psych unit 4 aos 1

consciousness

the awareness of your own internal mental processes, including your thoughts, feelings, sensations and perceptions, and your awareness of the external world around you

psychological construct

a concept that cannot be objectively observed or measured directly through the collection of data, but is widely understood to exist

normal waking consciousness- states of consciousness

a state associated with being aware of our internal and external environments- when you are awake and aware of your external environments

altered state of consciousness- states of consciousness

any state that differs in awareness when compared to normal waking consciousness- daydreaming

naturally occurring altered state of consciousness

an altered state of consciousness that occurs without any external influence- sleep or state of fatigue

induced altered state of consciousness

an altered state of consciousness that has been brought about on purpose-alcohol induced state, under anaesthetic, hypnosis

sleep

a naturally occurring and reversible altered state of consciousness, characterised by a reduction in awareness and responsiveness to external surroundings

non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM)

a type of sleep characterised by a progressive decline in physiological activity

rapid eye movement sleep (REM)

a type of sleep characterised by quick darting of the eyes behind closed eyelids and an increase in physiological activity

NREM 1

light sleep

most easily woken up

as sleep episode progresses, a person may not experience much time in N1

NREM 2

light sleep

physiological processes begin to slow down

bursts of brain activity help resist being woken up by environmental stimuli

NREM 3

deep sleep

brain activity at its slowest

as sleep episode progresses, person experiences less NREM 3 sleep

body is repairing itself

REM sleep characteristics

brain activity resembles wakefulness

mind is repairing itself

paradoxical sleep

REM gets longer and closer as sleep episode progreses

electro-encephalography (EEG)

a technique that detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the brain

slower brain waves- prevalent when we are tired, relaxed or asleep

faster brain waves- prevalent when we are awake and alert

electromyography (EMG)

a technique that detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the skeletal muscles

more muscle tension- greater alertness

less muscle tension- deeper sleep

No muscle movement during REM sleep

electro-oculography (EOG)

a technique that detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the muscles controlling the eyes

deeper sleep- decreased eye movement

REM sleep- increased eye movement

sleep diary

a subjective self-report tool used by a person to track their own sleep and wake patterns

identify any patterns pr habits or quantity and quality of sleep

video monitoring

a sleep study tool used to collect qualitative visual and audio information about a person’s sleep

circadian rhythm

biological processes that coordinate the timing of body activities over a 24-hour period e.g. sleep wake cycle

ultradian rhythms

biological processes that coordinate the timing of body activities over a period of less than 24 hours e.g. sleep episode (8-10 hours)

suprachiasmatic nucleus

a master body clock in the hypothalamus that regulates body activities to a daily schedule of sleep and wakefulness

detects amount of incoming light and sends signals to the pineal gland whether to release melatonin or not

zeitgeber

an environmental cue such as light, temperature and eating patterns that can synchronise and regulate the body’s circadian rhythm

melatonin

a hormone that induces drowsiness and decreases cell activity

newborns (0-3 months) sleep patterns

14-17 hours

50-50 REM NREM

for rapid growth and development

highest proportion of REM- boost brain growth

infants (4-11 months) sleep patterns

12-16 hours

30 to 40- 60 to 70 REM NREM

circadian rhythm develops, sleep for longer periods

adolescent (14-17 years) sleep patterns

8-10 hours

20-80 REM NREM
delay in circadian rhythm because of shift in melatonin release to 1-2 hours later

adult (18-64) sleep patterns

7-9 hours

20-80 REM NREM

N3 begins to decline and is replaced by N2

older adult (65+) sleep patterns

7-8 hours

18 to 20-80 to 82 REM NREM

circadian phase advance, going to bed earlier ad waking up earlier

adolscents and DSPS

the sleep wake shift that naturally occurs in adolescence may lead to DSPS.

melatonin is estimated to be released approx 2 hours later for adolescences than for adults. shifting the sleep wake cycle by 2 hours. need to get up for school will lead to sleep deprivation

partial sleep deprivation

the experience of achieving inadequate sleep in terms of quantity or quality

partial sleep deprivation affective effects

increased irritability

partial sleep deprivation cognitive effects

lack of problem solving memory and focus

partial sleep deprivation behavioural effects

slower completion of tasks, clumsiness