- Consciousness- person’s awareness of various mental processes
- Waking Consciousness- thoughts, feelings, and sensations are clear and there is alertness
- Altered State of Consciousness- shift in the quality or pattern of mental activity as compared ordinary consciousness
- Circadian Rhythm- bodily rhythm that cycles over a 24-hour period
- Hypothalamus- influences pituitary-endocrine system
Necessity of Sleep
- Humans need on average 7-8 hours per night
- Microsleeps- brief sidesteps into sleep lasting only a few seconds
- Sleep deprivation- any significant loss of sleep:
-problems in concentration (cognitive impairment)
-irritability
-droopy eyelids
-radio broadcaster stayed up for 5-6 days and hallucinated
- Restorative Theory- sleep is necessary for growth and repair of the body
- Adaptive Theory- sleep patterns evolved to assist organisms to avoid predators by sleeping when predators are most active
Brain Wave Patterns
- Electroencephalograph (EEG)- measure of sleep stage based upon dominant type of brain wave activity
- Alpha Waves- indicate a state of relaxation or light sleep
- Theta Waves- indicate the early stages of sleep
- Delta Waves- long, slow brain waves that indicate the deepest early stage of sleep
- Beta Waves- smaller and faster brain waves, typically indicating either awake or REM sleep
REM Sleep and Dreaming
- Non-REM (NREM)- any stage but not REM (stages 1-4)
- Hypnagogic Images- vivid visual events
- Hypnic Jerk- knees, legs, whole body jerks
N1: light sleep
-people may not know they were asleep
-may experience hypnogogic images or hallucinations; hypnic jerk
N2: sleep spindles (1-2 sec activity)
-experiences slow heart rate, shallow breathing, body temperature drop
-brief bursts of brain activity
N3: delta waves are pronounced
-deepest stage of sleep
-growth hormones are released
-these waves make up 20%-50% of brain activity
- Rapid Eye Movement (REM)- eyes move rapidly, high brain activity and likely dreaming, body extremely relaxed; aka paradoxical sleep
-vivid dreams during REM sleep
- REM Rebound- increased REM sleep when deprived on earlier nights
- REM Behavior Disorder (RBD)- failure of mechanisms that blocks movement of voluntary muscles, allows person to act out nightmares
-we cycle into REM 5 times for 90 min each time per night
Stage 4 Sleep Disorders
- Sleepwalking (Somnambulism)- occurring during deep sleep, an episode of moving around or walking around in one’s sleep
- Night Terrors- relatively rare disorder in which the person experiences extreme fear and screams or runs around during deep sleep without waking fully, without nightmare or recall
- Nightmares- bad dreams occurring during REM sleep
Problems during Sleep
- Insomnia- inability to get sleep, stay asleep, or get quality sleep
- Sleep Apnea- disorder in which the person stops breathing for 10 seconds-30 seconds or more
- Narcolepsy- sleep disorder in which a person falls immediately into REM sleep during the day without warning
- Cataplexy- sudden loss of muscle tone
- Sleep Paralysis- the inability of the voluntary muscles to move during REM sleep
Dreams
- Freud- dreams as wish fulfillment
- Manifest Content- actual dream
- Latent Content- dream’s true hidden meaning
- Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis- dreams created by the higher cortex
- Activation-Information-Mode (AIM) Model- information accessed during waking hours can have an influence on the synthesis of dreams
Hypnosis
- Hypnosis- state of consciousness in which the person is especially susceptible to suggestion
- Dissociation- divided state of conscious awareness
4 elements of hypnosis-
Theories of Hypnosis
- Hypnosis as Dissociation
- Social-Cognitive Theory- hypnotized are not in an altered state but merely playing the role of them in the situation
Psychoactive Drugs
- Psychoactive Drugs- drugs capable of influencing perception, mood, cognition, or behavior
- Physical Dependence:
- Tolerance- more drug needed to achieve same effect
- Withdrawal- symptoms including nausea, pain, tremors, irritability, high blood pressure, and possible hallucinations and delirium, resulting from lack of addictive drug in body systems
- Psychological Dependence- drug needed to continue feeling of emotional or psychological well-being
Stimulants
- Stimulants- drugs that speed up the functioning of nervous system
- Amphetamine- synthesized drugs (made in labs)
- Cocaine- natural drug; produces euphoria, energy, power, and pleasure
Milder Stimulants
- Nicotine- in tobacco
- Caffeine- in coffee, tea, most sodas, chocolate, and many over-the-counter drugs
Depressants
- Depressants- drugs that decrease the functioning of nervous system
- Barbiturates- sedative effect
- Benzodiazepines- lower anxiety and reduce stress
Alcohol
- Alcohol- classified as a depressant
-initial effects depresses or inhibits control centers in frontal lobes; person loses inhibitions (appears to stimulate)
-later effects more clearly depressant; slurred speech; mental confusion; in-coordination; unconsciousness
- Narcotics- opium-related drugs that suppress pain by stimulating nervous system’s receptor sites for endorphins
- Opium- from opium poppy from which all narcotic drugs are derived
- Morphine- used to treat severe pain
- Heroin- extremely addictive
Hallucinogens
- PCP- synthesized drug that can cause stimulant, depressant, narcotic, or hallucinogenic effects
- MDMA (Ecstasy or X)- can have both stimulant and hallucinatory effects
- Stimulatory Hallucinogenics- drugs that produce a mixture of psychomotor stimulant and hallucinogenic effects
- LSD- powerful synthetic hallucinogen
- Hallucinogens- cause false sensory messages, altering perception of reality
- Marijuana- mild hallucinogen derived from a particular type of hemp plant
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