Chapter 5: States of Consciousness Flashcards
What are the properties related to the nature of consciousness?
intentionality, unity, selectivity, transience
intentionality
awareness is directed towards something
unity
the ability to integrate information from all of the body’s sense into one coherent whole
selectivity
focus on some things but not others
cocktail party phenomenon
when our attention shifts when someone grabs our attention shifts
minimal consciousness
low level sensory awareness and responsiveness that occurs when the mind inputs sensations and may output behavior
full consciousness
you are aware and alert to report your mental state
self-consciousness
where a person’s attention is drawn to the self as an object
what controls circadian rhythms
hypothalamus
melatonin
a hormone that gets secreted in response to darkness which causes us to feel tired
circadian rhythm
changes in energy level, mood, and efficiency through the day
What are the stages of sleep?
3 successive stages of non-REM sleep plus REM sleep
waves when awake
beta waves
waves when drowsy
alpha waves
waves in stage 1
theta waves
waves in stage 2
sleep spindles, K complexes
waves in stage 3
delta waves
waves in REM sleep
fast, random waves (sawtooth waves), beta activity
REM sleep
paradoxical sleep with rapid eye movement and signals from the motor cortex are blocked
What happens when you deprive REM sleep?
impair memory formation
REM rebound
a person temporarily receives more REM sleep than they normally would
What happens when you deprive Non-REM sleep?
lethargy, depression, increase sensitivity to pain
What are the effects of sleep deprivation?
causes lapses in attention, irritability, hand tremors, weight gain, depression, increased mortality
insomnia
difficulty in falling asleep and staying asleep
somnambulism
walking in sleep during N3 sleep
nightmares
during REM sleep, disturbing dreams
night terrors
abrupt awakenings with panic and intense emotional arousal
narcolepsy
a disorder in which sudden sleep attacks occur in the middle of waking activities
narcolepsy
a disorder in which sudden sleep attacks osccur in the middle of waking activities
sleep apnea
when people stop breathing during the night
What are the theories related to why we sleep?
restorative theory, circadian rhythm theory, consolidation theory, synaptic homeostasis hypothesis
restorative theory
allows us to recover from the day
circadian rhythm theory
we go to sleep because it kept us out of danger
consolidation theory
sleep allows us to review and store the information during the day
synaptic homeostasis hypothesis
sleep allows us to filter out unimportant synaptic connections
dreams during NREM sleep
fleeting thoughts and images, less common
dreams during REM sleep
more vivid and elaborate, more common
How does our sleep pattern change throughout the night?
REM sleep increases and deep sleep decreases
What are the theories related to why we dream?
Freudian Theory, Problem solving of dreams for survival theory, dreams facilitating memory storage, activation synthesis model
Freudian Theory
manifest (what happens in the dream) and latent content (what the meaning is)
Problem solving or dreams-for-survival theory
opportunity for us to struggle with problems we are currently working on
Activation synthesis model
random neuronal activity, our brains are always active
Theory by Hobson and McCarley
Psychoactive Drugs
Chemicals that alter our consciousness, perceptions, moods, thoughts, and behaviors
The factors that make drugs influential
tolerance, physical dependence, psychological dependence
tolerance
the phenomenon when an individual needs greater and greater amounts to achieve the high
physical dependence
withdrawal symptoms that occur when you do not take the substance
psychological dependence
feeling unable to cope with certain situations without substance
What are the factors that influence of the development of dependence?
route of administration, rate of action, length of action
route of administration
how does it get into CNS
rate of action
how quickly does it get into CNS
length of action
how long does it act for
the disease model of addiction
addictions are seen as biologically based
the life-process model
understand addiction in the context of relationship and experiences
learning perspective
feels good, avoid pain, allows us to do better
psychodynamic perspective
we turn to substances to make up for something that is missing
social perspective
used in social environment, social pressures
cognitive perspective
becomes an automatic process
Types of psychoactive drugs
depressants, stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens
depressants
substances that reduce the activity of the central nervous system
Expectancy theory
individuals have certain expectations about what alcohol will do, then act in accordance with them
alcohol myopia
reduces ability to think with complexity
side effects of alcohol
interferes with coordination (cerebellum), antagonizing glutamate
Stimulants
substances that excite the central nervous system, heightening arousal and activity levels
caffeine
type of stimulant
increases heart rate, raises blood pressure
nicotine
type of stimulant
increases heart rate, increase alertness and concentration
narcotics
highly addictive drugs derived from opium that relieve pain
hallucinogens
alter sensation and perception and often cause visual and auditory hallucinations
alcohol
type of depressant
ecstasy (MDMA)
type of stimulant
releases a lot serotonin and causes the cells to die out
marijuana
type of hallucinogen
causes motivational syndrome, causes depression, increased risk of psychosis, increased risk of addiction of other substances
phenomenology
how things seem to the conscious person
problem of other minds
the fundamental difficulty we have in perceiving the consciousness of others.
mind–body problem
the issue of how the mind is related to the brain and body
mental control
the attempt to change conscious states of mind
thought suppression
the conscious avoidance of a thought
rebound effect of thought suppression
the tendency of a thought to return to consciousness with greater frequency following suppression
ironic processes of mental control
ironic errors occur because the mental process that monitors errors can itself produce them
dynamic unconscious
an active system encompassing a lifetime of hidden memories, the person’s deepest instincts and desires, and the person’s inner struggle to control these forces
repression
a mental process that removes unacceptable thoughts and memories from consciousness and keeps them in the unconscious
cognitive unconscious
All the mental processes that give rise to a person’s thoughts, choices, emotions, and behavior even though they are not experienced by the person
altered state of consciousness
a form of experience that departs significantly from the normal subjective experience of the world and the mind
Five characteristics of dream consciousness
emotion, illogical thought, sensation, uncritical acceptance, difficulty remembering after the dream is over
