Chapter 5: Consciousness Flashcards
________: a person’s subjective awareness, including
thoughts, perceptions, experiences of the world, and self-awareness
Consciousness
what is the “hard problem of consciousness”?
the problem in explaining why we have subjective experiences… why do we have individual, unique thought?
______: biological
rhythms with a ~24 hour periodicity
Circadian rhythms
what are the two ways we stay on a schedule?
entrainment
endogenous rhythms
_____: synchronization
between biological rhythms and external cues (zeitgebers)
Entrainment
what are some different things that can adjust our sleep rhythms?
light, temperature, clocks
what is our main cue for sleep?
light
explain light entrainment:
- Slowly changing levels of
background illumination detected by specialized ganglion cells of the retina - Light signals communicated to brain via the optic nerve to the optic chiasm
- Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) situated above optic chiasm receives light information
- SCN innervates pineal gland to stimulate release of melatonin
- Melatonin accumulates with darkness and onset of sleep
what is the internal clock of the brain?
suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
how does our technology influence sleep?
pushes light into our eyes, keeps arousal high, delays sleep, no melatonin increase because there’s no darkness
_______: ‘free running’ biological rhythms
generated by our body that are independent of zeitgebers
Endogenous rhythms
T/F: even without entrainment, we have internal schedules (24-25 hours)
true! endogenous rhythms!
we have Genetic feedback loops that help us stay on schedule… how do they work?
we have a buildup of X proteins that shuts off something that causes alertness
we have biological and genetic self-regulation to help us!!
what are the two hypothesis about why we sleep?
restore and repair hypothesis
preserve and protect hypothesis
_________:
sleep restores energy levels
and allows for repairs on the
body from the day’s activities
Restore and repair hypothesis
________: sleep preserves
energy and protects the
individual organism from harm
Preserve and protect
hypothesis
Sleep differences between
predator and prey species
what are the stages of sleep?
Stage 1: Breathing, heart
rate, blood pressure
decrease
Stage 2: Become less
responsive to external
stimuli; sporadic brain
activity
Stage 3-4: Brain activity
slows; difficult to wake
Beta waves:
awake
Alpha waves:
drowsy state;
loss of attention
how do we measure brain waves with stages of sleep?
use EEG
_____: stage of sleep
characterized by quickening
brain waves, deep relaxation,
inhibited body movement,
and rapid eye movements
REM sleep
________ is another term for REM sleep. It’s called “paradoxical” because, although the body is deeply relaxed and effectively immobilized (a protective mechanism to prevent acting out dreams), the brain is highly active, exhibiting brain wave patterns similar to when you’re awake.
Paradoxical sleep
whats a REM rebound?
the phenomenon where a person experiences an increase in REM sleep after being deprived of it for a period of time. If someone is sleep-deprived or has interrupted REM sleep (for example, due to sleep disorders, alcohol consumption, or medication), they may enter REM sleep more quickly and for longer durations when they finally do sleep
T/F: There is no ‘magic
number’ for sleep
true
T/F: Amount of sleep
needed varies
between
individuals
according to age
and genetics
true
T/F: Sleep is
developmentally
important
true
_____ facilitates learning, especially for
complex tasks, we need its late stages to learn!
REM
T/F: same areas of brain re-activate in REM when we’ve learned something new that day!
true
_______ (i.e., stages 3 and 4) particularly
important for the learning of autobiographical memories
Slow-wave sleep
_____: Fast-forward playback in which pattern
of neural activity that occurred while awake is
repeated during sleep
Neural replay
More readily falls asleep
Irritability/emotional deficits
Attention/vigilance deficits Normal energy as long as
one is occupied; malaise
sets in upon sitting down or
resting
Reading/studying next to
impossible
After 2-3 days microsleeps
begin to occur
these are all the signs of ___________
sleep deprivation
what are the three costs of sleep deprivation?
cognitive and emotional deficits
increased risk of vehicular accidents
increased number of preventable medical errors
_______:
when an individual is
prevented from sleeping
at the normal time
§ Jet lag
§ Daylight savings time
Sleep displacement
T/F: Practicing good
sleep hygiene
trains your
brain and body
to sleep more
readily
true
______: Published The
Interpretation of Dreams (1900)
Sigmund Freud
what did Sigmund Freud argue with his “Interpretation of Dreams”?
Argued dreams are
unconscious expressions of
wish fulfillment
“free” us from societal restraint, when we normally have to suppress our urges
______: the images
and storylines that we dream
about
Manifest content
part of psychoanalytical approach
______: the actual
symbolic meaning of a dream
built on suppressed sexual or
aggressive urges
Latent content
part of psychoanalytical approach
_______: suggests that
dreams arise from brain
activity originating from
bursts of excitatory
messages arising from
the brainstem
Activation–synthesis
hypothesis
(modern theories of dreaming)
T/F: our brainstem becomes active randomly, dreams are just rest of our brain trying to interpret random messages
true
______: thoughts and concerns are
continuous from waking to sleeping, and that dreams
may function to facilitate finding solutions to problems
encountered while awake
Problem-solving theory
modern theory of dreaming
what affects the memorability of our dreams?
presence of stress hormones (norepinephrine and cortisol)
when we sleep lighter, its because bursts of stress hormones are present, do we have more or less memorability of our dreams?
more memories formed overnight
______: difficulty falling
asleep
Onset insomnia
_______: difficulty
returning to sleep
Maintenance insomnia
______: waking
too early
Terminal insomnia
insomnias can be further classified as…
Primary insomnia: due to
internal source (e.g., worrying)
Secondary insomnias: result
of other disorders
_______: particularly vivid
and disturbing dreams that
occur during REM sleep
§ Occur during REM sleep
Nightmares
______: intense bouts of panic and arousal that awaken
the individual, typically in a
heightened emotional state
§ Occur during NREM sleep
Night terrors
T/F: both nightmares and night terrors increase due to stress
true
_______:
persistent discomfort in the legs and the urge to continuously shift
them into different positions
Restless legs syndrome
________: act out
dreams due to failure to inhibit motor signals
REM behaviour disorder
_______ (sleepwalking): a
disorder that involves wandering
and performing other activities
while asleep
Somnambulism
just brain running familiar motor code (NOT dangerous to wake someone up)
what are the three examples of movement disturbances
restless legs syndrome
REM behaviours disorder
somnambulism
_________: temporary
inability to breathe during
sleep as airway becomes
obstructed
§ Obesity
§ Damage to medulla
Sleep apnea
_______: extreme daytime sleepiness and
even sleep attacks
§ Few seconds to few minutes
§ Immediately into REM sleep
Narcolepsy
______: a procedure of inducing a
heightened state of suggestibility
Hypnosis
T/F: hypnosis is not a distinct state of consciousness
true
what are the three hypnotic suggestions?
Ideomotor: actions to be
performed
Challenge: actions not to be
performed
Cognitive-perceptual: prompt
remembering/forgetting or
altered perceptions
________: explains
hypnosis as a unique state in
which consciousness is
divided
§ Driving on “autopilot”
Dissociation theory
_________:
emphasizes the degree to
which beliefs and expectations
contribute to increased
suggestibility
§ Conform to expectations
Social-cognitive theory
what are the two theories of hypnosis
dissociation
social-cognitive
what is the “suggestion” when people dissociate while driving?
the road is the suggestion, we follow them even in an associated state!
T/F: hypnosis Cannot be used as evidence in courts
true
leads to recovery of false memories
what is the main (reliable) application of hypnosis?
Effective addition to treatment
§ Medical treatments
§ Acute pain relief
_______: an
unintentional
redirection of attention
from the current task to
an unrelated train of
thought
Mind-wandering
________: a pattern
of brain activity associated with self-reflection, introspection, autobiographical memories, and future thinking
Default Mode Network
T/F: Abnormal DMN activity linked with certain psychological
disorders
true
T/F: we’re never NOT thinking
true! our DNM is our “baseline”… we’re never completely thoughtless
Consciousness can be
assessed on a spectrum of
wakefulness/awareness, what is this scale called?
Glasgow coma scale
______: condition in
which the brain stem no
longer functions
§ No potential for recovery
Brain death
_____: complete loss of
consciousness
§ Body is still aside from
minor twitches
§ No pupillary response
Coma
_________
(PVS): a state of minimal to no consciousness
§ Eyes open but do not track
movement
§ Normal sleep cycles
§ Best hope for recovery
before 6 months
§ The case of Terry Shiavo
Persistent vegetative state
_________:
marked by the ability to show
some behaviours that suggest
partial consciousness, even
if on an inconsistent basis
§ Behaviours beyond reflexes
Minimally conscious state
_______: patient is
aware and awake but,
because of an inability to
move, appears unconscious
§ Cognitive and emotional
processing intact
Locked-in syndrome
T/F: Diminished
brain activity
as conscious
awareness
decreases
true
what is ‘The problem
of other minds’?
we never know for sure what each other’s perceptions are… is your red my red? who knows!
T/F: Drugs affect
neurotransmitter
activity through
various agonistic
and antagonistic
effects
true
______: A
prime area of
activation when a
person engages in
rewarding behavior
Nucleus
accumbens
______: when repeated
use of a drug results in a
need for a higher dose to
get the intended effect
§ Metabolic and cellular
tolerance
§ Down regulation of
receptors
Tolerance
how does down regulation affect tolerance of drugs?
when there’s less neurotransmitters available to receive signals, it takes more and more neurotransmitters to elicit the same response…. leading to an increase in tolerance
_______: the
need to take a drug to ward
off unpleasant physical
withdrawal
Physical dependence
long-term drug effects
________:
the need to take a drug to
ward off negative emotions
■ No physical
symptoms
Psychological dependence
long-term drug effects
______: drugs that speed
up the nervous system, typically
enhancing wakefulness and
alertness
Stimulants
what neurotransmitters increase with stimulant use
dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine
what happens cognitively after extended drug use?
Structural abnormalities in
cells of the frontal lobes
Users develop difficulties
ignoring irrelevant thoughts
§ Stroop test
______: produce
perceptual distortions
Hallucinogens
what neurotransmitters are increased/blocked with hallucinogen use?
increased serotonin
blocks glutamate receptors
_______(narcotics): reduce
pain and induce extremely
intense feelings of euphoria
Opiates
what do opiates stimulate?
Stimulate endorphin
receptors
______: drug that blocks
endorphin receptor sites to
negate the effects of opioids
Naloxone
T/F: Other opioids often
laced with highly
potent fentanyl
true! huge issue with overdose
______ (‘downers’): depress
activity of the central nervous
system
Sedatives
what neurotransmitter increases with sedative use?
increases GABA activity
_____: most commonly
used drug
Alcohol
what does alcohol do?
Increase GABA activity,
then stimulates endorphin
and dopamine receptors
________: Narrow focus on cues related to a person’s
current desires and
impulses while
ignoring everything
else
alcohol myopia
T/F: youth are particularly susceptible to alcohol myopia
true!
Protracted
development of
frontal lobes
what does marijuana do to the brain?
THC mimics brain chemicals (anandamide) involved in sleep and memory by binding to cannabinoid receptors
