PSYC 2000 EXAM 2 - KNAPP

consiousness

awareness of thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations, and enviornments

sleep

reduced awareness of external stimuli, low levels of phsycial activity

sleep

- different state of consiousness

- different from just resting while you are awake

wakefulness

alertness, awareness, and responsiveness to external stimuli

biological rythyms

internal rythyms of biological activity

the circadian rythm

roughly 24 hour internal clock in our brain that controls alertness and sleepiness; functions on body temperature and light

What is a biological clock?

An innate process that facilitates sleeping, aging, fertility, and other physiological activities.

What triggers the production of melatonin?

Darkness.

What effect does brightness have on melatonin production?

Brightness suppresses the release of melatonin from the pineal gland.

Why do we feel more alert during the daytime?

Because brightness suppresses melatonin production.

homeostasis

ability to regulate various physiological processess to keep internal states steady and balanced

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

brain's clock mechanism; located in hypothalamus. light sensitive neurons in the retinal tell SCN the amount of light present, allowing this internal clokc to be synchronized with the outside world

- brains control of switching between sleep/ wakefulness

sleep regulation

biological processes that control and regulate the timing, duration, and quality of sleep

jet lag

circadian rythms are out of sync with the time zone one is in. causes fatigue, irritability, insomnia; its easier to go west- stay up later

insomnia

problems falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early for at least 3 nights a week for a month

problems with circadian rythms

melatonin, the pineal gland, sleep regulation

sleep debt

cummulative effects of not getting enough sleep; causes weight gain, increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart problems

sleep rebound

increased amount and intensity of sleep after deprivation

hypothalamus

contains the SCN; along with thalamus; regulates sleep

Pons

regulates rapid eye movement during REM sleep

evolutionary psychology

behavior of humans best understood by thinking about the context of our evolutionary past

potential benefits of sleep

maintaining healthy weight, lowers stress levels, improves mood, increasing motor corrdination, and benefits related to cognition and memory formation

cognitive function of sleep

sleep deprivation = disruptions in cognition/ memory deficits, impairments in abilityes to maintain attention, make decisions, and recall long term memories; more severe as amounts of sleep deprivation increases

Rapid eye movement (REM)

darting movements of eyes under closed eyelids; brain waves during REM sleep appear very similar to brain waves during wakefulness

stage 1 sleep

transitional phase between wakefulness and sleep. slowdown in rates of respiration and heartbeat. marked decrease in overall muscle tension and core body temperature

stage 2 sleep

body goes into a state of deep relaxation. theta waves still dominate, but they are interrupted by brief bursts of activity known as sleep spindles

stage 3 and 4 sleep

often referred to as deep sleep or slow-wave sleep. characterized by low frequency, high amplitude delta waves. heart rate and respiration slow dramatically. much more difficult to awaken someone from sleep

REM sleep

brain waves are very similar to being awake. when most dreaming occurs; paralysis of muscle systems except for circulation and respiration

paradoxical sleep

combination of high brain activity and lack of muscle tone

REM rebound

if deprived of REM sleep/ any sleep overtime. people will spend more time in REM sleep when possible

Freud's Dream Protection Theory

Freud thought dreams provided access to unconsious. Drems represented what unconsious wanted, in disquised form. even while we sleep, we try to defend ourselves from becoming aware of unacceptable wishes

manifest content

actual content, or storyline of a dream

latent content

hidden meaning of a dream

jung and the collective unconsious

jung believed dreams allowed us to to tap into the collective unconsious

- certain symbols in dreams represent universal ideas

- snakes = sec/ transformation

-earthquakes = major change in life

-fish= pregnant

cartwright's neurocognitive theory of dreaming

dreams are reflections of waking life and are a meaningful product of our cognitive capacities, which shape what we dream about

causes for insomnia

often a result of stress and relationship problems, medications and illness, working late or variable shifts, jet lag, drinking caffine, or napping during the day

sleepwalking

persons often acts like any fully awake person, although a sleepwalker may be somewhat clumsier; it is not dangerous to wake them; about 15-30% of childeren and 4-5% of adults

sexsomnia

when people have sex while asleep with no intention

REM sleep behavior disorder

physically act out or vivid, often unpleasent dreams with vocal sounds and sudden, often violent arm and leg movements during REM sleep- AKA dream enacting behavior

night terrors

an episode of intense fear and panic that occurs duing sleep; often accomanied by screaming, crying, thrashing, and confusion

sleep apnea

a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings

obstructive sleep apnea

a disorder in which a person, while asleep, stops breathing because his or her throat closes; the condition results in frequent awakenings during the night

central sleep apnea

sleep disorder with periods of interrupted breathing due to a disruption in signals sent from the brain that regulate breathing

what problems are associated with sleep apnea?

a loack of oxygen and the buildup of carbon dioxide can lead to many problems, including night sweats, weight gain, fatigue, hearing loss, an irregular heartbeat and can increase the risk for dementia or other cognitive impairments. it can even increase the risk of death, especially in men

Sudden Infants Death Syndrome (SIDS)

sudden, expected death of an apparently normal and healthy infants that occurs during sleep and with no physical or autopsy evidence of disease

what can parents do to reduce the risk of SIDS?

create a safe sleep enviornment

narcolepsy

A sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times.

cataplexy

A sudden loss of voluntary muscle strength and control that is usually triggered by an intense emotion.

diagnosis

Identification of an injury or disease

physical dependence

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

psychological depdendence

a mental or emotional attachment to a substance or behavior

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

withdrawl

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

depressants

drugs that decrease the functioning of the nervous system

signs of alchohol poisoning

-confusion

-seizures

-slow breathing (less than 9 breaths/ min)

-blue-tinged or pale skin

-low body temp

-passing out and cant be awakened

stimulants

drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body functions

cocaine

a powerful and addictive stimulant, derived from the coca plant, producing temporarily increased alertness and euphoria

methamphetamines

Highly addictive drug that stimulates CNS. Reduces dopamine levels.

euphoric high

feelings of intense elation and pleasure, especially in those users who take the drug via intravenous injection or smoking

opioids

Any drug or agent with actions similar to morphine

opiates

opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety

hallucinogens

psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input

hypnosis

a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur

meditiation

A method of calming and training the mind

sensation

our sensory receptors and nervous system recvieve and transmit stimulus information from the enviornment. it is the initial step in percieving external stimuli, such as light, sound, touch, taste, and smell

transduction

sensory receptors convert phsycial stimuli into neural signals that can be interpreted by the brain

absolute threshold

the weakest amount of a stimulus that a person can detect half the time

-ex. seeing a candle from 30 miles away

subliminal messages

brief auditory or visual messages that are presented below the absolute threshold

-ex. images hidden in ads

difference threshold

the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50 percent of the time

- noticing the slightest increase in volume on the radio

weber's law

the just noticeable difference of a stimulus is a constant proportion despite variations in intensity

weber's law

if you are holding a 10 lb weight, you would need to add a noticable amount of weight, like 1 lb to fee a difference, but if you were holding a 50 lb weight, you would need to add significantly more weight, like 2.5 lbs to perceive the same difference in heaviness

perception

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events

bottom-up processing

the analysis of the smaller features to build up to a complete perception

bottom-up processing

looking at something creates an image on the retinal. this image denerates electrical signals that are transmitted through the retina, and then to the visual recieiving area of the brain. it starts at the "bottom" or beginning of the system, when enviornmental energy stimulates the receptors

top-down processing

the use of preexisting knowledge to organize individual features into a unified whole

top-down processing

our expectations about what belongs in a particular scene will affect how we interpret visual information. like what do you expect a lump on the side of the road to be?

sensory adaptation

a decrease in sensitivity to a constant level of stimulation

amplitude

the height of a wave's crest

wavelength

Horizontal distance between the crests or between the troughs of two adjacent waves

Frequency

the number of complete wavelengths that pass a point in a given time

inattentional blindness

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

singal detection theory

a theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus (signal) amid background stimulation (noise).

culture and perception

individuals from western cultures were more prone to experience certain types of visual illusions than individuals from non-western cultures, and vice versa

hertz

the unit of frequency, equal to one cycle per second

visible spectrum

The tiny part of the electromagnetic spectrum to which our eyes are sensitive.

electromagnetic spectrum

the range of wavelengths or frequencies over which electromagnetic radiation extends.

electromagnetic spectrum

in humans, light wavelength is associated with perception of color. within the visible spectrum, our experience of red is associated with longer wavelengths, greens are intermediate, and blues and violets are shorter in wavelength. this amplitude of light waves is associated with our experience of brightness or intensity of color, with larger amplitudes appearing brighter

pitch

How high or low a sound is

decibles

A unit used to measure the loudness of a sound.

timbre

quality of a sound

cornea

protective transparent covering over the eye; barrier between the inner eye and the outside world

iris

colored area of the eye

lens

curved, transparent structure; provides additional focus; can change shape when focusing on near/ far objects; becomes more rigid as we age

fovea

lens will focus images on this small indentation in the back of the eye

retina

light sensitive lining of the eye

cones

color vision; acute details, spatial resolution; requires more light; concentrated in the fovea

rods

long and narrow; basic shapes and forms; low leveled light; located throughout the remiander of the retina; dark adaptation

optic nerve

rods and cones are connected to retinal ganglion cells; axons from retinal ganglion cells converge and exit through the back of the eye to form optic nerve, which carries visual information from the retina to the brain

blind spot

where the optic nerve exits through the retina; not consiously aware of our blind spot for two reasons

1. each eye gets a slightly different view of visual fields; blind spots do not overlap

2. our visual system fills in the blind spot

optic chiasm

where optic nerve from each eye merges just below the brain; information from right visual field is sent to the left side of the brain, and vice versa