sleep helps store/restore memories ()

Memory Consolidation

memories are stored in the hippocampus are shifted to permanent storage in the cortex

What does deprivation of REM sleep cause?

difficulty learning or retrieving memories

REM rebound

following REM deprivation, the tendency for REM sleep to increase

Effects of sleep deprivation

experiments show problems in attention, confusion, and misperception

Dreams

images or thoughts that occur mainly during REM sleep

Activation Synthesis Theory

• Dreams primarily reflect biological activity - brain is interpreting signals from the body

• We tend to dream about the events of the day because most current neural activity of the cortex would be that which represented the events or concerns of the day

Nightmares

distressing dreams that tend to occur during, and awaken a person from, REM sleep

Night Terrors

horrific dreams that tend to occur during deep sleep; stage 3

Insomnia

• the inability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep

  • Sleep onset - difficulty falling asleep

  • Difficulty remaining asleep through the night

How many Americans are affected with insomnia?

about 1/3

Effects of insomnia

Shown to have more anxiety; have more muscle tension; are more depressed

Sleep Paralysis

terrifying experience in which the body becomes paralyzed during REM sleep, and remains so, even after one wakes.

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

condition in which person physically and/or vocally acts out dreams during REM sleep; typically wake up easily and remember dream

Narcolepsy

sufferers fall asleep suddenly into REM sleep (usually less then 5 min), at unpredictable and/or inappropriate times

• Medications (amphetamines) have helped some sufferers, but there is no known cure

Apnea

sleepers stop breathing (from seconds to minutes) repeatedly through the night

• Can be treated with a CPAP nasal mask or surgery

Sleepwalking (Somnambulism)

excursions the person does not remember because they take place in very deep stages of sleep (not REM); tends to run in families

Agonist

molecule that mimics/increases a neurotransmitter's action

Antagonist

molecule that inhibits/blocks a neurotransmitter's actions

Psychoactive drug

a chemical substance that alters perception or mood; has psychological & physiological effects

Addiction

the body's desire/need for a drug, just to feel 'normal'

Tolerance

habituation to a drug so that with regular use, higher doses are required to achieve similar effects

withdrawal

discomfort and distress that follows discontinuing an addictive drug or behavior; psychological and/or physiological symptoms

What do depressants do?

act by slowing body functions and reducing neural activity

Alcohol….

• Can serve as a relaxant in low doses

• Most abused drug in America

GABA is a an inhibitory NT. Depressants work by…

increasing GABA, which reduces activity in neural circuits

Effects of alcohol

• Directly affects cerebellum. Hence the drunken stagger and slur after a few drinks

• Large doses can cause blackouts - which affects REM sleep (thus memory formation)

• Affects hippocampus

Opiates (opioid - synthesized in a lab)

narcotics derived from the opium poppy

What does the brain stop producing when repeatedly flooded with opiate/opioids?

• endorphins and dopamine

• leading to painful withdrawal…and thus many OD

Heroin

the 'hero' to cure dependence on Morphine

Stimulants

act to speed up body functions and excite neural activity

Caffine

• most widely used stimulant. Found in many foods and drinks (coffee & cocoa beans, tea leaves)

  • Boosts concentration & speeds up reaction time by activating prefrontal cortex; stimulates release of adrenaline, thus the jitters

Cocaine

• a powerful stimulant that produces a state of euphoria, deadens pain, and boosts self-confidence

  • By binding to receptor sites and blocking reuptake extra dopamine remains in the synapse, but when levels finally drop, the user experiences a crash

Hallucinogens

drugs that produce hallucinations by distorting perceptions/producing sensory experiences

Marijuana

• produced from the cannabis sativa plant

  • The major psychedelic substance in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol); floods dopamine

  • Impairs cognition, motor coordination, and perceptual functions