Ch 3: Consciousness Flashcards
Consciousness
our subjective awareness of ourselves in our environment
Cognitive Neuroscience
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity that is linked with cognition, whether it’s perception, thinking memory or language
cocktail party effect
that is when your ability to attend to only one voice with a Cee of many as you chat with a party guest.
Inattentional blindness
is the failure to see visible objects when your attention is directed elsewhere
Dual processing
the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks. “ We know more than we know we know”
Blindsight
a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it
Parallel processing
processing many aspects of a stimulus or problems simultaneously. Allows your mind to take care of routine business.
Sequential processing
is processing one aspect of a stimulus or problem at a time (usually used to process new information or to solve difficult problems)
Sleep
is a natural loss of consciousness
Circadian rhythm
our biological clock that regulates things such as our temperature and wakefulness
Sleep Stages
Show stages: N1, N2, N3, N2, then REM
Each sleep cycle last approximately 90 minutes
Alpha waves: slow brain waves, that are characteristic of relaxed, and an awake state
Delta waves: large and slow brain waves that are associated with deep sleep
Hallucinations:
REM sleep: muscles are relaxed, heart rate roses, breathing becomes more rapid and irregular, rapid eye movements indicate dreaming has started
Alpha waves
slow brain waves, that are characteristic of relaxed, and an awake state
Delta waves
large and slow brain waves that are associated with deep sleep
Hallucinations
REM sleep
muscles are relaxed, heart rate roses, breathing becomes more rapid and irregular, rapid eye movements indicate dreaming has started
Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)
functions to decrease the brains, pineal gland’s production of sleep-inducing, hormone, melatonin, in the morning and increase it in the evening.. basically modifying our feelings of sleepiness
Insomnia
Reccuring problems in falling and staying asleep
Narcolepsy
Sudden uncontrollable sleep attacks, sometimes lapsing directly into REM sleep
Sleep apnea
Stopping of breathing while asleep. associated with obesity, especially in men
Night terros
high arousal and appearance of being terrified
Substance disorders
a disorder characterized by a continued substance craving in youth, despite significant life, disruption and/or physical risks
Psychoactive drug
a chemical substance that altered perceptions in modes
what are the three main categories of psychoactive drugs
depressants, simulans, and hallucinogens.
Depressants
Examples are alcohol, barbiturates (tranquilizers), and opiates that work to calm neural activity and slow body functions
Barbiturates
drugs that depress central nervous system activity, reducing anxiety, but impairing, memory and judgement
Opiates
opium, and it’s derivatives, such as morphine and heroin, depress your activity, temporarily less pain and anxiety
Alcoholism
is when alcohol use is marked by tolerance, withdrawal, and a drive to continue problematic use
Stimulants
drugs that excites, neural activity and speeds of body functions, i.e. caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, and ecstasy (aka MDMA or Molly).
Hallucinogens
are psychedelic drugs, such as LSD (aka Acid) distort perceptions, any folks sensory images in the absence of sensory input
MJ
a mild hallucinogen that causes sensitivity, the colors, sounds, taste, and smells it, disinhibits , and may produce a euphoria like alcohol
Consciousness
The ability to be aware of oneself and the environment
Meditation
Techniques used to reach focused attention and relaxation, sometimes to achieve a more transcendental state of consciousness
MBSR
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction practice for patients to deal with stress
Hypnosis
a process where the practitioner suggest changes in the sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings, or behavior of the subject
Sociocognitive theory
effects interact between the subject and the influence doing the hypnotizing
Highway Hypnosis
term to describe the state of consciousness used to describe excessive fatigue experienced when driving on a monotonous road (I’ve experienced this when driving back home to Kingston)
Unconscious
Total lack of awareness or unresponsive to yourself, the environment and stimuli aka neural inertia where different parts of the brain can “shut off” i.e. a coma
Beta 13-30 Hz
rapid short waves when we’re alert and active and concentrated
Alpha 8-13 Hz
when we’re relaxed, watching tv, daydreaming, in meditation
Theta 4-8 Hz
found in frontal part of the brain when in a deep meditation
Delta 0.5-4 Hz
found when we’re in a deep sleep
Sensory Overload
when your senses are over-stimulated that can lead to exhaustion
Selective Attention
is the brain’s way of dealing with sensory overload. It’s the body’s and brain’s way of reducing sensory overload. Ex. cocktail party phenomenon
Inattentional Blindness
when we miss and object because you are focused on something else at the moment.
Change Blindness
when you miss when something in front of you changes but you fail to notice
Sundowning
occurs with people that have Alzheimer’s where their symptoms are more prevalent later in the day
Chronotype
individuals having different energy levels as the day draws on. People tend to have more energy in the afternoon to evening.
Polysomnography
tool used to understand and measure the amount and the quality of sleep that measures EEG, respiration, jaw mvts, eye movements etc.
5 Stages of sleep
Stage 1: drifting on edge of consciousness, Stage 2: light sleep that is more erratic, Stage 3 & 4: breathing and pulse have slowed down, REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Mvt) aka “Paradoxical Sleep”
Active-synthesis theory
suggest random firing in the lower part of the brain in the cortex
Information processing theory
says dreams are the brain’s way of processing what happened during the day at random
Physiological functioning
theory to preserve our neural pathways active
Dyssomnias
abnormalities in the amount, timing and quality of sleep
Parasomnias
abnormal behavior during sleep
