Chapter 5 Flashcards
Consciousness
persons subjective experience of the world and the mind
Phenomenology
how things seem to the conscious person
Problems of other minds
-Fundamental difficulty in perceiving the consciousness of others
(you are the only one that will ever know what it’s like to be you)
-Judge minds based on; Experience/Agency
Mind-Body problem
how the mind is related to brain and body
4 properties of consciousness
- Intentionally: quality of being directed toward on object, working towards something, having intentions
- Unity: ability to integrate info from all of the body’s senses into one coherent whole, one smooth experience, what your touching/feeling/tasting etc. all bundled into one experience
- Selectivity: capacity to include some objects but not others
- Transience: tendency for consciousness to change
Lvls of consciousness
- Minimal: low-level king of sensory awareness/ responsiveness that occurs when mind inputs sensations and makes behaviour
- Full: able to report your mental state, aware of the state while having the state
- Self: focuses on the self to the exclusion of everything else
Disorder of consciousness
unable to demonstrate full consciousness or self-consciousness
Experience-sampling technique
people report on conscious experiences at certain times
Daydreaming
brain active when no task at hand, show activation in default network
Anxious thoughts
- Mental control: attempt to change conscious states of mind
- Thought suppression: conscious avoidance of a thought
- Rebound Effect of Thought suppression: tendency of a thought to return to consciousness w/ greater frequency following suppression
- Ironic processes of mental control: brain needs to know what it’s trying to think about so you then think about it
Unconscious mind
- Dynamic Unconscious: active system encompassing a lifetime of hidden memories, instincts, and desires; struggle to control these forces
- Repression: mental process of removing unacceptable thoughts/memories from consciousness to keep unconscious
- Freudian Slips: evidence of unconscious mind
ex. saying wrong name at wedding
More modern view of unconscious mind
-Cognitive: all the mental processes that influence thoughts, choices, emotions, and behaviour; not experienced by person
-Dual process theory: two systems for processing info; System 1= fast, automatic, unconscious processing
ex. Subliminal Perception–>reminder of aging causes person to walk slower
System 2= slow, effortful, conscious processing
Altered state of consciousness
a form of experience different than subjective experience of the world and mind
Hypnagogic state
pre sleep consciousness; hypnic jerk (sensation of dropping
Hypnopompic state
post sleep consciousness
Stages of sleep
- Theta waves; low-frequency patterns
- Sleep spindles/k complexes; bursts of activity
- Delta waves; slow-wave sleep
- REM sleep; rapid eye movements, body very still, mind active, high frequency sawtooth waves
cycle btwn REM and slow-wave sleep stages every…
90 min
Sleep is important for….
memory consolidation
Consequences of sleep deprivation
- reduced mental acuity and reaction time
- increased irritability and depression
- increased risk of injury or accidents
Sleep disorders
- Insomnia: difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- Sleep Apnea: person stops breathing for brief periods while asleep
- Sleep walking (somnambulism): person arises and walks around while asleep
- Narcolepsy: sudden sleep attacks in the middle of waking activities
- Sleep paralysis: waking up unable to move
- Night terrors: abrupt awakenings with panic and emotional arousal
Dream Characteristics
- intensely feeling emotion
- illogical thoughts
- visual sensations
- uncritical acceptance of dream
Dream theories
- manifest and latent content (burning tree)
- activation synthesis (dreams are produced when brain tries to make sense of random neural activity during sleep)
- key difference (dreams begin w/ meaning vs. mind adds in meaning you interpret)
Dreams and senses
- visual perception of the brains= not active
- association areas in occipital lobe for visual imagery = active
Light vs. deep sleeper
- genetic variant on the ADA gene which produces the enzyme adenosine
- adenosine influences how deep people sleep
Morning person?
48% women and 40% males; 24% under 50
blame genes
Does white noise help ya sleep
when you wake up at night its not cause of noise, its the inconsistency of noises
Psychoactive drugs
chemicals that influence consciousness or behaviour by altering the brains chemical message system
Drugs can….
- prevent NT from binding to sites on postsynaptic neuron
- block reuptake to the presynaptic neuron
- intensify or dull transmission patterns creating changes in brain electrical activity that mimic brain operations
Drug tolerance
larger doses are required over time to achieve same effect
Physical dependence
continuing to use the drug to avoid becoming ill
Psychological dependence
strong desire to return back to the drug even when physical withdrawal symptoms are gone
Types of Psychoactive drugs
Depressants Narcotics Stimulants Hallucinogens Marijuana
Depressants
- reduce activity of CNS
- alcohol, toxic inhalants,
- sedative, calming effect
- physical and psychological dependence
Depressants: Expectancy theory
alcohol effects can be produced by people’s expectations of how alcohol will impact them
-placebo effect?
Depressants: Alcohol Myopia
alcohol impacts attention; respond in simple ways to complex situations
Barbiturates
Benzodiazepines
Toxins
sleeping aids
minor tranquilizers
glue, gas
Narcotics
- aka opiates
- opium comes from poppy seeds
- highly addictive
- relieve pain
Stimulants
- excite CNS
- heighten arousal and activity lvls
- increase lvls of dopamine and norepinephrine in brain
- physical and psychological dependence
Stimulants: amphetamines
- aka speed
- originally used medically
Stimulants: ecstasy
- aka MDMA
- added effect similar to hallucinogens
Stimulants: cocaine
- feeling of euphoria and exhilaration
- derived from coca plant leaves
Stimulants: nicotine
-positive effects outweigh withdrawal; relaxation, improved concentration
Hallucinogens
- alter sensation and perception
- cause visual and auditory hallucinogens
- no significant tolerance or dependence
Marijuana
- intoxication similar to hallucinogens
- affects judgement, short-term memory, impairs motor skill and coordination
- no tolerance ( dependence is still possible)
Gateway drugs
increases the risk of the subsequent use of more harmful drugs
Hypnosis
one of the best indicators of a person’s susceptibility is their own judgement
Posthypnotic Amnesia
failure to retrieve memories following hypnotic suggestions to forget
Hypnotic Analgesia
reduction of pain through hypnosis for those who are susceptible
