chapter 5 Flashcards
consciousness
refers to what we are aware of at any point of time and incudes perception, thoughts and feelings.
infradian rhythms
biological rhythms that cycle over a period longer than a day (like female menstrual cycles)
ultradian rhythms
biological rhythms that cycle over a period shorter than a day (hormone levels)
circadian rhythms
biological rhythms that cycle over a 24 hour period (sleeping/waking cycle)
suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus
the structure is responsible for coordinating our circadian rhythms with exposure to sunlight in the hypothalamus.
pineal gland
releases hormones called melatonin that contributes to our level or alertness. the more melatonin the less alertness and more sleepiness. highest at night
entrainment
the synchronization of biological rhythms with external cues, such as light or temperature
endogenous rhythms
external cues do not modify some of our biological rhythms.
what happens while we sleep?
demonstrates a circadian rhythm, while we are sleeping we go through shorter ultradian rhythms.
polysomnography
these measures include body temperature, breathing rate and sensors for measuring muscle activity and electroencephalogram (EEG)
beta waves
high frequency low amplitude waves that dominate when we are awake and alert
alpha wave
as a person transitions into sleep the frequency slows down a bit and the amplitude of the wave increases a bit
4 stages of sleep
- theta waves: brain waves are slower and amplitude increases, slower breathing
- sleep spindles and k complexes: after 15 mins is when spindles appear which is a burst of high frequency. k complexes are bursts of high amplitude waves
- delta waves: around 20 minutes. low frequency high amplitude waves. continues into stage 4 which is the deepest level of sleep.
REM sleep
over an hour of sleeping and then in reverse to stage 1,
brain waves are faster in this stage, along with heart rate and breathing rates.
stages 1-4 are also referred to as non-rem sleep
sleep deprivation
can lead to determination in mental and physical health
weakens immune system
preserve and protect hypothesis
the idea that sleep serves function of conserving our energy and keeping us out trouble in the nighttime.
our eyes are not well functioned in the dark
animals that sleep the most tend to be at the least risk for getting eaten such as bats and lions
sleep displacement
when we are unable to sleeping during our normal sleeping time. this tends to occur when we travel across time zones.
jet lag: uncomfortable period of adjustment while our biological rhythms synchronize with a new time zone after traveling.
insomnia
inability to sleep. diagnose based on how rested people feel during their waking hours.
types of insomnia
onset insomnia: problems getting to sleep
maintenance insomnia: trouble getting a full nights sleep from waking up too early
terminal insomnia: trouble getting a full nights sleep from waking up too early
secondary insomnia: difficulty sleeping caused by some primary influence like chronic pain, drug use, anxiety or depression
night terrors
- less common. intense emotional reaction during sleep that cause screaming thrashing around and waking up in a state of panic
- not dreams
restless leg syndrome
a persistent urge to continually shift the positions of ones leg.
somnambulism
sleep walking. walking around or engaging in other activities while one is asleep. more common in children
sexomnia
sleep sex
engaging in sexual activity during sleep, including touching oneself or others and talking dirty
REM behavior disorder
physically actingout the action that one is performing as part of the dream
sleep apnea
a disorder in which a person has difficulty sleeping because or reoccurring episodes of not being able to breathe
more common in men
narcolepsy
a disorder in which individuals are very sleepy or even prone to rapidly and unpredictably falling asleep during waking hours
how to maintain good sleep hygiene
- bed should be for sleeping and sex not working
- don’t try to hard to sleep
- exercise early in the day
- avoid sleeping pills
- if you cannot fall asleep get up and do something and then try again when you feel tired
dreaming
while we sleep we go through experiences that feel very real. differentiate extremely between one individual to the next.
female students dreams tend to be associated with failing, loosing control and dangerous animals
male students dreams tended to more on positive things
why do we dream?
signmund freud idea was that dreaming was peoples wish-fulfilment, meaning us dreaming will give us some sight on what we want.
we often dream about our everyday experiences/problems
manifest content
the actual images and experiences we have while dreaming.
latent content
the true meaning of our dreams lying at the root of the symbols that form the manifest content of our dreams.
dream work
a psychoanalysis technique in which the client records dreams and the analyst tried to interpret their true meanings
the activation synthesis hypothesis
in REM, the pons in our brain stem send random bursts of neural activity up to the rest of the brain, causing rapid eye movement and stimulates the visual auditory and other centers of the brain that we rely on to feel real life sensations
frontal lobes
most accepted theory
problem solving theory of dreaming
perhaps dreams provide a way to work through life problems
you may have experienced a dream in failing a test, getting fired from your job or your partner cheating on you. these sorts of dreams have something to do with our real life concerns
brain death
a condition which no part of the brain is functional but life support machines may keep vital organs going.
once taken off life support the person would no longer be alive
coma
the brain still functions to an extent but the person still remains unconscious and unaware of their surroundings
persistent vegetative state
the person’s conscious awareness ranges from none to minimal. but they remain almost completely unaware of themselves or their surroundings
permanent vegetative state
a person who has remained in a persistent vegetative state for more than 3 months. after another 3 months it is very rare for the person to recover.
minimally-conscious state
patients occasionally exhibit actions that suggest some minimal awareness. may be able to answer yes/no quesions
locked in state
the person is very aware of their surroundings yet are unable to do anything that would make appear conscious to others.
damage to the pons
hypnosis
state of high suggestibility
no magic or special powers
types of hypnotic suggestions
ideomotor suggestions: physical actions, the hypnotist tells the person that they are an animal such as a chicken
challenge suggestions: actions that cannot be perform, such as telling the person to move their arm
cognitive perceptual-suggestions: suggestions to remember or forget or alter their perception of reality. such as the hypnotist might suggest that the sun is beating down on the subject as they walk across the desert when they are really just on a stage.
hypnotherapy treats…
depression programs to quit smoking eating disorders phobias addictions acute pain
what are the two processing systems?
unconscious processing system: unconscious thoughts and guides our behaviors without the involvement of our conscious mind ex: riding a bike.
executive processing system: the conscious mind that maintains our awareness of events reflects critically about the current situation, and plans our behaviors.
meditation
altered state of consciousness that is more personal but many people say its equally dramatic.
heightened state of awareness through developing a calmer internal state
forms of meditation
focused-attention (FA) meditation:involves focusing attention on a single external or internal object, such as breathing or a candlelight flicker
open monitoring meditation: starts in FA meditation and proceeds to learning t attend to internal and external experiences in the moment without focusing on/judging any one aspect.
advantages of meditation
improves emotional and behavioral control
reduces personal anxieties about the past and future
drug
any substance that we ingest for the purpose of effecting some aspect of our physiology and not for our nourishment or appetite
agonist
drugs that increase the amount of neurotransmitters available in the synapse between neurons
antagonist
drugs that decrease the amount of neurotransmitters available in the synapse between neurons
dopamine
effected by drugs such as cocaine or meth.
the release of dopamine in two key centers of the brain which are:
1. nucleus accumbens
2. ventral tegmental (VTA)
long term effects of psychoactive drugs
tolerance: a person has to increase doses of the drug to experience the same amount of high
withdrawal symptoms: negative side effects that occur after terminating regular use of a drug
physical dependence: unable to stop taking a drug because of the withdrawal symptom
psychological dependence: use of a drug to suppress negative psychological states ex: depression, rather than to avoid withdrawal symptoms
stigma
addicts have a challenge in overcoming stigma. stigmas are imposed by societies and communities that cause major discrimination and hurt.
stimulants
increase nervous system activity and give a person pleasure ex: cocaine, caffeine, and ecstasy (MDMA)
hallucinogenic drugs
alter ones perception and can produce vividly d auditory, visual or tactile perceptions in the absence of any sensory input.
can be seen as dreams protruding from ones conscious experience while they are awake.
ex: LSD, magic mushrooms
marijuana
has both stimulants and hallucinogenic and narcotic properties.
active ingredient is THC, which mimics the neurotransmitter, anandamide which stimulates feelings of euphoria and relaxation.
opiates
similar in chemical structure to a class of neurotransmitters called endorphins. opiates such as pain killers have potent painkilling effects and generate strong feelings of euphoria ex: morphine, oxycodone.
sedative
opposite result of stimulants. reduce altertness and mental activity
alcohol
increases the amount of GABA within synapses, dopamine and endorphin levels.
alcohol consumption is associated with a number of social problems
- sexual assault
- physical assault
- intimate partner violence
- unwanted pregnancy
- STDs
- automobile and workplace accidents
long term effects of alcohol
brain damage
liver problems
