CH 6 Consciousness (QUESTIONS) Flashcards
What are the brain mechanisms responsible for consciousness?
Consciousness is not found in one area of the brain; it is distributed, but some structures are more important than the others
_________ of consciousness reflects a ________ capacity to _________ process information both _________ and _________
- Stream
- Limited
- Consciously
- Externally
- Internally
What does consciousness force us to do?
Choose what we pay attention to
What is the gatekeeper of consciousness? Why is it important?
Attention
Important as it determines what you choose to pay attention to and not (what you become conscious of, helping you ignore uninformative information)
What is ______ becomes consciousness. These are referred to as _______ memories
- Attended
- Explicit
What do the mechanisms of isolation aphasia suggest?
Tells us there’s an interpreting mechanism related to consciousness; voice in our head (narrator) explains our behaviour and the event/details within our environment (left hemisphere)
What does blindsight suggest about the functions of consciousness?
Suggests that consciousness is not required for visual processing and other bodily mechanisms
About ___% of population are highly hypnotizable
10%
Being highly hypnotizable is weakly related with..?
The capacity to suspend reality and become involved in imaginative activities
Those who are able to be hypnotized generally have a…?
Positive attitude towards hypnosis
What are the observed effects of hypnosis?
- Anesthesia (can be hypnotized to be anesthetized)
- Sensory distortions & Hallucinations
- Disinhibition (can’t control what you’re doing)
- Posthypnotic suggestions & Amnesia (forget what you’re doing in a hypnotized state)
What is hypnosis effective for? (2)
Pain control and therapy for replacing memories (overcoming phobias)
What is hypnosis not effective for (1,1)
Memory enhancement
- No evidence for enhancing memory; only retrieving distorted memories
What are the 2 theories for hypnosis?
- Social roleplaying
- Altered state of consciousness
What brain waves are used when we are awake?
Beta: high freq, low amplitude
What brain waves are used when we are drowzy/relaxed?
Alpha: med freq, med amplitude
Describe stages of sleep & the activity of waves during it
- light sleep (S1 & S2): theta, low freq, med amplitude
- deep sleep (S3 & S4): delta, low freq, high amplitude
- awake and alert: ⇧ frequency, ⇩ amplitude
- deep sleep: ⇩ frequency, ⇧ amplitude
- rapid eye movement (REM) ⇨ dreaming
high frequency, low amplitude
What is the purpose of sleep?
Sleep acts to reduce stimulation of the brain
- Restorative (protein synthesis)
- Integrate new memories with the old
- Emotional regulation
What is the sleep cycle controlled by?
BRAC (basic rest-activity cycle) (hind-brain)
When does increased stimulation in the brain occur while sleeping? Why?
REM; stage when most dreaming appears to occur
Describe the psychodynamic (Freud) take on dream origins, and the psychological & physiological explanation for sleep (3)
- Dreams: Reveal our unconscious wishes and desires
- Psychological: Unconscious (latent) content in more important than the manifested (consciousness)
- Physiological: No explanation
Describe the psychodynamic (Jung) take on dream origins, and the psychological & physiological explanation for sleep (3)
- Dreams: Messages from the unconscious
- Psychological: Dreams are messages from the unconscious
- Physiological: No explanation
Describe the cognitive (Foulkes) take on dream origins, and the psychological & physiological explanation for sleep (3)
- Dreams: Cognitive integration of physiological activity produced by sleep stages
- Psychological: Conscious factors, including problems, worries, and anxiety, drive dream content
- Physiological: Brain activation during sleep stages is critical for dreaming
Describe the biological (Hobson & Colleagues) take on dream origins, and the psychological & physiological explanation for sleep (3)
- Dreams: Activation of brain centres and synthesis of information from activated areas
- Psychological: Dreams have no underlying meaning
- Physiological: Brain activation prompts synthesis, thus causing dreaming
Describe the biological (Evolutionary theorists) take on dream origins, and the psychological & physiological explanation for sleep (3)
- Dreams: Practice in threat avoidance
- Psychological: Instinctive fears are inherited, and dreaming about them provides preparation for real threats
- Physiological: The REM stage evolved to allow special processing during sleep
Dreams are __________
MEANINGLESS
When does sleepwalking occur?
Slow-wave sleep; Does not occur during REM
When does enuresis (bed-wetting) typically occur?
Stage 4 sleep
When do night terrors occur? Who are they most common in? Why do they occur?
Stage 4 awakening
Children
Little evidence for psychological causes, but physiologically, things slow down during sleep (circulation slows, temp drops) — body is dysregulated making a sudden awaking during stage 4 very disturbing
Name 3 sleep disorders
- Insomnia
- REM sleep behaviour disorder
- Narcolepsy
Is insomnia common? What can help with insomnia?
Yes
Avoid medication and develop a sleep routine
