ap psych c5 -- states of consciousness

exposure effect—we prefer stimuli we have seen before over novel stimuli subconsciously. we have different levels of conciousness that add nuance to our lives

• priming: people respond more quickly to questions they have seen before even if they don’t remember seeing them

• blind sight: people who are blind can accurately describe how things are moving

levels of conciousness:

• conscious level, what you are currently aware of in your environment

• nonconscious level, body processes we are not usually aware of like breathing

• preconscious level, info abt urself ur not thinking about but could come into ur consciousness

• subconscious, info we are not consciously aware of but could bring back like from priming and stuff

• unconscious, some events and feelings are repressed into our unconscious mind, disputed idea

drugs

• psychoactive drugs change the chemistry of the brain/body into altered state of consciousness

• brain is protected from harmful chemicals in the bloodstream with thick walls surrounding the brain’s blood vessels (blood-brain barrier). molecules in these drugs are small enough to pass through and they either mimic neurotransmitters (agonists) or block neurotransmitters (antagonists) see pg 37

  • some drugs prevent neurotransmitters from being REABSORBED into a neuron, aka reuptakes

• neurotransmitter levels are gradually effected which causes tolerance meaning that you want more of that drug, and also withdrawal

• types of drugs:

  • caffeine, cocaine, nicotine, etc. are stimulants because they speed up processes and make you feel invincible

  • depressants slow down body systems, alcohol is one of them

  • hallucinogens cause changes in perceptions of reality like marijuana

  • opiates like heroin and fentanyl are always agonists for endorphins and make you feel better, most addictive because they rapidly change brain

sleep

• circadian rhythm is just our pattern of our body, your sleep schedule is part of it (see pg 39)

• we enter sleep onset which is the bridge between awake and asleep, where we might experience hallucinations

• Non-REM1, NREM2, NREM3, NREM4

  • in NREM1 and 2, your brain produces theta waves which are pretty high-frequency

  • towards the end of stage 2, you show sleep spindles (bursts of brain waves)

  • in 3 and 4, you are in delta sleep, or deep sleep, because of low and slow waves

  • after some time in delta sleep you go back in the direction of stage 1 and began to produce REM (rapid eye movement), which is also your “paradoxical sleep phase” because your brain waves appear to be very intense

• not enough delta sleep=physically tired and sick, not enough REM sleep=REM rebound, more REM the next time they sleep normally. we also spend more time in REM due to stress

sleep disorders

• insomnia means having problems going/staying asleep

• narcolepsy means falling asleep at random times (that cheerleader girl on yt) but can be treated sometimes with medication

• sleep apnea means your breath stops at some point during the night, and thus you wake up. you can use a breathing machine to help you stay asleep

• somnambulism is sleepwalking/night terrors

dreams

• activation synthesis theory argues that dreams are just a physiological reflex without much deeper meaning, just a way the brain interprets things

• other people think that brains process the events of the day (information processing theory)

  • consolidation theory—one of the functions of dreams could be to help us get stuff in our short-term memory into our long-term mem