Chapter 6: Consciousness Flashcards
What is consciousness?
Your immediate awareness of our internal and external states.
Patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome:
For example, patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS), formerly known as
vegetative state (Laureys et al., 2010), “awaken” from a coma—that is, open their eyes—
but show only reflex behavior. They are not conscious!
Consciousness is our awareness for…
our external and internal environments at any given moment.
- Sensory awareness
- Selective attention
- Direct inner awareness
Consciousness involves:
- Attention
- Monitoring
- Remembering
- Planning
4 brain areas important for consciousness:
Reticular formation: Damage to reticular formation in hindbrain, one of factors contributes to cases
where individuals are “locked in” or paralyzed and in non-communicative state like a coma.
Hypothalamus: Relays signals from reticular formation to cortex to maintain awake and attentive state.
Damage to neurotransmitter system in hypothalamus, can lead to sleep disturbances such as narcolepsy.
Thalamus: Receives input from reticular formation. Relays sensory information from various parts of the
brain to the cerebral cortex. Damage leads to lack of conscious awareness of parts of body or surrounding
environments.
Cerebral cortex: Brain’s outer covering of cells. Contains areas that aid us to be aware that we are
attending to stimuli. RH-Nonverbal awareness, LH-Verbal awareness. Synchronized activity of temporal,
parietal and visual cortex lead to awareness of object.
Evidence for levels of conscious awareness: 1. Inattentional blindness
- Inattentional blindness — failure to notice things around us to which
we are not paying attention
- e.g., Unless you pay attention to appropriate aspects of a scene, you
miss the noticeable events around you. - Attention is a key part of consciousness as demonstrated by Daniel
Simons and Colleagues.
Conscious Awareness and the Cerebral Cortex: 2. Blindsight
Blindsight — being unaware of
what has reached our attention.
- Some people with damage to area V1
show a phenomenon called blindsight,
the ability to respond in limited ways to
visual information without perceiving it
consciously. - Say they can’t see table in environment,
yet when navigate or move through
environment, can go around the table. - Conscious visual perception requires
activity in area V1!
Split Brain Patients still have some degree of conscious awareness:
- When showed a word to patient’s left hemisphere, patient
was able to say and write the word. - When a word was flashed to the right hemisphere, the
individual could not name or write it. - Yet, when told to touch screwdriver behind the screen, on basis
of touch could select the screwdriver. - Right hemisphere responsible for non-verbal form
of conscious awareness or tactile awareness.
Conscious Awareness and the Thalamus
Different areas of the brain are responsible for attention and for one’s awareness of that
attention
Intralaminar nuclei and midline nuclei of the thalamus
* Damage bilaterally – Coma
* Damage unilaterally – loss of awareness of one half of the body
Conscious Awareness and Development:
- Conscious awareness —being aware of what has reached our attention
- Conscious awareness of self seems to develop around 18 months
- Full conscious awareness develops at around 22 months
Preconsciousness:
Level of awareness in which information can
become readily available to consciousness if necessary.
Unconscious state:
State in which information is not easily accessible
to conscious awareness.
Sigmund Freud’s differentiation of different levels of consciousness:
- Conscious: information that is part of our awareness
- Preconscious: material that is not currently in awareness but readily available
- Unconscious: material that is unavailable to awareness under most
circumstances - Repression: unconscious ejection from awareness of anxiety-provoking
ideas - Suppression: conscious ejection from awareness of unwanted mental
events - Nonconscious: bodily processes that cannot be experienced through sensory
awareness
Adaptive theory of sleep:
- Adaptive theory of sleep – theory that organisms sleep for the purpose of self-
preservation, to keep away from predators - There are also biological theories of sleep- Sleeps plays a role in growth
process, pituitary gland releases growth hormone during sleep. As we age, we
release fewer of these hormones, grow less, and sleep less.
Restoration theory:
holds that sleep restores our brains and bodies. Allows
the brain to restore depleted chemical resources, while eliminating chemical
wastes that have accumulated during waking day.
What is circadian rhythm?
- Circadian rhythm (biological clock) is a 24-hour cycle of which the
sleep/wake cycle is one. - The sleep/wake cycle is controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus
(SCN) of the hypothalamus
What factors can change circadian rhythms?
Changes in our body and environmental factors can cause our circadian
rhythms and the natural light-dark cycle to be out of sync.
For example:
*Mutations or changes in certain genes can affect our biological clocks.
*Jet lag or shift work causes changes in the light-dark cycle.
*Light from electronic devices at night can confuse our biological clocks.
These changes can cause sleep disorders, and may lead to other chronic
health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, depression, bipolar disorder,
and seasonal affective disorder.
The Stages of Sleep:
- Sleep stages are distinguished by different brain waves.
- Brain waves differ in frequency (number of waves per second) and
amplitude (height of the wave).
*Electroencephalograph (EEG) measures brain waves. - High-frequency waves are associated with wakefulness.
- Typically, wave frequency decreases and amplitude increases as we
relax, fall asleep, and move deeper into sleep.
Sleep and levels of consciousness
- When we fall asleep, the brain passes through distinct brain states with typical patterns of EEG activity.
- We quickly pass through levels of sleep until we reach the deepest sleep
- When we are awake and drowsy, Alpha waves are present
- Stage 1 sleep is characterized by slower waves called Theta waves
- Stage 2 sleep our brainwaves slow further, and delta waves appear
- Very deep sleep: Stage 3 and stage 4 is non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, where our brain wave
are less frequent and have a higher amplitude (i.e., More delta waves are present) - Then, throughout the night, we cycle between rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which has low
amplitude, more frequent brain waves, and NREM sleep with high amplitude of low frequency. - NREM sleep cycles become progressively less deep the longer we sleep.
- Normally, when NREM sleep shifts into REM sleep, there is a loss of muscle tone, preventing motor
movement during REM sleep.
Stage 1 of Sleep
Stage 1 - transition into sleep (5 min)
- At sleep, alpha waves change to theta waves
- HR slows, BP decreases
- Hypnagogic state, hypnagogic hallucinations and myclonic jerks
Stage 2 of sleep
Stage 2 - harder to wake (15-20 min)
- More relaxed
- Sleep spindles (burst of rapid brain waves)
Stage 3 of Sleep:
Stage 3 - deeper sleep (5-15 min)
- Theta waves and appearance of delta waves
Stage 4 of sleep
Stage 4 - deepest sleep (20-30 min)
* Slow HR, brain and body in total relaxation (20-30 min)
* Deepest sleep
* Mostly delta waves
* Sleep walking and bed wetting are more likely
Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep
A stage of sleep is associated with rapid and jagged brain
wave patterns, increased heart rate, rapid and irregular
breathing, rapid eye movements, and dreaming
Theories of dreaming:
- Dreams are imagery that occur without external stimulation.
- They may seem very real to the dreamer.
- Dreams are most likely to be vivid during REM sleep.
- People can dream in colour or black and white.
- Information Processing Theory of Dreaming
- Dreams involve processing information from the day (i.e.,
encoding memory and problem solving) - Dreams could be a mental realm where we can solve problems
and think creatively
- Activation-Synthesis Model of Dreaming
- During sleep the brain has a lot of
random activity via brainstem activity
that activates the sensory systems of
the cortex. - Dreams reflect the brains efforts to
make sense out of or find meaning in
the neural activity that takes place
during sleep.
- Freudian Dream Theory
- Dreams represent the expression of unconscious wishes or
desires.
Nightmares, Lucid Dreams, and Daydreams
Nightmares – dreams filled with intense anxiety
Lucid Dreams – the sleeper fully recognizes that her or she is dreaming
and occasionally actively guides the outcome of the dream
Daydreams – fantasies that occur while one is awake and aware of
external reality but is not fully conscious
Lucid Dreaming
- Lucid dreaming is the experience of feeling awake while in a
dream and being able to control dream content. - Only about 20 percent of people lucid dream regularly.
Sleep Deprivation
If we could sleep as long as we wanted, most people would sleep 9–
10 hours
Chronic sleep loss results in:
* General depressed state
* Lower immune system
* Lower ability to concentrate
* Higher incidence of accidents
* Lower productivity and higher likelihood of making mistakes
Sleep Disorders
- Insomnia
- Central disorder of Hypersomnolence: Excessive daytime sleepiness, Narcolepsy
- Sleep-related breathing disorder: Sleep Apnea
- Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders: Delayed sleep phase syndrome (long
delay to fall asleep), Advanced sleep phase syndrome (fall asleep early) - Sleep-related movement disorder: Restless legs syndrome and periodic limb
movements of sleep (PLMS) (i.e., strong urge to move legs in nighttime prior or
during sleep; uncontrollable urge to move legs gets worse). - Parasomnias: Sleepwalking (somnambulism), Night terrors, REM Sleep Behaviour
disorder
Insomnia:
- Most common
- Difficulty going to sleep, staying asleep, or wake early
- Caused by stress, drug dependence, pain, depression
Narcolepsy
- A “sleep attack” in which a person falls asleep suddenly and irresistibly
- Out of the person’s control
- Can be very dangerous as the sleep attack can happen randomly
- A person may be driving, or working.
- Sleep paralysis: collapse of muscle groups or the entire body
- Narcolepsy is considered a REM sleep disorder.
Sleep Apnea
- A temporary cessation of breathing during sleep
- Caused by anatomical deformities that clog the air passageways
- Associated with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and memory
problems - Treatment includes weight loss, surgery, and continuous positive airway pressure
Sleepwalking
- Most common in children
- Occurs in Stages 3 or 4
- Appears to be inherited
Night terrors
- Stages 3 or 4
- Child screams in panic; goes back to sleep immediately and does not
remember the event in the morning - Resolves by adolescence
Nightmare disorder
- Experience frequent nightmares
- Nightmares are more common when stressed and in children
Hypnosis:
- Hypnosis: an altered state of consciousness in which people are highly
suggestible and behave as though in a trance - Used to relieve pain, anxiety, and fear
- Hypnosis helps people relax in order to cope with stress and enhance
the functioning of their immune systems.
Meditation
a technique designed to turn one’s consciousness
away from the outer world toward one’s inner cues and awareness
Transcendental meditation (TM)
has the person focusing on words
or sounds, mantras.
Mindfulness meditation (MM)
involves focusing on the present
moment.
Psychoactive Drugs
Psychoactive drugs - any substance that alters mood, perception,
awareness, or thought
Addiction
Addiction - psychological or physical compulsion to take a drug,
resulting from regular ingestion and leading to maladaptive patterns
of behaviour and changes in physical response
2 main types of neurotransmitters
- Excitatory neurotransmitters: These chemical messengers get things started;
they tell a target cell to take a type of action.
e.g., Dopamine release associated with activities find rewarding and with motor
movement - Inhibitory neurotransmitters: These chemical messengers stop or prevent things
from happening; they decrease the likelihood of a target cell taking a certain
action.
e.g., GABA block or inhibits brain signals and decreases nervous system activity.
Reduces excitability.
Medical relaxants such as valium used to calm anxiety increase the action of GABA
Drug types:
Most are Agonist drugs, mimicking activity of neurotransmitter
Stimulants: induce energetic activity
e.g., amphetamines, cocaine, caffeine and nicotine
Depressants: often called “downers”
e.g., alcohol, opoids (opium, heroin, morphine, codeine,
methadone) and benzodiapines
Hallucinogens: produce hallucinations
e.g., cannabis (THC, marijuana), LSD
Psychoactive Drugs and Reward
- People who are prone to abuse drugs suffer from reward
deficiency syndrome. - Reward-deficiency syndrome - the neurotransmitters that make
up the reward pathway are not active at levels that are typical of
many of us and are not activated readily by the events in their
lives (Blum et al., 2015; Febo et al., 2017).
Why excessive consumption of drugs is not good? Substance Use Disorders
Substance abuse: persistent use of a substance even though it is causing or
compounding problems in meeting the demands of life
Substance dependence: loss of control over the use of a substance; biologically
speaking, dependence typified by tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, or both
Substance Use Disorders
- Physiological dependence: a biological need to use a drug typified by
- tolerance (habituation to a drug, resulting in increasingly higher
doses needed to achieve similar effects), - withdrawal (physical symptoms that result when usage suddenly
drops off) or both - Psychological dependence: an emotional need to use a drug
- characterized by withdrawal symptoms such as depression or
anxiety
In terms of unconscious processing, psychodynamic is to cognitive as is to .
Question options:
A) protection from disturbing thoughts; protection from disturbing thoughts
B) protection from disturbing thoughts; everyday information processing
C) everyday information processing; protection from disturbing thoughts
D) everyday information processing; everyday information processing
B) protection from disturbing thoughts; everyday information processing
When Pedro was eight years old, he witnessed a frightening and violent crime. Now, at the age of twenty-five he claims he
remembers nothing about it. Which of the following explanations would Freud give to explain this Pedro’s memory lapse?
Question options:
A) Pedro finds the memory too painful so has pushed the memory into his unconscious.
B) Too much time has passed for Pedro to remember the incident.
C) Pedro was too young to properly encode the information into memory.
D) Pedro’s memory is buried in his preconscious so is difficult to recall.
A) Pedro finds the memory too painful so has pushed the memory into his unconscious
The receives information about light and darkness from the eyes.
Question options:
A) suprachiasmatic nucleus
B) lateral geniculate nucleus
C) pituitary gland
D) pineal gland
A) suprachiasmatic nucleus
Sophia is just dozing off and feels as though she is floating when she suddenly experiences the
sensation of falling. Sophia has experienced
Question options:
A) restorative sleep
B) hypnagogic hallucination –floating experience (p.212)
C) paradoxical sleep
D) myoclonic jerk –accompanies hypnagogic hallucination
B) hypnagogic hallucination- floating experience (P. 212)
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Stage 2 sleep?
Question options:
A) brain activity slows
B) Sleep walking occurs in those who are prone to it.
C) sleep spindles
D) muscle tension relaxes
B) Sleep walking occurs in those who are prone to it
A drug that blocks the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine is
Question options:
A) tobacco.
B) cocaine.
C) heroin.
D) marijuana.
B) cocaine
Heroin belongs to which category of drugs?
Question options:
A) antibiotic
B) Opiate –Heroin is an Opoid as in acts like a pain killer similar to morphine and codeine, but is illegal. P.231 in textbook
C) hallucinogen
D) stimulant
B) Opiate –Heroin is an Opoid as in acts like a pain killer similar to morphine and codeine, but is illegal. P.231 in textbook
Alcohol is a depressant because it reduces the influence of
Question options:
A) endorphins.
B) dopamine.
C) GABA.
D) serotonin.
C) GABA
In terms of unconscious processing, psychodynamic is to cognitive as ________ is to ________.
A)
everyday information processing; everyday information processing
B)
everyday information processing; protection from disturbing thoughts
C)
protection from disturbing thoughts; protection from disturbing thoughts
D)
protection from disturbing thoughts; everyday information processing
D) protection from disturbing thoughts; everyday information processing
In Stage 3 sleep between 20 and 50 percent of our brainwaves are ________. During Stage 4 the percentage of these types of wave ________.
A) delta; increase
B) theta; decrease
C) delta; decrease
D) theta; increase
A) delta; increase
________ increase overall activity of the nervous system and increase its responsiveness.
A) Hallucinogens
B) Stimulants
C) Psychoactive drugs
D) Ethyl alcohol
B) Stimulants
Rick is taking an Introductory Psychology course at a local university. The night before his class is to write their final exam, Rick dreams that he cannot find the room where he is to write the exam. If he interprets this dream as his mind attempting to sort out and give order to the stressful event of writing final exams, he would most likely subscribe to the ________ of dreaming.
A) Freudian dream theory
B) information processing theory
C) cognitive theory
D) activation-synthesis model
B) Information processing theory
Preston has been snorting cocaine on and off for the past six months. When Preston snorts a line of cocaine, his brain will experience an increase in the neurotransmitter ________ as the reward learning pathway is activated.
A) norepinephrine
B) epinephrine
C) dopamine
D) serotonin
C) dopamine
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of REM sleep?
A) paralysis of major muscle groups
B) low frequency brain waves
C) eyes dart around rapidly
D) story-like dreaming
B) low frequency brain waves
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Stage 2 sleep?
A) brain activity slows
B) muscle tension relaxes
C) Sleep walking occurs in those who are prone to it.
D) sleep spindles
C) Sleep walking occurs in those who are prone to it.
The ________ receives information about light and darkness from the eyes.
A) lateral geniculate nucleus
B) suprachiasmatic nucleus
Incorrect Response
C) pineal gland
D) pituitary gland
B) Suprachiasmatic nucleus
A drug that blocks the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine is
A) tobacco.
B) cocaine.
C) heroin.
D) marijuana.
B) cocaine
Biological processes occurring on a cycle of approximately 24 hours are termed
A) body rhythms.
B) circadian rhythms.
C) diurnal rhythms.
D) biorhythms.
B) circadian rhythms
