Ch. 3 Consciousness

Question 1

NREM-1

Answer 1

brief, transitional (1-7 min); slow, regular waves; hypnagogic sensations (feel like falling, jolt)

Question 2

NREM-2

Answer 2

about 20 min; sleep spindles; spend about half the night here in total

Question 3

NREM-3

Answer 3

slow-wave sleep (~30 min); large amplitude, slow waves; hard to wake
(after NREM-3, the cycle moves backward toward REM)

Question 4

REM sleep

Answer 4

rapid eye movement, vivid dreaming, EEG like when awake, body aroused- heart rate, rapid breathing;

brainstem blocks motor messages; “paradoxical sleep”- brain active, muscles paralyzed; ~100 min per night (20-25% of sleep)

Question 5

Sleep cycle and how it changes throughout night

Answer 5

~90 min for young adults; shorter for older adults

Throughout the night, NREM-3 sleep decreases and the duration of REM and NREM-2 sleep increase

Question 6

Circadian rhythm

Answer 6

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle

Question 7

how does light and melatonin play a role in this rhythm?

Answer 7

Bright light affects our sleepiness by activating light sensitive retinal proteins, which signals the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) to decrease production of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone

Question 8

3 Reasons Why We Sleep (Russell Foster)

Answer 8

1. Restoration: we rebuild everything we use in the day
2. Energy Conservation: sleep to save calories
3. Brain processing/ memory consolidation:
   REM sleep helps convert memories into long-term learning

Question 9

5 reasons why we sleep (Myers)

Answer 9

1. sleep protects
2. helps us recuperate
3. consolidates our memories
4. feeds creative thinking
5. supports growth

Question 10

Manifest Content

Answer 10

surface content of dreams

Question 11

Latent Content

Answer 11

the disguised, symbolic, unconscious meaning of the dream (usually sexual)

Question 12

What are the consequences of being sleep deprived?

Answer 12

Slower reaction times
Increased depression
Mimics aging in metabolic and hormonal functioning
Poor memory
Poor judgement

Question 13

Insomnia

Answer 13

recurring problems in falling or staying asleep

• Adults, as we get older it’s more likely
• Fix: Natural sleep aids described above

Question 14

Narcolepsy

Answer 14

a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times.

Take extra caution

Question 15

Sleep apnea

Answer 15

temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings

• Associated with obesity, particularly overweight men more likely
• Treatment: mask-like device w an air pump keeps sleeper’s airway open

Question 16

Night terrors

Answer 16

high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during NREM-3 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered
-Target mostly children; Most likely to experience are young children, who have the deepest NREM-3 sleep

Question 17

Sleepwalking/ sleep talking

Answer 17

a NREM-3 sleep disorder (sleep talking can occur at any stage)
Most likely to experience are young children, who have the deepest NREM-3 sleep

Question 18

Dual Processing

Answer 18

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

Question 19

Selective Attention

Answer 19

focusing conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
We can attend to only a limited aspect of our conscious experience at one time
(relies on consciousness not realizing something)

Question 20

Inattentional Blindness

Answer 20

failure to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
Forces us to focus on the important objects

Question 21

Change Blindness

Answer 21

failure to detect changes in sensory information

Relies on memory

Question 22

Depressants

Answer 22

drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates (tranquilizers), and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions

Question 23

Alcohol

Answer 23

disinhibitor (slow brain activity that controls judgement and inhibitions)
Alcohol use disorder can shrink the brain
Slowed neural processing

Question 24

Opiates

Answer 24

opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety
Depresses neural functioning
Repeated use= brain stops producing endorphins, if opiate is withdrawn then brain lacks normal level

Question 25

Stimulants

Answer 25

drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy, and methamphetamine) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions

Question 26

Caffeine

Answer 26

make people feel alert
Addiction: if withdrawn, fatigue, headaches, irritability, depression
Could impair sleep (lasts 3-4 hours)

Question 27

Nicotine

Answer 27

a stimulating and highly addictive psychoactive drug in tobacco
Brain: nicotine signals CNS to release a flood of neurotransmitters, epinephrine and norepinephrine diminish appetite and boost alertness and mental efficiency, dopamine and opioids temporarily calm anxiety and reduce sensitivity to pain

Question 28

Cocaine

Answer 28

a powerful and addictive stimulant derived from the coca plant; produces temporarily increased alertness and euphoria
Rush of euphoria depletes brain’s supply of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine (within one hour, crash of agitated depression follows as drug’s effect wears off)

Question 29

Ecstasy: (MDMA)

Answer 29

a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and long-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition
Triggers dopamine release, but releases stored serotonin and blocks reuptake
Damage to serotonin-producing neurons

Question 30

Hallucinogens

Answer 30

psychedelic (“mind-manifesting”) drugs such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory input

Question 31

Marijuana

Answer 31

contains THC, a mild hallucinogen, amplifying sensitivity to colors, sounds, tastes, and smells

Brain: disrupts memory formation (shrinkage of brain areas that process memories and emotions)