Consciousness
Our awareness of internal and external stimuli
Internal stimuli
feeling pain, hunger, thirst, sleepiness, and being aware of our thoughts and emotions
External stimuli
seeing the light from the sun, feeling the warmth of a room, and hearing the voice of a friend
Sleep
A state marked by relatively low levels of physical activity and reduced sensory awareness that is distinct from periods of rest that occur during wakefulness
Wakefulness
Characterized by high levels of sensory awareness, thought, and behavior; these states are related to daydreaming, intoxication, meditative states, hypnotic states, and altered states of consciousness due to sleep deprivation
Biological Rhythm
internal rhythms of biological activity; a recurring, cyclical pattern of bodily changes
Circadian Rhythm
A biological rhythm that takes place over a period of 24 hours
Homeostasis
The tendency to maintain a balance, or optimal level, within a biological system
The brain's clock mechanism is located...
in an area of the hypothalamus known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
Suprachiasmatic Nucleus
(SCN) the area of the hypothalamus where the brain's clock mechanism is located, where the axons of light-sensitive neurons in the retina send information to the SCN based on the amount of light, allowing this internal clock to be synchronized with the ou
Circadian cycles are aligned with .....
the outside world (i.e. sleep at night awake during the day)
Melatonin
hormone secreted by the pineal gland (an endocrine structure) that serves as an important regulator of the sleep-wake cycle; stimulated by darkness and inhibited by light
Pineal Gland
An endocrine structure located inside the brain that releases melatonin, and is thought to be involved in the regulation of various biological rhythms and of the immune system during sleep
Sleep Regulation
Refers to the brain's control of switching between sleep and wakefulness as well as coordinating this cycle with the outside world
Jet Lag
A collection of symptoms that result from the mismatch between our internal circadian cycles and our environment including fatigue, sluggishness, irritability, and insomnia
Insomnia
A consistent difficulty in falling or staying asleep for at least three nights a week over a month's time
How to combat insomnia
Limit their use of stimulant drugs (caffeine); increase their amount of physical exercise during the day; Over-the- counter (OTC) or prescribed sleep medications; cognitive-behavioral therapy - psychotherapy that focuses on cognitive processes and problem
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
psychotherapy that focuses on cognitive processes and problem behaviors that is sometimes used to treat sleep disorders
Rotating Shift Work
Refers to a work schedule that changes from early to late on a regular basis, and people involved in this are likely to experience disruptions in circadian cycles; sleeping problems can lead to signs of depression and anxiety; more susceptible to making m
Sleep Debt
When a person does not get sufficient sleep on a chronic basis
Negative effects of sleep debt and sleep deprivation
Obesity, increased blood pressure, increased levels of stress hormones, and reduced immune functioning
Meta-Analysis
study that combines the results of several related studies
How much of our life is spent sleeping?
03-Jan
Evolutionary Psychology
A discipline that studies how universal patterns of behavior and cognitive processes have evolved over time as a result of natural selection
Benefits of adequate sleep hours
increased capacities for creative thinking, language learning, and inferential judgments, healthy weight, lowering stress levels, improving mood, and increasing motor coordination, as well as a number of benefits related to cognition and memory formation.
Areas of the brain that control sleep wake cycles
Thalamus; hypothalamus - contains the SCN (biological clock); pons - regulates REM sleep
Sleep Rebound
Refers to the fact that a sleep-deprived individual will tend to take a shorter time to fall asleep during subsequent opportunities for sleep
Meditation
The act of focusing on a single target to increase awareness of the moment; can be performed alone
Hypnosis
A state of extreme self-focus and attention in which minimal attention is given to external stimuli; 2 different theories of bow hypnosis works - dissociation and social role
Dissociation view of hypnosis
#NAME?
Social view of hypnosis
the social-cognitive theory of hypnosis sees people in hypnotic states as performing the social role of a hypnotized person.
Sleep is divided into what 2 phases?
REM and NREM; the first 4 stages of sleep are NREM sleep, while the fifth and final stage of sleep is REM sleep
REM
(rapid eye movement) sleep characterized by darting movements of the eyes under closed eyelids, the brain waves seem similar to those of the brain during wakefulness; period of sleep where dreaming occurs; associated with paralysis; no movement of volunta
NREM
(non-rapid eye movement) sleep subdivided into four stages distinguished from each other and from wakefulness by characteristic patterns of brain waves
Stage 1 Sleep
A transitional phase that occurs between wakefulness and sleep;the period where one drifts off to sleep; slow in respiration and heart beat; decrease in overall muscle tension and core body temperature; associated with alpha and theta waves
Alpha Waves
type of relatively low frequency, relatively high amplitude brain wave that becomes synchronized; characteristic of the beginning of stage 1 sleep
Theta Waves
type of low frequency, low amplitude brain wave characteristic of the end of stage 1 sleep
Stage 2 Sleep
When the body goes into a state of deep relaxation; theta waves dominate the brain; characterized by the appearance of sleep spindles; k complex
Sleep Spindle
rapid burst of high frequency brain waves during stage 2 sleep that may be important for learning and memory
K Complex
A very high amplitude pattern of brain activity that may in some cases occur in response to environmental stimuli; serve as a bridge to higher levels of arousal in response to the environment
Stage 3 & 4
deep sleep or slow-wave sleep; characterized by low frequency and high amplitude delta waves; Heart rate and respiration slows dramatically; Very difficult to wake someone up in this stage
Delta Waves
Type of low frequency, high amplitude brain wave
REM Rebound
When a person is deprived of REM sleep and then allowed to sleep without disturbance, thus spending more time in REM sleep to make up for the lost REM time
Manifest Content
the actual content of a dream; the storyline
Latent Content
refers to the hidden meaning of a dream
Collective Unconscious
Carl Jung believed that dreams allowed us to tap into the collective unconscious; theoretical repository of information share by all people across cultures
Rosalind Cartwright
believed that dreams simply reflect life events that are important to the dreamer
Sigmund Freud and dreams
convinced that dreams represented an opportunity to gain access to the unconscious
Lucid Dreams
dreams in which certain aspects of wakefulness are maintained during the dream state; people are able to control the dream
Cognitive-behavioral Therapy
A type of psychotherapy that focuses on cognitive processes and problem behaviors
Parasomnias
One of a group of sleep disorders in which unwanted, disruptive moder activity or experiences during sleep
Types of parasomnias
Sleepwalking; Rem Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD); Restless Leg Syndrome; Night terrors
Sleep Walking
somnambulism"
occurs in stages 3 or 4 of NREM
when the sleeper engages in relatively complex behaviors ranging from wondering to driving car, all while usually being in the slow-wave sleep state
treated with a variety of pharmacotherapies ranging from be
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
(RBD) occurs when the muscle paralysis associated with REM sleep phase does not occur; individuals have high levels of physical activity during REM (kicking, punching, scratching, yelling, and behaving like an animal that has been frightened or attacked)
Restless Leg Syndrome
Sleep disorder in which the sufferer has uncomfortable sensations in the legs when trying to fall asleep that are relieved by moving the legs; treatment: benzodiazepines, opiates, and anticonvulsants
Night Terrors
Sleep disorder in which the sleeper experiences a sense of panic and may scream or attempt to escape from the immediate environment; occur during the NREM phase of sleep
Sleep Apnea
sleep disorder defined by episodes during which breathing stops during sleep; common in overweight people; warning signs: loud snoring and gasps for air while breathing; 2 types - obstructive and central sleep apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Occurs when an individual's airway becomes blocked during sleep, and air is prevented from entering the lungs
Central Sleep Apnea
Disruption in signals sent from the brain that regulate breathing, causing periods of interrupted breathing
How to treat sleep apnea?
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) a device that includes a mask that fits over the sleeper's nose and mouth, which is connected to a pump that pumps air into the person's airways
SIDS
Sudden infant death syndrome: when an infant stops breathing during sleep and dies; more common for boys; risk factors include premature birth, smoking within the home, and hyperthermia
How to prevent SIDS
Infants should be placed on their backs when put down to sleep; their cribs should not contain any items which pose suffocation threats (i.e. blankets, pillows, or padded crib bumpers (cushions that cover the bars of a crib); infants should not have caps
Narcolepsy
sleep disorder in which the sufferer cannot resist falling to sleep at inopportune times; associated with cataplexy; episodes take on other features of REM sleep; triggered by states of heightened arousal or stress.
Physical dependence
involves changes in normal bodily functions that cause a drug user to experience withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of use
Psychological Dependence
has an emotional need for the drug and may use the drug to relieve psychological distress.
Tolerance
the state of requiring increasing quantities of the drug to gain the desired effect; linked to Psychological Dependence
Withdrawal
variety of negative symptoms experienced when drug use is discontinued; abrupt cessation of ingestion of a psychoactive drug may result in hallucination after long term use; symptoms are usually opposite of the effects of the drug
Treatment for narcolepsy
using psychomotor stimulant drugs, such as amphetamines
Cataplexy
A lack of muscle tone or muscle weakness, often associated with narcolepsy
Drug Catagories
Stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, antipsychotics
Drugs can either act as ____ or _____ of a given neurotransmitter system
agonists; antagonists
Depressant
#NAME?
What happens if a pregnant woman consume alcohol?
her infant may be born with a cluster of birth defects and symptoms collectively called fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) or fetal alcohol syndrome
Alcohol
- associated with decreases in reaction time and visual acuity, lowered levels of alertness, and reduction in behavioral control.
- psychological effects of alcohol are strongly influenced by the user's expectations
Hallucinogen
#NAME?
Stimulants
#NAME?
Cocaine
common methods include snorting, injecting into veins, and ingestion; crack is the cheaper smokable version of the drug (More addictive b/c it is able to reach the brain faster)
Amphetamines
Have a mechanism of action quite similar to cocaine in that they block the reuptake of dopamine in addition to stimulating its release; Commonly prescribed to children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Methamphetamine
Type of amphetamine that can be made from pseudoephedrine, an over-the-counter drug found in cold and flu remedies; widely manufactured and abused
Cathinones
bath salts
MDMA
ecstasy
Nicotine
Highly addictive, and the use of tobacco products is associated with increased risks of heart disease, stroke, and a variety of cancers; exerts its effects through its interaction with acetylcholine receptors.
Acetylcholine
neurotransmitter in motor neurons
Caffeine
relatively safe drug; high blood levels of caffeine can result in insomnia, agitation, muscle twitching, nausea, irregular heartbeat, and even death.
Euphoric high
Feelings of intense elation and pleasure, especially in those users who take the drug via intravenous injection or smoking
Opioids
One of a category of drugs that have analgesic properties and decrease pain (includes heroin, morphine, methadone, and codeine)
Opiates
#NAME?
Methadone
A synthetic opioid that is less euphorogenic than heroin, etc. and makes withdrawal from opioids less difficult for the drug user
Methadone Clinics
They help people who previously struggled with opioid addiction manage withdrawal symptoms by using methadone
Codeine
An opioid with low potency and often prescribed for minor pain, but still has abuse potential
The cocaine, amphetamine, cathinones, and MDMA give what?
a euphoric high
Hobson
suggests that dreaming may represent a state of protoconsciousness; Dreaming involves constructing a virtual reality in our heads that we might use to help us during wakefulness; Lucid dreams are dreams in which certain aspects of wakefulness are maintain