Unit 1-2 Modules 16-25 cards

What is sleep?

a periodic, natural loss of consciousness- as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation

What is confirmed by EEG recordings?

the brain’s auditory cortex responds to sound stimuli even during sleep (when you sleep you process most information outside of your conscious awareness)

What is the circadian rhythm?

our biological clock; regular body rhythms that occur on a 24 hour cycle

Approximately how often do we go through the distinct sleep stages?

90 minutes

What is REM sleep?

rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur

What are alpha waves?

relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

What is NREM sleep?

non-rapid eye movement sleep; encomasses all sleep stages except for REM sleep

What two occurrences happen during stage 1 sleep?

Hallucinations and hypnagogic sensations

What are hallucinations?

false sensory experiences; such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

What are hypnagogic sensations?

bizarre experiences, such as jerking or a feeling of falling or floating weightlessly, while transitioning to sleep (may later be incorporated into memories)

During NREM- 2 sleep, what are sleep spindles?

bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain activity (clearly asleep); 20 mins; although could still be awakened without too much difference, now you are clearly asleep

What occurs during NREM-3 sleep

slow wave sleep (30 mins) brain emits Delta waves and it is hard to awaken

What are Delta waves?

large, slow brain waves associated with the deep sleep of NREM-3

What occurs physiologically during REM sleep?

(10) mins; brain waves become rapid and saw-toothed; like nearly awake NREM-1; heart rate rises, breathing is irregular; brain’s motor cortex is active but brain stem blocks messages; not easily wakened

Why is REM sleep called paradoxical sleep?

the body is internally aroused, with waking-like brain activity, yet asleep and externally calm

Sleep patterns are both ___ and ___ influenced.

genetically and culturally

What is the supra chiasmatic nucleus?

a pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls the circadian rhythm. in response to light, the SCN causes the pineal gland to adjust melatonin production to modify feelings of sleepiness

How is melatonin related to sleep?

sleep inducing hormone

Five reasons we need sleep

protects, helps recuperate, helps restore and rebuild our fading memories, feeds creative thinking, supports growth

Problems students face if they do not get enough sleep

conflict in relationships, risk of depression, diminished productivity, irritability, fatigue

How does lack of sleep lead to weight gain?

ghrelin increases, leptin decreases; metabolic rate decreases; increase production of cortisol; enhances limbic brain responses to see food

How does lack of sleep affect our physical health?

suppresses immune cells that battle infections; slows reactions and increases errors on visual attention tasks

What is insomnia?

ongoing difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; chronic tiredness; reliance on sleeping pills

What is narcolepsy?

sudden attacks of overwhelming sleepiness; risk of falling asleep at dangerous moments

What is sleep apnea?

stop breathing repeatedly while sleeping; fatigue and depression

What is sleepwalking and sleep talking?

doing normal activities while asleep (NREM-3)

What are night terrors?

terrified, talking nonsense, sitting, 2x breathing ate

What is the REM sleep behavior disorder?

normal REM paralysis does not occur; instead, twitching, talking, or even kicking and punching may occur

What are dreams?

a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind

Five explanations why we dream

satisfy our own wishes, file away memories, develop and preserve neural pathways, make sense of neural static, reflect cognitive development

Explain the information-processing dream theory

dreams help us sort out a day’s events and consolidate our memories

Explain the physiological function dream theory

regular brain stimulation for REM sleep may help develop and preserve neural pathways

Explain the activation-synthesis dream theory

REM sleep triggers neural activity that evokes random visual memories, which our sleeping brain weaves into stories

Explain the cognitive development dream theory

dream content reflects dreamers’ level of cognitive development- their knowledge and understanding; dreams stimulate our lives, including worst-case scenarios

What are psychoactive drugs?

a chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods

What is a substance abuse disorder?

disorder characterized by continued substance craving and use despite significant life disruption and physical risk

Four indicators of a substance abuse disorder

diminished control and social functioning, hazardous use, and drug action

What is tolerance?

the diminishing effect with regular use with the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug’s effect

What is withdrawal?

discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing an addictive drug or behavior

What type of drug is alcohol?

depressant

What type of drug is heroin?

depressant

What type of drug is caffeine?

stimulant

What type of drug is meth?

stimulant

What type of drug is cocaine?

stimulant

What type of drug is nicotine?

stimulant

What type of drug is marijuana?

mild hallucinogen

What type of drug is ecstacy?

hallucinogen

What are depressants?

drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions

What are stimulants?

drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful cocaine, meth, and ecstacy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions

What is a near death experience?

an altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death; often similar to drug-induced hallucinations

Pleasurable and adverse effects of alcohol

initial high followed by relaxation and disinhibition

depression, memory loss, organ damage, impaired reactions

Pleasurable and adverse effects of heroin

rush of euphoria, relief from pain

depressed physiology, agonizing withdrawal

Pleasurable and adverse effects of caffeine

increased alertness and wakefulness

anxiety, restlessness, and insomnia in high doses; uncomfortable withdrawal

Pleasurable and adverse effects of meth

euphoria, alertness, energy

irritability, insomnia hypertension, seizures

Pleasurable and adverse effects of cocaine

rush of euphoria, confidence, energy

cardiovascular stress, suspiciousness, depressive crash

Pleasurable and adverse effects of nicotine

arousal and relaxation, sense of well-being

heart disease, cancer

Pleasurable and adverse effects of marijuana

enhanced sensation, relief of pain, distortion of time, relaxation

disrupted memory, lung damage from smoking

Pleasurable and adverse effects of ecstasy

euphoria, disinhibition

brain damage, depression, fatigue

What is sensation?

the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environmen

What are sensory receptors?

sensory nerve endings that response to stimuli

What is perception?

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

What is bottom-up processing?

analysis begins with sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information

What is top-down processing?

information gathered by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations

What is transduction?

conversion of 1 energy to another; in sensation, the transforming of stimulus energies, such as sights, sounds, and smells, into neural impulses our brain can interpret

What are the three things all our senses do?

receive sensory information

transforms stimulation into neural impulses

deliver neural information to brain

What is an absolute threshold?

minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time

What is the signal detection theory?

theory predicting how and when we detect the presence of a faint stimulus amid background stimulation; detection depends partly on a person’s experience, expectation, motivation, and alertness

What is meant if something is subliminal?

below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness

High frequency

short wavelength

Does blue have a long or short wavelength

short

Larger amplitude = ___

brighter

What is a difference threshold?

minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time (just noticeable difference)

What is Weber’s law?

the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage

What is sensory adaptation?

diminished sensitivity as a result of constant stimulation

What is wavelength?

distance from peaks

What is hue?

dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light

What is intensity?

the amount of energy in a light wave of sound wave, which influences what we perceive as brightness or loudness. determined by amplitude

What is the cornea?

the eye’s clear, protective outer layer, covering the pupil and iris

What is the pupil?

the adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters

What is the iris?

ring of muscle tissue that forms the colored portion of the eye around the pupil and controls the size of the pupil opening

What is the retina?

light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neutrons that begin the process of visual informationW

What is the lens?

transparent structure behind the pupil that changes shape to help focus images on the retina

What is accomodation?

the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina

What are rods?

retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; sensitive to movement, needed for peripheral visual when cones do not respond

What are cones?

retinal receptors that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations

What is the optic nerve?

nerve that carries neural impulses form the eye to the brain

What is the blind spot?

the point at which optic nerve leaves the eye, creating a spot because no receptor cells are located there

What is priming?

the activation, often unconscious, of certain associations, thus predisposing other’s perception, memory, and response

What is the fovea?

central focal point in retina, around which the eye’s cones clear

What enable you to perceive color?

cones

What enable you black and white vision?

rods

In visual information processing, what happens at the entry level?

retina’s neural layers don’t just pass along electrical impulses, they also help to encode and analyze sensory information

any given retinal area relays its information to corresponding location in visual cortex

What is the Young-Helmholtz theory?

theory that retina contained 3 types of color receptors- each sensitive to either red, blue, or green

which, when stimulated in combination, can produce the perception of any color

What does it mean when someone is color deficient?

lack functioning cones

What is the opponent-process theory?

theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision (red-green, blue-yellow, white-black)

What is the present solution to the mystery of color vision?

retina’s cones respond in varying degrees to different color stimuli

cones’ responses are processed by opponent-process cells

What is parallel processing?

processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously

WHat is audition?

sense or act of hearing

The ___ of sound waves determines their ___

frequency, pitch

What is frequency?

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