AP Psychology - Unit 5

What is sleep?

Sleep is the periodic, natural loss of consciousness — as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation

How do our biological rhythms influence our daily

functioning?

Our bodies have an internal biological clock, roughly synchronized with the 24-hour cycle of night and day

This circadian rhythm appears in our daily patterns of body temperature, arousal, sleeping, and waking. Age and experiences can alter these patterns, resetting our biological clock

What is the biological rhythm of our sleeping and dreaming stages?

• We cycle through four distinct sleep stages about every 90 minutes:

  • NREM-1 sleep is the brief, near-waking sleep with irregular brain waves we enter (after leaving the alpha waves of being awake and relaxed); hallucinations (sensations such as falling or floating) may occur

  • NREM-2 sleep, in which we spend about half our sleep time, with its characteristic sleep spindles (bursts of rhythmic brain waves)

  • NREM-3 sleep is deep sleep, in which large, slow delta waves are emitted

  • REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is described as a paradoxical sleep stage because of internal arousal but external calm (near paralysis). It includes most dreaming and lengthens as the night goes on

  • During a normal night’s sleep, NREM-3 sleep shortens and REM and NREM-2 sleep lengthens

How do biology and environment interact in our sleep

patterns?

Biology — our circadian rhythm as well as our age and our body’s production of melatonin (influenced by the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus) — interacts with cultural expectations and individual behaviors to determine our sleeping and waking patterns

Being bathed in (or deprived of) light disrupts our 24-hour biological clock. Night-shift workers may experience a chronic state of desynchronization

What are sleep’s functions?

Sleep may have played a protective role in human evolution by keeping people safe during potentially dangerous periods

Sleep also helps restore and repair damaged neurons

Sleep consolidates our memories by replaying recent learning and strengthening neural connections

Sleep promotes creative problem solving the next day

During slow-wave sleep, the pituitary gland secretes a human growth hormone necessary for muscle development

Sleep

Our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment

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

Posthypnotic Suggestion

A suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized; used by some clinicians to help control undesired symptoms and behaviors

Dissociation

A split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others

Sleep

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

Circadian Rhythm

Our biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle

REM Sleep

Rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active

Alpha Waves

The relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

NREM Sleep

Non-rapid eye movement sleep; encompasses all sleep stages except for REM sleep

Hallucinations

False sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

Hypnagogic Sensations

Bizarre experiences, such as jerking or a feeling of falling or floating weightlessly, while transitioning to sleep

Delta Waves

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

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)

A pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm. In response to light, the SCN causes the pineal gland to adjust melatonin production, thus modifying our feelings of sleepiness

Insomnia

A sleeping disorder where you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep

Narcolepsy

A condition where your brain can't control when it falls asleep or stays awake, accompanied by the tendency to fall asleep whenever in relaxing surroundings

Sleep Apnea

A sleep disorder that causes people to breathe shallowly or stop breathing altogether as they sleep

Night Terrors

Are times of screaming or crying, intense fear, and sometimes waving arms and legs when not fully awake

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Acting out a dream physically and vocally, often vivid & unpleasant dreams during REM sleep (worsens over time)

Dream

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

REM Rebound

The tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation

What represents a circadian rhythm?

Our bodies sleep-wake on a roughly 24 hour schedule

Shortly after falling asleep, James experiences the hypnagogic sensation of falling. It is most likely that he is in which stage of sleep?

NREM-1

What is the role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus in sleep?

It causes the pineal gland to increase the production of melatonin

Which of the following sleep theories would best explain why athletes perform better after a full night’s sleep?

Growth

Patrick has just entered REM sleep. Which of the following is he likely to experience?

The sensation of falling

Manifest Content

According to Freud, the symbolic, remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from its latent, or hidden, content)

Latent Content

According to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content)

Psychoactive drug

A chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods

Substance Disorder

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

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

Withdrawal

The discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing an addictive drug or behavior

Depressants

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

Alcoholic Use Disorder

(Popularly known as alcoholism) alcohol use marked by tolerance, withdrawal, and a drive to continue problematic use

Barbiturates

Drugs that depress central nervous system activity, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment

Opiates

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

Stimulants

Drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamine, and ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions

Nicotine

A stimulating and highly addictive psychoactive drug in tobacco

Cocaine

A powerful and addictive stimulant derived from the coca plant; produces temporarily increased alertness and euphoria

Amphetamines

Drugs, such as methamphetamine, that stimulate neural activity, causing accelerated body functions and associated energy and mood changes

Methamphetamine

A powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, with accelerated body functions and associated energy and mood changes; over time, appears to reduce baseline dopamine levels

Ecstasy (MDMA)

A synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and longer-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition

Hallucinogens

Psychedelic (“mind-manifesting”) drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input

Near-death Experience

An altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death (such as cardiac arrest); often similar to drug-induced hallucinations

LSD

A powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid (lysergic acid diethylamide)

THC

The major active ingredient in marijuana; triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations

What are substance use disorders?

Those with a substance use disorder experience continued substance craving and use despite significant life disruption and/or physical risk

Psychoactive drugs are any chemical substances that alter perceptions and moods

What roles do tolerance and addiction play in substance use disorders, and how has the concept of addiction changed?

Psychoactive drugs may produce tolerance — requiring larger doses to achieve the desired effect — and withdrawal — significant discomfort, due to strong addictive cravings, accompanying efforts to quit

Addiction prompts users to crave the drug and to continue use despite known adverse consequences. Psychologists try to avoid overuse of “addiction” to label driven, excessive behaviors. However, there are some behavior addictions (such as gambling disorder) in which behaviors become compulsive and dysfunctional

What are depressants, and what are their effects?

Depressants, such as alcohol, barbiturates, and the opiates (which include narcotics), dampen neural activity and slow body functions.

Alcohol disinhibits, increasing the likelihood that we will act on our impulses, whether harmful or helpful. It also impairs judgment by slowing neural processing, disrupts memory processes by suppressing REM sleep, and reduces self-awareness and self-control. User expectations strongly influence alcohol’s behavioral effects

Alcohol can shrink the brain in those with alcohol use disorder (marked by tolerance, withdrawal if use is suspended, and a drive to continue problematic use)

What are stimulant, and what are their effects?

Stimulants — including caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, the amphetamines, methamphetamine, and Ecstasy — excite neural activity and speed up body functions, triggering energy and mood changes. All are highly addictive

Nicotine’s effects make smoking a difficult habit to kick, yet repeated attempts to quit seem to pay off

Cocaine gives users a fast high, followed shortly by a crash. Its risks include cardiovascular stress and suspiciousness

Amphetamines stimulate neural activity. Use of methamphetamines may permanently reduce dopamine production

Ecstasy (MDMA) is a combined stimulant and mild hallucinogen that produces euphoria and feelings of intimacy. Its users risk immune system suppression, permanent damage to mood and memory, and (if

taken during physical activity) dehydration and escalating body temperatures

What are hallucinogens, and what are their effects?

Hallucinogens — such as LSD and marijuana — distort perceptions and evoke hallucinations (sensory images in the absence of sensory input), some of which resemble the altered consciousness of near-death experiences

The user’s mood and expectations influence the effects of LSD, but common experiences are hallucinations and emotions varying from euphoria to panic

Marijuana’s main ingredient, THC, may trigger feelings of disinhibition, euphoria, relaxation, relief from pain and chemotherapy-related nausea, and intense sensitivity to sensory stimuli. Marijuana use is predictive of increased risk of traffic accidents, chronic bronchitis, psychosis, social anxiety disorder, and suicidal thoughts; and likely contributes to impaired attention, learning, memory, and possibly to academic underachievement

Information-Processing Dream Theory (Memory Consolidation)

Dreams help us sort out the day’s events

and consolidate our memories but why do we sometimes dream about things we

have not experienced and about past events?

Physiological Function Dream Theory (Restoration Theory)

Regular brain stimulation from REM sleep

may help develop and preserve neural pathways, this does not explain why we experience meaningful

dreams

Activation-Synthesis Dream Theory

REM sleep triggers neural activity that evokes random visual memories, which our sleeping brain weaves into stories but it’s our brain weaving the stories, so this still tells us something about ourselves

What is true of alcohol?

Alcohol is a depressant, because it calms neural activity and slows body function

What can be expected in someone who is a frequent user of marijuana?

They will require less of the drug to feel its effects as the drug builds up in their system

Which stimulant causes high energy, emotional elation, dehydration, and damage to serotonin-producing neurons? 

Ecstasy

What represents drug tolerance?

Jacob had to increase the dosage of his pain medication when the old dosage no longer effectively controlled the pain from his chronic back condition

After taking a psychoactive drug for many years, Carl stops taking it. He finds withdrawal to be physically painful, because the drug that he had been taking caused his brain to stop producing its own endorphins. Which drug was he taking? 

Heroin

Agonist

A substance that mimics or enhances the effects of a neurotransmitter by binding to its receptor and activating it

Antagonist

A substance that blocks or inhibits the effects of a neurotransmitter by binding to its receptor and preventing activation