Ch. 5 and Ch. 6 Psych

Consciousness

mental awareness of sensations & perceptions of external events as well as self-awareness of internal events, including thoughts, memories, & feelings about experiences and the self.

It is subjective

How is your own perception of introspective experience determined?

Waking Consciousness

What is most of our time spent in?

Waking consciousness

• a state of clear, organized alertness

• everything we see and feel seems real and you are responsive to external stimuli

a “disorder of consciousness”

What can happen after brain damage?

Coma

a state of total unresponsiveness

Brain dead of persistence vegetative state

a longer-term waking state without any signs of awareness

Locked-in

a disorder where the patient is aware of all activity around them but is in a completely paralyzed state and therefore cannot move or communicate at all

States of consciousness

Fatigue, delirium, hypnosis, drugs, and euphoria, dreaming and daydreaming

Altered state of consciousness (ASC)

a condition of awareness distinctly different in quality or pattern from waking consciousness

-can occur during perceptions, emotions, memories, tune sense, feelings of self control, etc.

Sweat lodges

Native American’s use of altered states of consciousness

meditation

Buddhists use of altered states of consciousness

Drinking peyote

Navaho elder’s use of altered states of consciousness

Meditation

a mental exercise for producing relaxation or heightened awareness

Concentrative meditation

attending to a single object, thought, or breathing (“om”)

Mindfulness meditation

based on widening attention to become aware of everything experienced at any given moment

Mindfulness

• fully mentally aware and conscious of mind

• lives only the present

• result: being completely aware of present

• ways: paying attention to your present and meditation

Meditation

• larger terms encompassing mindfulness and other techniques

• stops mind from thinking about aimless thoughts and gains inner peace as well as mental and psychological well being

• result: achieving mindfulness, relieving stress, physical, and psychological wellbeing

• ways: taught in buddhism

Steps to perform Concentrative Meditation

1. quietly sit and focus on some external object or internal stimulus (breathing or humming)

2. silent repetition of a mantra

3. return and refocus your attention as often as needed to the mantra

Relaxation Response

the pattern of internal bodily changes that occurs at times of relaxation

• stress control

• lowered heart rates, blood pressure, and muscle tension

• wellbeing and mental skills

  • concentration, clarity, and calm

  • helps with insomnia and excessive anxiety

  • lower aggression and reduced psychoactive drug use

Sensory deprivation tanks

float in a tank of salt water (buoyancy) in the dark with no sound

It begins to relax and search for sensations

What happens when the brain gets no sensory information?

Tranquility tank effects

• strong relaxation response during short durations

• drop in blood pressure, muscle tension, and chronic pain

• more open to suggestion, interrupts habitual behaviors

• stimulates creative thinking

MIndfulness

a state of open, nonjudgmental awareness of current experience

• opposite of being “spaced out”

Effects of mindfulness

• reduced distress & greater well-being for cancer patients

• increased self-knowledge

• easier to quit smoking

Temporal distancing

mentally “putting down” emotions or worries that you can’t stop thinking about and pick a time when it would be better to about it

Biological rhythm

any repeating cycle of biological activity, such as sleep & waking cycles or changes in body temperature

• circadian rhythm

Sleep deprivation

being prevented from getting desired or needed amount of sleep

Sleep loss

slurred speech, reduced concentration, poor memory, can’t recall names of common objects, trembling hands, inattention, irritability, increased pain sensitivity, discomfort

Hypersomnia

excessive daytime sleepiness

• common during adolescence

Microsleeps

brief shifts in brain activity to patterns similar to sleep

Sleep-deprivation psychosis

a major disruption of mental & emotion functioning brought about by sleep loss

7-9 hours

Average number of hours of sleep needed

9.5 hours

Average number of hours of sleep a teenager should be getting

6 hours

average number of hours of sleep that older adults need

20 hours

average number of hours of sleep that infants need

Repair/Restorative Theories of Sleep

propose that lowering body & brain activity & metabolism during sleep may help conserve energy & lengthen life

EEG

a device designed to detect, amplify, & record electrical activity in the brain

Beta-waves

small, fast brain waves associated with being awake & alert

bright eyed and bushy tailed

Alpha-waves

large, slow brain waves associated with relaxation & falling asleep

almost asleep

Sleep stages

levels of sleep identified by brain-wave patterns & behavioral changes (Theta & Delta waves)

Theta waves

teeny tiny bit asleep

Delta waves

down for the count (most asleep)

N1 stage

• light sleep

• heart rate slows

• breathing becomes more irregular

• muscles relax

• may trigger hypnic jerk (muscle twitch)

• 5%

N2

• deeper sleep

• “sleep spindles”

• short bursts of distinctive brain-wave activity, prevents arousal from external stimuli

• 45%

N3

• deepest NREM sleep

• slow-wave sleep

• delta waves (large and slow)

• further loss of consciousness

• 25%

REM

• similar brain waves as wakefulness

• associated with dreaming

• not considered restful

• takes 90 min to get to this

• 25%

Rapid Eye Movement (REM)

swift eye movements during sleep

begins during the lighter cycles of the sleep cycle

Non-REM sleep (NREM)

non-rapid eye movement sleep characteristic of stages 1,2 and 3

Cycle between NREM and REM

helps in memory formation and calming the brain

NREM sleep

• dream free 90% of time

• most prevalent after physical exertion

  • may help body recover from fatigue

• calms brain to begin memory consolidation

• helps refresh brain

• sorts important info for storage form unimportant info

REM sleep

• sharpens or complete memory consolidation

• daytime stress increases this

• sorts and retains memories (problem solving esp.)

• better for memory after studying

• eye movements correspond to dream

• brains regions for imagery and emotion active

• body becomes very still (REM sleep-paralysis)

Glymphatic System

• waste clearance in brain

  • moves cerebrospinal fluid through neurons

• active during deep, slow-wave sleep

• releases hormones

REM behavior disorder

when the REM-sleep paralysis fails and the limbs thrash around and attack others

Idea of sleeping straight 8 hours

• likely began recently

• began belief that sleep is a waste of time and that time could be spent working

• have to be at a job at a specific time

Biphasic sleep

1. go to bed when it gets dark

2. wake up in the middle of the night for a few hours

3. go back to bed

• first sleep and second seep

• spend time looking for enemies, stoking the fire, praying, eating, chatting, intercourse, taking medicine

Recovery nap

compensation for sleep loss

Prophylactic nap

in preparation of sleep loss

Appetitive nap

for the joy of a nap

fulfillment nap

necessary

(Ex. for children)

essential nap

when sick

10-20 minutes

Ideal length of a nap (power nap)

Napping benefits

• reduce sleepiness

• improving learning

• aids memory formation

• regulates emotions

Napping harms

• interferes with normal bedtime

• cause sleep inertia (feeling tired/groggy after a nap)

Ideal Napping Routine

1. set an alarm

2. nap early

3. sleep-friendly space

4. start with a relaxation exercise

Sleep disturbances

• artificial lighting

• busy schedules

• TV

• smoking

• drinking

• overstimulation

Narcolepsy

chronic sleep disorder where the person is overwhelmed by day time drowsiness and sudden attacks of sleep

• can also have a loss of muscle control

Insomnia

difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep

Types of Insomnia

• temporary and chronic

• excessive mental activity (worrying) and frustration, leads to anger and frustration about not being able to sleep

• best avoided by not fighting it, but rather being resourceful

Drug-dependency insomnia

sleep loss caused by withdrawal from sleeping pills

Stimulus control

regular sleep schedule

• get up and go to bed at same time every day

• don’t do any other activities in bed

Sleep restriction

if you cannot fall asleep, don’t sleep in or nap

• restrict sleep to normal bedtimes

Paradoxical Intention

try to remove the pressure of trying to sleep

• keep eyes open in dark

• try to stay awake

relaxation (for insomnia)

progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, write down worries or tasks before bed

exercise (for insomnia)

early in the day exercise to tire the body

food intake (for insomnia)

eat starch, especially before bed

Stimulant avoidance (for insomnia)

no coffee or cigarettes and even alcohol should be avoided. Screens that emit blue light should be avoided.

Somnambulists

sleep walkers

• usually avoid obstacles, but do move things around or urinate in odd places

• eyes are usually open

• best to put these people back in bed rather than waking them up

• stage 3

Sleep Apnea

repeated interruption of breathing during sleep

• breathing stops from 20 seconds to 2 min during sleep

• body wakes up enough to breathe at intervals and then falls back asleep

• diff from snoring

• always fatigued, stresses heart and body

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)/ crib death

the sudden, unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant

• weak arousal reflex

• minor health concerns

• babies should be placed on their backs to sleep to prevent this due to suffocation

REM Rebound

the occurrence of extra rapid eye movement sleep following REM sleep deprivation

Psychodynamic (Freudian) Dream Theory

represents internal conflict and unconscious forces

hidden symbolic meaning

Activation-synthesis dream theory

dream content is affected by motor commands in the brain that are not carried out

dreams themselves are meaningless

Neurocognitive dream theory

dreams have much in common with waking thoughts and emotions

no hidden meaning

Psychoactive drug

a substance capable of altering attention, memory, judgement, time sense, self-control, mood, or perception

Stimulant (upper)

a substance that increases activity in the body and nervous system

Depressant (downer)

a substance that decreases activity in the body and nervous system

Instrumental use

anti-inflammatory for muscle pain or antidepressant for depression

Recreational use

focus on experiencing the psychoactive effects (get high)

Drug abuse

misuse of drugs that causes some sort of harm

Experimental use

short term drug use

Social-Recreational

occasional drug use for pleasure or relaxation

Intensive

daily drug use with elements of dependence

Compulsive

intense drug use and extreme dependence

painkillers

More powerful drugs that are easier to abuse

Reasons people use various subtances

• curiosity

• looking for meaning or escape

• coping

• immediate pleasure

  • delayed punishment

Polydrug Abuse

• when drugs are mixed, they frequently have different and multiplied effects

• can cause accidental overdose

• drug interaction

Drug interaction

a combined effect of two drugs that exceeds the addition of one drug’s effects to the other

Physical dependence (addiction)

compulsive use of a drug to maintain bodily comfort as indicated by the presence of drug tolerance and withdrawal symptoms

Withdrawal symptoms

physical illness and discomfort after an addict stops taking a drug