Chapter 3 Flashcards
Consciousness
Consciousness
moment-by-moment awareness of your experiences, both of world around you and of your thoughts, feelings, actions.
Introspection
People reporting their thoughts.
General problem: subjective and unique to each person.
Not a reliable method for understanding psychological processes amongst different people.
Psychologists measure observable behavior (objective).
Normal Waking State of Consciousness
External world and your inner thoughts and feelings are clear to you.
Altered State of Consiousness
Deviation from normal waking state of consciousness.
ex) meditation (heightened)
sleeping (reduced)
Dualism
Belief that rational mind was divine and separate from body. (Rene Descartes, philosopher in 1600s)
Materialism
Modern idea that the brain and mind are inseparable, the processing of information in brain creates the experiences of the mind.
Activity of neurons in brain produce consciousness.
For each experience you have, there’s associated pattern in brain activity.
Global Workspace Model
Theory suggesting that consciousness depends on which brain circuits are active.
Total experience results from simultaneous activity of all the different brain regions supporting these psychological processes.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- External trauma causes change in consciousness and physical damage to brain
Coma
- Have sleep/wake cycles, but generally are not responsive to surroundings
- Being able to communicate from comas could allow patients to express thoughts, ask for more meds, increase quality of their lives
Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome
- When coma lasts for more than a month
- This unresponsive state is not associated with consciousness
- Normal brain activity does not occur
- Longer this lasts, less likely person will recover consciousness or show normal brain activity
Attention
The focusing of mental resources on specific information to become consciously aware of it
Automatic Processing
Fast- does not require a lot of mental resources or require much attention
Controlled Processing
Slow- requires more mental resources and attention
Sigmund Freud
- Proposed we are influenced by unconscious processes
- Believed that these unconscious mental forces included troubling childhood experiences blocked from memory
- By creating these blockages within the individual, these forces produced psychological discomfort and disorders
- Goal of therapy is to bring the contents of peoples’ unconscious into their conscious awareness
Subliminal Perception
Happens when our sensory process stimuli but we are generally not aware of those stimuli because they are subtle or short lasting
Most powerful when they work on people’s motivational states
Circadian Rhythms
Daily patterns of brain activity and other physiological processes
Sleep/wake, body temperature, hormone levels
Influenced by the cycles of light and dark
Melatonin
Hormone released by pineal gland that travels through bloodstream and affects various receptors in the body and brain
Darkness triggers its release
Helps regulate accuracy of our biological clock
EEG Awake vs. Asleep
Awake- brain activity short, frequent, irregular electrical signals called beta waves (due to many different sources of sensory activity)
Asleep- brain activity slows and becomes more regular, alpha wave electrical patterns
4 Stages of Sleep
REM and Non REM Sleep
Stage N1 Sleep (NREM) - EEG shows slower theta waves, awareness of outer world and inner mental activity starts to decline
Stage N2 Sleep - breathing more regular, less aware of outside world and inner mental activity. EEG shows large waves (K-complexes) and occasional bursts of activity (sleep spindles)
Stage N3 Sleep - large, regular delta waves (slow-wave sleep). Hard to wake, but still evaluate environment for potential danger
After 90 min of sleep, sleep cycle reverses. EEG shows flurry of beta wave activity, eyes dart back and forth (State R or REM Sleep)
REM sleep important because of its relation to dreaming
REM dreams- activation of brain structures associated with motivation, reward, emotion……… prefrontal cortex less activated, more visual association areas interact without rational thought
Manifest Content
The way visual information is seen in the dream and remembered by the dreamer
Some believe this disguises latent content to protect the dreamer from directly confronting unconscious conflict
Latent Content
Meaning behind the visual manifestation
Activation-Synthesis Theory
Neurons in brain fire randomly during sleep- can activate parts of the brain that normally process sensory input (like sights and sounds)
Sleeping mind tries to make sense of sensory activity by combining it with stored memories- results in a dream
Activation of limbic regions of brain (such as amygdala- emotion and motivation) is source of emotional content of dreams
Deactivation of prefrontal cortices contributes to delusional/illogical aspects of dreams
Three reasons why sleep is beneficial and adapative
Restoration of body
- restorative theory: sleep allows body and brain to rest and repair, strengthen immune system
- circadian rhythm theory: sleep evolved to preserve animals from harm, keeps animals quiet and inactive when danger is greatest
- consolidation theory: circuits wired together during waking period are consolidated/strengthened during sleep
Insomnia
Sleep disorder in which mental health and ability to function caused by repeated inability to sleep
Sleep Apnea
Disorder where person stops breathing for short periods of time because throat closes- associated with cardiovascular problems and strokes
Narcolepsy
Rare disorder in which extreme sleepiness occurs during normal waking hours. During episode, person may experience muscle paralysis that accompanies REM sleep, causing person to collapse.
Evidence suggests this is a genetic condition that affects transmission of specific neurotransmitter in hypothalamus- treatments are stimulant drugs
REM Behavior Disorder
Normal paralysis that accompanies REM sleep is disabled, people may act out their dreams.
Sleepwalking
Somnambulism, relatively common behavior occurs during slow wave sleep
Hypnosis
A person, responding to suggestions, experiences changes in memory, perception, and/or voluntary action
Sociocognitive Theory of Hypnosis
Hypnotized people behave as they expect hypnotized people to behave, even if those expectations are faulty
Dissociation Theory of Hypnosis
Acknowledges the importance of social context but view hypnosis as a truly altered state of consciousness
Hypnosis is a trancelike state in which consciousness is dissociated
Hypnotic Analgesia
Form of pain reduction
In clinical settings, hypnosis effective in treating acute and chronic pain
Changes the patient’s interpretation of pain rather than by diminishing it- patient feels sensations associated with pain by feels detached to those sensations
Meditation
Practice in which intense contemplation leads to a deep sense of calmness that has been described as an altered state of consciousness
Brings structural changes in brain that help maintain brain function over a life span
Mindfulness Meditation
Let your thoughts flow freely, paying attention to them by not examining their meaning or reacting
Concentrative Meditation
Focus your attention on one thing, like breathing patter, mental image, a mantra
Known as Transcendental Meditation
Four Main Drug Classes
Stimulants: increase behavior and mental activity
Depressants: decrease behavior and mental activity
Opioids: reduce pain and provide pleasure
Hallucinogens: change perceptions, thoughts, emotions
Stimulants
- Activate sympathetic nervous system, increasing blood pressure and heart rate
- Improve mood, causes restlessness and disrupts sleep
Amphetamines, Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Nicotine, Caffeine
Allows dopamine to remain in synapses longer, prolongs impact of dopamineNeurotransmitter: Dopamine and Norepinephrine
