Unit 5: Consciousness

Consciousness

awareness of ourselves and our environment.

Dual processing

provides two different ways human thinking →

1.) Intuitive and automatic thinking 2.) Analytical and deliberate thinking.

Selective Attention

the ability to focus on one particular task or stimulus among many stimuli.

Circadian Rhythm

the natural, internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and other processes, repeating roughly every 24 hours.

1,) extrernal factors such an environmental change can disrupt rhythm.

2.) responsible for the cycles of our blood pressure, metabolism, and body temperature (aka energy throughout the day)

Melantonin

produced by the pineal gland, induces one to sleep.

Stages of Sleep

Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, and Stage 4, REM sleep.

1.) sleep cycle repeats itself about every 90 minutes.

2.) stage 4 gets progressively briefer and then disappears; Stage 2 sleep periods get longer.

3.) 4-7 cycles

Stage 1 Sleep (nREM sleep)

1.) initial stage of non-REM sleep, enter right after falling asleep; easily aroused

2.) experience hypnaogigc sensations—-bodily sensations that aren’t actually occuring or feelings of falling or weightlessness

3.) alpha waves, beta waves, theta waves

Stage 2 Sleep

1.) Duration: 20 minutes/easily aroused

2.) characterized by speed spindles—burst of rapid, rhythmic brain wave activity, body temperature slows and muscles relax.

Stage 3 Sleep

1.) Transition Stage from stage 3 to 4.

2.) presence of delta waves/ hard to wake up from

REM sleep

rapid eye movement sleep, the stage where most dreams happen.

1.) Characteristics: heart rate rises, breathing becomes rapid and irregular, and essentially paralyzed.

2.) easily aroused

sleep

periodic, natural loss of consciousness

hallucinations

sensory experiences that occur without a sensory stimulus.

delta waves

brain waves that occur during deep sleep and are associated with slow-wave sleep (stage 3 and 4 sleep)

Alpha waves

brain waves that occur when someone is awake but relax (strage 1 sleep)

theta waves

associated with light sleep (stage 1. 2 and REM)

Beta waves

associated with awakefulness

Stage 4 Sleep

1.) Deepest and most restorative stage of sleep.

2.) Sleepwalking and bed-wetting tend to occur in this stage.

3.) delta waves

NREM sleep

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

Sleep Theories

1.) Protection

2.) Making memories—restoring and rebuilding fading memories

3.) feeds creative thinking

4.) Play a role in growth process

insomnia

Persistent problems in falling asleep or staying asleep

most common sleep disorder

narcolepsy

experience periodic, overwhelming sleepiness

sleep apnea

intermittently stop breathing during sleep; characteristics consist of snoring.

sleep talk and sleep walking

1.) stage 4 disorders

night terrors

1.) occur in Stage 4 sleep

2.) characteristics: sit up, walking around, talk incoherently, experience doubling of heart and breathing rates and appear terrified

Nightmares

1.) occurs in REM sleep

dreams

series of thoughts, images and sensations that occur during sleep; often reflects a person’s subconscious mind and provides insight into their emotions, desires, and fears

manifest content

the actual content, or storyline of a dream.

latent content

the hidden or underlying meaning of a dream, representing the unconscious thoughts and desires.

Information processing theory

Dreams help us sort the days event and consolidate our memories.

Physiological Functioning Theory

regular brain stimulation from REM sleep may help veleop and preserve neural pathways.

activition-synthesis theory

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

Cognitive Development

Dream content reflects dreamer’s cognitive development—their knowledge and understanding.

REM rebound

tendency to have longer REM sleep when deprived of it

hypnosis

a social interaction in which a hyponotist suggest to another that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will occur.

-occurs due to individuals being open to suggestions

posthypnotic suggestion

a direction given to a person during a hypnotic trance that they will do after they awaken from hypnosis.

-directions can be actions, thoughts, or feelings that an individual will experience or perform.

-can help headaches, asthma and stress-related skin disorders

dissociation

state where an individual becomes disconnected from their rhoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity.

psychoactive drugs

chemicals that can change perceptions, mood, and consciousness through their actions at the synapses.

tolerance

dimished response to a drug overtime, requiring a pperson to make larger amounts to achieve same effect.

withdrawal

symptoms that occur when a person ends the use of a substance; can be psychiological or phsyical.

physical dependence

user feels physical pain, uncomfortable symptoms and intense craving

psychological dependence

user uses drugs to relieve negative emotions or mental stress

addiction

compusive craving for a substance despite adverse consequences and often with physical symptoms following withdrawal

Three types of psychoactive drugs

depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens (either stimulate, inhibit, or mimic neurotransmitters)

depressants

calms neural activity and slow body functions.

1.) ex — alochol, barbiturates and opiates

alcohol (depressant)

1.) lowers inhibitions (ability to control behaviors and emotions), slows neural processing, disrupts memory formation, and reduces self-awareness.

2.) Mechanism: slows sympathetic nervous system → reactions slow, speech slurs, skilled performance deteriorates.

barbiturates (depressants)

mimics alcohol by depressing the nervous system

1.) can be prescribed to induce sleep or reduce anxiety

opiates (depressants)

depresses neural activity, leads to lessening of PAIN and ANXIETY.

1.) ex—opium, heroin, narcotics (codeine and morphine)

stimulants

1.) temporarily excites neural activity and arouse body functions.

2.) ex—amphetamines, cocaine, ectasty, methamphetamine

methamphetamines (stimulants)

1.) triggers the release of dopamines that stimulates energy and elevated mood.

Caffeine (stimulants)

1.) blocks action of adenosine (neurotransmitter that promotes sleep and relaxation) by binding to adenosine receptors

2.) increased alertness and decreased fatigue

Nicotine

1.) releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, boosts alertness and mental effiency,

2.) stimulates central nervous system that releases dopamine and opiods.

Cocaine (stimulant)

1.) blocks reuptake of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine which leads to intensified mood altering effects and producing a euphoric rush.

ectasy or MDMA (stimulants)

1.) Stimulant and hallucinogen

2.) triggers dopamine and serotonin release

hallucinogen

1.) distorted perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input

LSD (hallucinogen)

blocks serotnin

1.) perceptual distortions and halluncinations

2.) experiences are similar to the near-death experience (tunnel, bright light, replay of old memories, and out of body sensations)

near-death experience

an altered state of consciousness reported after close brush with death

Marijuana (hallucinogen)

1.) main active ingredient THC products mix results depending on method of absorption.

2.) amplifies sensitivity to stimuli and disinhibits

THC

major ingredient in marijuana

Paradoxical sleep (REM sleep)

the nervous system being highly active while the voluntary muscles hardly move