PSYC 1200 Ch.6: Consciousness and Sleep

Consciousness

The awareness of oneself and the environment

Biological rhythms

Periodic, more or less regular fluctuation in a biological system, often having psychological implications

What are biological rhythms based on?

External and endogenous cues

Circadian rhythm

Biological rhythms with a 24-hour periodicity

Entrainment

Synchronization between biological rhythms and external cues (zeitgebers)

Process of light entrainment (5)

1. Specialized ganglion cells of the retina detect slow changing levels of background illumination

2. Light signals are communicated to the brain via the optic nerve to the optic chiasm

3. Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) situated above the optic nerve receives the light information

4. SCN innervates pineal gland to stimulate release of melatonin

5. Melatonin accumulates with darkness and onset of sleep

Internal desynchronization

The usual circadian rhythms are thrown out of phase with one another when our normal routine change

What does and does not adapt when we experience internal desynchronization?

• Sleep and wake patterns adjust quickly

• Temperature and hormone cycles can take days to return to normal

Example of a situation where we may experience internal desynchronization

Jet lag - affects energy level, mental skills, motor coordination

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Pattern where some people experience depression during particular seasons, typically winter

During the winter months, SAD patients report (4)

• feelings of sadness

• lethargy

• drowsiness

• craving for carbohydrates

How are the brain and skeletal muscles during REM sleep?

Brain is active with other signs of arousal, and most skeletal muscles are limp

When do vivid dreams occur?

REM sleep

What hypotheses explain why we need to sleep?

1. Restore and Repair hypothesis

2. Preserve and Protect hypothesis

Restore and Repair Hypothesis

The idea that the body needs to restore energy levels and repair any wear and tear experienced during the day’s activities

Preserve and Protect Hypothesis

Suggests that two more adaptive functions of sleep are preserving energy and protecting the organism from harm

How much sleep do individuals need in their lifespan?

Amount varies between individuals according to age and genetics

What is important for our development?

Sleep

Sleep deprivation characteristics (6)

• More readily falls asleep

• Irritability/emotional deficits

• Attention/vigilance deficits

• Normal energy as long as one is occupied; malaise sets in upon sitting down or resting

• Reading/studying nearly impossible

• After 2-3 days microsleeps begin to occur

Sleep disorders (6)

• Insomnia

• Restless leg syndrome

• REM sleep behaviour disorder

• Somnambulism (sleepwalking)

• Sleep apnea

• Narcolepsy

Types of insomnia (5)

1. Onset

2. Maintenance

3. Terminal

Further classified as:

4. Primary

5. Secondary

Onset insomnia

Difficulty falling asleep

Maintenance insomnia

Difficult returning to sleep

Terminal insomnia

Waking up to early

Primary insomnia

Due to internal source (e.g. overthinking)

Secondary insomnia

Result of other disorders

Restless Leg Syndrome

Persistent discomfort in the legs and the urge to continuously move them in different positions

REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder

Act out dreams due to failure to inhibit motor signals

Somnambulism (sleepwalking)

Wandering and performing other activities while asleep

Sleep Apnea

Temporary inability to breathe during sleep as airway becomes obstructed

Causes of sleep apnea (2)

• Obesity

• Damage to medulla

Narcolepsy

Extreme daytime sleepiness and even sleep attacks

Characteristics of seep attacks during narcolepsy (2)

• Few seconds to few minutes

• Immediately into REM sleep

Sleep allows us to ______ stored memories

Consolidate

REM facilitate what?

Learning, especially for complex tasks; late REM especially important for “locking in” learning

Slow-wave sleep stages

Stages 3 and 4

What are slow-wave sleep particularly important for?

Learning of autobiographical memories

Neural replay

Fast-forward playback in which pattern of neural activity that occurred while awake is repeated during sleep

How to improve the quality (and quantity) of sleep? (6)

• Avoid caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and other drugs 4-6 hours before bedtime

• Make bedroom conductive to sleep: remove light and sound

• Avoid long daytime naps

• Maintain a consistent sleep schedule

• Get regular exercise

• Use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia

Freud’s dream theories (2)

1. Manifest content

2. Latent content

Manifest content

Images and storylines we dream about

Latent content

Symbolic meaning of a dream built on suppressed sexual or aggressive urges

Explanations of dreaming (3)

• As efforts to deal with problems

• As thinking

• As interpreted brain activity

Idea of dreams as efforts to deal with problems

Dreams reflect conscious preoccupations of waking life (e.g. concerns over relationships, work, sex, or health)

Approach taken for dreams as efforts to deal with problems

Problem-focused approach

Problem-focused approach to dreaming (3)

• Symbols and metaphors in a dream do not disguise its true meaning: they convey it

• Dreams are more likely to contain materials related to a person’s current concerns

• Provide opportunities to resolve them

Approach taken for dreams as thinking

Cognitive approach

Cognitive approach (2)

• Emphasizes current concerns, but makes no claims about problem-solving during sleep

• Dreams include thoughts and scenarios that may or may not relate to our daily problems

If the brain does the same kind of work during dreams as when awake, what are the differences when dreaming (in a cognitive approach)? (3)

• We are cut off from sensory input from the world

• Our thoughts tend to be more diffuse and unfocused

• Only input to the brain is its own input

Approach taken for dreams as interpreted brain activity

Activation-synthesis

Activation-synthesis

Dreams occur when the cortex tries to make sense of, or interpret, spontaneous neural firing initiated in the pons; wishes do not cause dreams but brain mechanisms do

Activation-synthesis - dreams result from the cortex’s synthesis of (3)

• Signals form pons

• Existing knowledge

• Memories

Why do some psychologists doubt that people can solve problems during sleep (the problem-solving approach)? (2)

• Dreams merely give expression to our problems

• Same insights obtained from dreaming could occur while awake

Activation-synthesis theory has been criticized as it does not seem to explain (2)

• coherent, story-like dreams

• Non-REM dreams

What approach is a leading contender of explaining dreams and why?

Cognitive approach - some of its specific claims remain to be tested

Hypnosis

A procedure in which the practitioner suggests changes in a subject’s sensations, thoughts, feelings and behaviour

Is hypnosis successful? For what purpose is it used for?

Yes, for many medical and psychological purposes

How does the hypnotist induce hypnosis? (2)

• suggests that the subject feels relaxed, getting sleepy, feels eyelids getting heavier and heavier

• assures subject that they are sinking “deeper and deeper” into sleep

Is the hypnotized person aware of their behaviour?

Almost always remains fully aware of what is happening and remembers the experiences later unless explicitly instructed to forget it

What do people who don’t understand the science call hypnosis?

“Dark art”

Theories of hypnosis (3)

• Dissociation theory

• Sociocognitive theory

• Biological theories

Dissociation theory for hypnosis

Involves dissociation where consciousness is split

What is the leading approach to understanding hypnosis?

Dissociation

Simple version of the split in consciousness of dissociation theory

• A part of consciousness that is hypnotized

• A hidden observer that watches but does not participate

Scientific version of the split in consciousness of dissociation theory

• An executive-control system in the brain - shuts off and gives its function to the hypnotist

• Other brain systems responsible for thinking and acting

Sociocognitive approach for hypnosis

Hypnosis as a product of normal social and cognitive processes; a combination of:

• hypnotized person’s expectations and beliefs

• desire to comply with the hypnotist’s suggestions

Sociocognitive approach essentially thinks hypnosis is a form of

Role-playing as person is engrossed in the role and interprets it as real

Biological theory for hypnosis

Involves changes in the control of attention (“central executive” network) of the brain as alphas waves, common in hypnotized people, permit more detailed picture happenings - influencing perception

Stroop effect

Hypnosis can reduce conflict between two mental tasks - focusing on one task and shutting off the other one

Ex. say the colour of the word (NOT the word)