AP PSYCHOLOGY UNIT #2: PART 2

==Terms:==

==Science Review:==

• In the nucleus of our cells, there are 46 Chromosomes
• Each chromosome contains coiled molecule chains of DNA
• Each chain of DNA is broken down further into Genes
  • There are 30,000 gene codes in our body
• All humans are 99.9% similar. So, just a small change in genetic code can create a large change in characteristics

==Evolutionary Psychology:==

• Some psychologists believe that our behaviors are influenced by what humans have done in the past to survive
• They believe these behaviors/traits have been written into our genetic code
• Especially those traits that lead to an increased chance of reproduction and survival
  • Natural Selection

==Further Examples: Sexual Drive/Attitudes:==

• Men can reproduce throughout their life, but women cannot; therefore women put more trust in children and their choice of mate
  • Women tend to seek stability and strength in a mate (support and protect)

==How/who do you study when looking at Nature vs. Nurture?==

• Twin Studies:
  • Identical twins come from the same egg and are genetically identical
  • Fraternal twins come from separate eggs and are no more similar than any other brother or sister
  • Twins separated at birth are of great interest to psychologists in the study of nature vs. nurture
  • On most surveys, identical twins have more similar answers than fraternal twins
  • Bouchard’s University of Minnesota Study
  • Identical twins separated show more similarities to fraternal who were separated
  • Video Link #1
  • Video Link #2
• Adoption Studies:
  • Do people show more characteristics of their adopted parent or their biological parent?
  • People who grow up together whether adopted or not do not have similar personalities
  • Adopted children show more traits of biological parents
  • But belief systems (politics, religion) will be the same as the household members
• Temperament Studies:
  • Does emotional excitability stay the same throughout life?
  • Are babies that are excitable showing the same characteristics at 2 years, 21 years, etc.?
  • Studies show that, yes, although some people show minor changes in temperament, most people remain the same from birth until adulthood

==Environmental Factors:==

• Four Main Environmental Factors:

Video Link

==The Future?==

• Molecular Genetics
  • Identifying which genes are connected to which characteristics
• Epigenetics
  • Environmental impact on how genes express themselves
  • Example: Poor nutrition during pregnancy might make children more susceptible to obesity

==The Nature of Gender:==

• Chromosomes determine which sex a fetus will become
  • Male=XY
  • Female=XX
• The Y chromosome triggers the release of testosterone and the development of male organs
  • If a female fetus is exposed to excess testosterone it may be more aggressive and have more male-oriented tastes (until puberty)

==The Nurture of Gender:==

==Sleep Stages:==

• Rapid Eye Movement (REM):
  • About every 60-90 minutes of sleep, our body enters a state of REM, which is unique and different from the 4 stages of sleep
• What happens during REM:
  • Lasts about 10 minutes, but increases slightly as the night goes on
  • Bodily functions increase
  • Eyes dart around
  • Brain waves resemble those when we are awake
  • Dream vividly

==Other Sleep Facts:==

• Stimulus in the room can impact sleep
  • Artificial light can impact our circadian rhythm
  • Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (Melatonin)
• The amount of sleep we get can impact how we function. Sleep Deprivation can impact:
  • The immune system
  • Memory
  • Creativity
  • Concentration

==Sleep Disorders:==

Insomnia:

• 10-15% of people suffer from the inability to fall or stay asleep
• Potential causes: stress, anxiety, conflicted thoughts, depression
  • Sleeping pills and alcohol can also contribute due to their restriction on REM sleep (your body needs REM)
• Advice For Insomnia:
  • Do relaxing activities before bed
  • Dim your lights at night
  • Avoid caffeine in the evening

Narcolepsy:

• Narcolepsy is overwhelming sleepiness
  • People who suffer fall into a state of REM for about five minutes anytime during the day
  • Loss of muscle control
• Narcoleptics may suffer from a lack of hypocretin, a neurotransmitter

Sleep Apnea:

• People who suffer stop breathing during sleep (can be up to 400 times a night)
• 1 in 20 suffers from this disorder, most commonly seen in overweight males who are heavy snorers
• Can also lead to narcolepsy
• Treatment generally is a breathing machine

Night Terrors:

• These are not nightmares!
  • Nightmares occur during REM and are stressful dreams that wake you up
• Night Terrors are when a person does not wake yet screams/yells in terror, may even run around, SNS activity increases, etc.
  • Occurs in stage NREM-3 sleep (intense for this generally calm, relaxed stage)
• Most commonly found in children

==Dream Studies:==

• Dreams are studied by awakening people during REM sleep and asking them what they were dreaming about
• What we know:
  • You can change your dreams (Lucid Dreaming)
  • Close to 80% of our dreams are negative
  • Most are extremely boring
• Dreams can be impacted by the stimulus in your environment
• There is no proof that your behavior can be changed by what you hear in your sleep

==REM Rebound:==

• If someone is deprived of sleep and/or awakens a lot during a sleep period, they will fall into REM quicker (as well as REM longer) than a “regular” sleeper who is not sleep deprived
  • This is known as REM Rebound

==Dream Theories:==

• Sigmund Freud
  • He believed that the storyline of dreams is impacted by the previous day’s experiences (Manifest Content)
  • But there is hidden, symbolic meaning to the manifest content that represents our unconscious wishes (Latent Content)
• Some believe that dreams help us solidify our memories (the brain is practicing)
• Activation-Synthesis Theory
  • Neurons fire randomly while we sleep and our brain attempts to make sense of the randomness

==Meditation:==

• Definition: A deep state of relaxation
• Generally, the way it works is the person focuses on a Mantra (music, a picture, a picture in the mind, etc.)
• Deep breathing allows your body to relax
• Idea is to get your mind free of thoughts, release stress, and lower your blood pressure

==Hypnosis:==

• Definition: A state of altered consciousness in which people become highly suggestible and do not use critical thinking skills
• Facts about hypnosis:
  • It is not sleep
  • Imagination cooperates with suggestions from hypnotists
  • Subject must want to cooperate, it is not the domination of one over the other
  • The subject won’t do things against their will
• Some benefits of hypnosis are pain relief, and post-hypnotic suggestion, a method in which a suggestion is made that should continue even after the hypnotic trance is broken

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