General Psychology Chapter 4 Consciousness – Flashcards
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Consciousness
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A person's awareness of everything that is going on around him or her at any given moment, which is used to organize behavior.
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Waking Consciousness
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Thoughts, feelings, and sensations are clear, organized, and the person feels alert.
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Altered State of Consciousness
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There is a shift in the quality or pattern of mental activity as compared to waking consciousness. Thoughts fuzzy & disorganized Less alert Bizarre thoughts. Altered state of divided consciousness
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Sleep
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Gentle tyrant
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Circadian Rhythm
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The biology of sleep: Circadian Rhythms The sleep-wake cycle. Rhythm of the body that occurs over a 24 hour period. Controlled by the brain, an area in the Hypothalamus.
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The Melatonin Craze
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Hormone secreted by the pineal gland. Produced in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus in the Hypothalamus Internal Clock : when to sleep and when to wake-up SCN sensitive to light changes. Daylight fades = secrete melatonin Increase melatonin = sleepy!
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Body Temperature
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Controlled also by the SCN. High Body Temperature = ALERT Low Body Temperature = SLEEPY
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Serotonin
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Throughout the day, serotonin level increases. Past our bedtime, serotonin level is so high that it can induce intense feeling of sleepiness!
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Signs of Sleep Deprivation
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Microsleeps, Concentration problem, Inability to do simple tasks, Trembling hands, Irritability, Loss of important information learned, Inattention, Staring off into space, Droopy eyelids, Discomfort
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Adaptive Theory of Sleep
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Animals and humans evolved sleep patterns to avoid predators by sleeping when predators are most active
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Restorative Theory of Sleep
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Sleep is necessary to the physical health of the body and serves to replenish chemicals and repair cellular damage. (beauty sleep)
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How much sleep do you need?
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Varies from person to person. Average, 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Infants need far more sleep than children or adult.
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EEG | to see brain activity while sleeping
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Beta waves- Small, fast, Wide awake & mentally active. Alpha waves- Larger, slower, Relax, drowsy Theta waves- Even larger and slower.
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NREM | non-Rapid Eye Movement
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Deeper, more restful sleep. Person's body is free to move around. (bed kicking?)
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NREM STAGE 1
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Theta Wave, Light sleep, awakened easily, "not sleeping" hypnagogic images : vivid visual elements, realistic, could be a dream, flashes of light. (hypnopompic images- about to awake) hypnic jerk
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NREM STAGE 2
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Sleep spindle Body temperature drops, heart rate slows. Breathing shallow & irregular Aware of sleep when awakened.
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NREM STAGE 3
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Delta Wave Slowest and largest wave. 20-50% delta wave = Stage 3 | 50%< delta wave = Stage 4
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NREM STAGE 4
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Delta Wave Stage 4 : growth hormones released hard to awaken
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REM | Rapid Eye Movement
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The eyes move rapidly under the eyelids and the person is typically experiencing a dream. Voluntary muscles are inhibited, in REM we move very little. Body temperature increases. Eyes move rapidly under the eyelids. Heart beats faster. Brain waves resemble beta waves. Dream state 90% of dreaming happens. REM paralysis : body unable to act upon dreams because voluntary muscles are paralyzed.
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NREM
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physically demanding day
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REM
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deals with stress and tensions of the day. Emotionally stressful day
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REM Rebound
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increased REM if deprived of REM sleep (sleeping pills, depressant drugs). Babies move around quite a lot! Babies are developing neural connections!
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Nightmares
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bad dreams occurring during REM; children tend to have more nightmares, Vividly remember upon waking up, do not move around
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REM behavior disorder
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rare disorder. Mechanism inhibiting voluntary muscles fails allowing the person to move during REM and even act out the dream.
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Sleep walking/Somnambulism (Stage 4)
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Not remember sleepwalking!
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Night Terrors (Stage 4)
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Extreme fear and screams or runs around during sleep without waking fully. Stage 4, Do not usually remember can move
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Insomnia
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Inability to get to sleep, stay asleep or get a good quality of sleep. Psychological Causes: Worrying, Trying too hard to sleep, Anxiety, Physical Causes, Too much caffeine, Indigestion, Aches & pain
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Sleep Apnea
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Person stops breathing for nearly half a minute of more. Person is not rested. Can cause heart problems Obesity primary cause
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Narcolepsy
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A person falls immediately into REM sleep during the day without
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Nocturnal leg cramps
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Painful cramps in calf or foot muscles
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Hypersomnia
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Excessive daytime sleepiness
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Circadian rhythm disorders
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Disturbances of the sleep-wake cycle such as jet lag and shift work
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Enuresis
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Urinating while asleep in bed
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Dreams are wish fulfillments
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Conflicts, events and desires of the past would be represented in symbolic** form in the dreams. Manifest Content The actual dream itself. Latent Content The hidden meaning of the dream expressed only in symbols.
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Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis
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Dream is merely another kind of thinking that occurs when people sleep. Less realistic. It comes from within our memories and past experiences. Weird but ordinary? Dreams are products of activity in the pons. Neurotransmitters for voluntary muscles are inhibited Signals sent to areas of cortex that interpret vision, hearing, etc. Random signals to cortex are explained by memories and other stored information
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Activation Information- Mode Model or AIM
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Information that is accessed during the waking hours can have an influence on the synthesis of dreams. When the brain is "making up" a dream to explain its own activation, it uses meaningful bits and pieces of the person's experiences from the previous day or the last few days rather than just random items from memory.
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Dream Stats
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Events that occur in everyday life. Colored or black and white Males dream of males, females dream of males and females equally. ;-) Cultural differences in what we dream about Girls & women : family, people they know. Boys & men : male characters, outdo, unfamiliar setting, weapons, tools, cars, roads, sexual dreams with unknown & attractive partners. Naked in public. Falling?
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Hypnosis
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State of consciousness in which the person is especially susceptible to suggestion.
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Steps to inducing Hypnosis
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1. Hypnotist tell the subject to focus on what is being said. 2. The person is told to relax and feel tired 3. The hypnotist tells the person to "let go" and accepts suggestions easily 4. The person is told to use vivid imagination.
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Key of Hypnosis
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Key : heightened state of suggestibility. Willingness to be hypnotized. People who daydream, have vivid imaginations, "really get into" the task are more susceptible to hypnosis. Hypnotic susceptibility. Degree to which a person is a good hypnotic subject. Use series of ordered suggestions to test. Hypnotized person is really in control. Hypnotist just guides.
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Examples of Items That Would Appear on a Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale
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1. Movement of the body back and forth 2. Closing eyes and unable to open them 3. Fingers locked together 4. One arm locked into position 5. Responding to posthypnotic suggestion 6. Loss of memory for events during the session 7. Unable to state one's own name 8. Seeing or hearing nonexistent stimuli
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Common Hypnosis Uses
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Relaxation Control pain Control anxiety Deal with cravings of food and drugs... But not change eating habits or stop smoking
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Hypnosis can...
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Create amnesia for whatever happens during the hypnotic session at least for a brief time. Relieve pain by allowing a person to remove conscious attention from the pain. Alter sensory perceptions (smell, hearing, vision, time sense, and the ability to see visual illusions can all be affected) Help people relax in situations that normally would cause them stress i.e. Flying on an airplane
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Hypnosis cannot...
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Give people superhuman strength. Reliably enhance memory... Susceptible? Regress people back to childhood. Regress people to some "past life".
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Hypnosis as Dissociation : The Hidden Observer
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Hypnosis works only in a person's immediate consciousness, while a hidden "observer" remained aware of all that was going on
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Hypnosis as Social Role-Playing: The Social Cognitive Explanation
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People who do not know what hypnosis is could not be hypnotized! People who are hypnotized are not in an altered state but are merely playing the role expected of them in the situation. "I believe I am hypnotized"
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Psychoactive Drugs
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Drugs that alter thinking, perception, and memory.
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Physical Dependence
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A person's body becomes unable to function normally without a particular drug. Signs of Physical Dependence Drug Tolerance Larger,larger doses of the drug are needed to achieve the same initial effects of the drug. Withdrawal Physical symptoms (nausea, pain, tremors, crankiness, high blood pressure) resulting from a lack of an addictive drug in the body systems. (Negative Reinformcement)
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Psychological Dependence
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Feeling that the drug is needed to continue a feeling of emotional or psychological well-being. I think I need it. (Positive Reinforcement) There is no withdrawal to go through and recover from, Psychological Dependence and go on forever!
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Stimulants
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Increase the functioning of the nervous system
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Depressants
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Decrease the functioning of the nervous system.
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Narcotics
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Class of opium-related drugs that suppress the sensation of pain by binding to and stimulating the nervous system's natural receptor sites for endorphins.
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Hallucinogenics
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Produce hallucinations or increased feeling of relaxation and intoxication.
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Amphetamines
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Synthesized. i.e. Benzedrine, Methedrine, Dexedrine. Truck drivers, prescribed for overweight. Methamphetamine (related compound) used to dread ADHD or narcolepsy. "Crystal Meth" smoked and used by recreational drug users. Nausea, vomiting, high BP, stroke Amphetamine psychosis Delusional and paranoid addicts.
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Stimulants/ Uppers
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Causes sympathetic or CNS to increase levels of functioning. "Speed up" Heart beats faster, brain works faster. Do not give extra energy but will burn up whatever energy is stored. Suppress appetite à Crash
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Cocaine
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Natural drug derived from the leaves of the coca plant. Feelings of euphoria, energy, power, and pleasure. Deadens pain, suppresses the appetite. Convulsions & first time users may die. Terratogen Withdrawal: Mood swing à Depression (crash) Tiredness, nervousness, unable to feel pleasure, paranoia. Compulsive use Loss of control. Disregard for consequence of use.
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Nicotine
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Produces addiction in 99% of users. Mild but toxic stimulant. Produces slight "rush" or sense of arousal. Raises BP, accelerates the heart, stimulate release of adrenaline. Relaxing effect, reduces stress. Was used as an insecticide in 1920's to 1930's. Physical withdrawal symptoms are bad. Delayed smoking. Gum, patches.
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Caffeine
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Mild stimulant found in coffee, tea, and several other plant-based substances, chocolate, soda. Helps maintain alertness, increase effectiveness of some pain relievers such as aspirin. Coffee can NOT make you sober!
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Depressants, Downers
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Slows the Nervous System
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Barbiturates or Major Tranquilizers
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Sleeping pills. Sedative effect depending on dose Mild sedation, sleepiness, Unconscious, coma, OD can lead to death. Highly addictive. Users can develop tolerance. Withdrawal : convulsions (life threatening) Combination with alcohol or another depressant is dangerous. (Drug interaction)
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Benzodiazepines or Minor Tranquilizers
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Lower anxiety and reduce stress. Safer than barbituates. Treat sleep problems, nervousness, anxiety. Valium, Xanax, Halcion. Ativan, Librium Addictive, larger doses dangerous with drug interaction. Rohypnol : date rape drug
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Alcohol
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Chemical resulting from fermentation or distillation of various kinds of vegetable matter. Binge drinking, drunk, alcoholism. Dangers of alcohol include accidents, crime, liver, diseases, etc. Korsakoff's syndrome. Form of dementia First thing to be depressed is the person's natural inhibitions, or the "dont's" behavior. Motor skills, reaction time and speech are all affected. Women feel effect faster.
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Narcotics
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Suppress sensation of pain. Slow down the nervous system. Drug interactions are deadly. Derivative of a plant-based substance, Opium.
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Oipium
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Derived from opium poppy. Pain relieving and euphoria-inducing properties known for over 2,000 years. Used by Victorian ladies, Laudanum.
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Morphine
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"God's own medicine" Derived from Opium used to treat severe pain.
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Heroine
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Derived from Opium, extremely addictive. "purer form of the drug" More powerfully addictive than morphine.
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Control for narcotics dependency
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Methadone Derivative of opium but no euphoria. Control heroin dependency Buprenorphine Naltrexone
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Hallucinogens
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False sensory messages, altering the perception of reality
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Manufactured Highs
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LSD (Lysergc Acid Diethylamide) From grain fungus, ergot. Very potent. Just 1 drop can make a person "high". "expand consciousness and awareness" Colors more intense,sounds more beautiful, etc. "Bad trips" PCP (Phenyl cylohexyl piperidine) Depending on dosage: hallucinogen, stimulant, depressant, analgesic. Feel no warning signal of pain.
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MDMA (Ecstasy)
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Stimulatory hallucinogenics Produce a mixture of psychomotor stimulant and hallucinogenic effects. Deadly. Dehydrate body, raise body temperature. = Thirsty Too much water à Salt content imbalance à coma
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Nonmanufactured Highs
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Mescaline From peyote cactus buttons. Psilocybin From certain mushrooms. Marijuana From hemp plant, cannabis satia. Hashish-scraped off the leaveas Tetrahydrocannobinol (THC) active ingredient. Induce feeling of well-being, mild intoxication, mild sensory distortions, hallucinations, mild euphoria, relaxation, paranoia (high doeses) Stimulates appetite. No physical dependence, possible psychological dependence.
