Psych 201 Chapter 4 - Attention and Consciousness

Consciousness

your personal awareness of mental activities, internal sensations, and the external environment

Selective Attention

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Inattentional Blindness

failing to see a visible object when our attention is directed elsewhere

-Unexpected

Change blindness

Failing to notice changes, even when looking for them

-Expected

Sigmund Freud

The first to hypothesize about unconscious mind

-Unconscious mind was a collection of unconscious unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories

Biological Rhythms

A regular fluctuation in a body process that influences many aspects of behavior

-Migration patterns, hibernation, mating, mood, menstrual cycle

Circadian Rhythm

A 24-hour cycle of fluctuations of biological and psychological processes.

EXAMPLE: Our sleep/wake cycle that aligns with day/night

-Can be altered by sensory input

-The most important sensory input is LIGHT

Free Running Rhythms

an organism’s natural, internal cycle of biological activity (like the sleep–wake cycle) that occurs when it’s not influenced by environmental time cues

EXAMPLE: If you live in total darkness with no clocks, your sleep–wake rhythm will “free-run,” showing its natural internal period

Phase Shifting

Also known as jet lag or shifting time for work
-Time shifting the circadian clock
-Less jet lag when traveling to THE WEST
East: United states to France (more jet lag)
West: Japan to China (less jet lag)

Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

The brain structure that functions as our internal (circadian clock) located in the hypothalmaus

-It receives visual input

-Light acts as the external stimulus that synchronizes the SCN
-Causes the PINEAL GLAND to release MELATONIN in the early morning in the abscence of light

Sleep

Periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness

-NOT a coma, general anesthesia, or hiberation

EEG

Measures slow brain wave (alpha waves)

REM Sleep

a type of sleep during which rapid eye movements (REM) and dreaming usually occur and voluntary muscle activity is suppressed

NREM

non-rapid-eye-movement sleep, is quiet, typically dreamless sleep in which rapid eye movements are absent.

Awake alert and Awake relaxed

Awake alert= beta waves; smaller and quicker

Awake relaxed=Alpha waves; slower and slightly larger 

Hypnagogic hallucination

Vivid sensation of falling
-Can be accompanied by MYOCLONIC JERK

Stage 1 of sleep (Start of NREM)

-Falling asleep: brainwaves lose regularity
-Sometimes have hallucinations

-Mixture of alpha and theta brain waves
-Easy to be awakened

Stage 2 of sleep

-Deep relaxation

-Brain activity marked by sleep spindle: Quick bursts of brain activity

-K complexes; single high-voltage spikes of brain activity

-Can be somewhat difficult to be awakened

-Sometimes sleep talk

-start of delta brain waves

Stage 3 of sleep

-Brain activity —> delta waves

-delta wave are large, slow brain waves associated w/ deep sleep

-Difficult to wake up

Stage 4 REM sleep

-smaller and faster brain waves

-brain is active, but voluntary muscle movement is suppressed

-dreams occur

-heart rate, bp, and respirations fluctuate up and down

After 90 mins of sleep

The sleep cycles between NREM and REM sleep

-each cycle is about 90 mins

-about 5 cycles of NREM and REM each

When asleep

Alertness: decreases
Temperature: decreases
Growth hormone: increases

Hallucinations

False sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of stimuli

Microsleeps

Episodes of sleep lasting only a few seconds that occur during wakefulness

-sleep deprivation

Sleep thinking

vague, thought-like ruminations about real events that usually occur during NREM slow-wave sleep

Restoration Theory

body wears out during the day and sleep is needed to put it back into shape

Preservation and protection theory

sleep emerged in evolution to preserve energy
-animals more likely in danger of being preyed upon during day —> must protect themselves + be awake

Activation-synthesis model of dreaming

this theory maintains that brain activity during sleep produces dream images (activation), which are combined by the brain into a dream story (synthesis)

(Activation = random brain activity; Synthesis = your brain trying to make sense of it.)

Sleep disorders…

Occur consistently

Abnormal

Cause distress
Interfere with daily functions

Insomnia

a condition in which a person regularly experiences an inability to fall asleep, to stay asleep, or to feel adequately rested by sleep

-causes include hyperarousal/excitement, anxiety, fear

Narcolepsy

Uncontrollable sleep attacks/microsleeps, where individuals lapse directly into REM sleep at unwanted times

-excessive daytime sleepiness

-can occur even when person gets enough slee

Sleep apnea

Temporary stopping of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings

-breathing stopping causes decrease CO2 and O2 levels in blood —> triggers waking up

Night terror

high arousal, appearance of being terrified, scary hallucinations, and no recall of episode

-Occurs at stage 4 sleep

Manifest content

The remembered story line of a dream

Latent content

The underlying meaning of a dream

Hyponosis

cooperative social interaction in which the hypnotized person responds to the hypnotist’s suggestions with changes in perception, memory, thoughts, and behavior

-increases responsiveness to suggestions

-vivid images

-a willingness to accept distortions of logic or reality

effects of hyponosis

-profound relaxation

-detachment from body

-hallucinations

-complete loss of sensation in some part of body —> good for pain control

psychoactive drugs

a chemical substance that affects brain function and alters consciousness, perception, mood, or behavior

Depressants

drugs that depress or inhibit brain activity

-effects: drowsiness, sedation, or sleep

-reduces anxiety

-alcohol (increases GABA), barbiturates, tranquilizers

barbiturates

a category of depressant drugs that reduce anxiety and produce sleepiness

low dose=relaxation and mild euphoria

high dose=unconsciousness and coma

Opioids/Narcotics

drugs that are similar to morphine that relieve pain and produce euphoria

-morphine, opium, codeine (derived from either opium or morphine)

-Synthetic opioids are heroin, methadone, and oxycodone

Stimulants

drugs that stimulate or excite brain activity

- caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, and cocaine

amphetamines, and cocaine

affect dopamine, stimulate brain activity

-elevate mood and produce sense of euphoria

AMPHETAMINES: stimulant drugs that arouse CNS and suppress appetite

COCAINE: produces intense euphoria and alertness by blocking the reuptake or dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine —> causing stronger effects of neurotransmitters later on

psychedelic drugs

drugs that distort sensory perceptions

-mescaline, LSD, and marijuana

mescaline and LSD

Mescaline; is a psychedelic drug derived from peyote cactus also known as shrooms
LSD; a powerful synthetic psychedelic drug

-Both are similar to serotonin

ecstasy

synthetic club drug that combines stimulant and mild psychedelic effects

-a part of designer club drugs (loose collection of psychoactive drugs)

-euphoria and friendliness