Chapter 6: Sleep

Question 1

What is entrainment of circadian rhythms?

Answer 1

Synchronization between biological and external cues (like an alarm clock). Light entrainment is when specialized ganglion cells in the retina detect changing background illumination and signal for the release of melatonin

Question 2

What is jet lag?

Answer 2

When the internal clock is out of sync which external cues (a change in time), causing internal desynchronization

Question 3

Explain the stages of sleep

Answer 3

REM sleep: active brain, inactive muscles
Stg 1: edge of consciousness, light sleep
Stg 2: short bursts of rapid waves
Stg 3/4: slow waves with high peaks

Question 4

What is rapid eye movement
(REM) sleep?

Answer 4

Brain is most active, most vivid dreams. REM sleep continually alternate with non-REM sleep throughout the night

Question 5

Why do we sleep?

Answer 5

Restore/repair hypothesis: the body needs to restore energy and repair
Preserve/protect hypothesis: preserving energy and protecting from harm

Question 6

Describe the different types of insomnia

Answer 6

Onset insomnia: difficulty falling asleep
Maintenance insomnia: difficulty returning to sleep
Terminal insomnia: waking too early

Can further be classified as primary (due to internal source) or secondary (result of other disorders)

Question 7

What is restless leg syndrome?

Answer 7

Persistent discomfort in legs that gives an urge to continuously shift them

Question 8

What is REM behaviour disorder?

Answer 8

Physically acting out dreams due to a failure to inhibit motor signals

Question 9

If a person has somnambulism, what kind of effects do they experience?

Answer 9

Sleepwalking

Question 10

Sleep allows for the _______ of stored memories. REM facilitates _______, especially for complex tasks

Answer 10

consolidation, learning

Question 11

Which phase of sleep is most important for biographical memories?

Answer 11

The slow-wave phase (3/4). It engages in a neural replay, which is a mental replay of what happened during the day

Question 12

What did Freud theorize about dreams?

Answer 12

He theorized manifest content, which is the images and storyline we dream about. He believed that whatever we dreamed about was what we wanted to do in reality: latent context is the dream based on suppressed urges

Question 13

Explain the problem-focused theory on dreaming and how it differs from the cognitive approach

Answer 13

Problem-focused: reflect conscious preoccupations of waking life, dreams more likely to solve real-life problems

Cognitive: no claims about problem solving, the brain acts the same as it would when it’s awake, and dreams include things that may be random

Question 14

What is the activation-synthesis theory for dreams?

Answer 14

States that dreams occur when the cortex tries to make sense of spontaneous neural firing by the pons

Question 15

______ is a procedure in which a practitioner suggests changes in a patient’s sensations, thoughts, feelings, or behaviour. The effectiveness of this treatment mostly depends on ______.

Answer 15

Hypnosis, the patient

Question 16

Dissociation theories and sociocognitive theories are trying to theorize how hypnosis works. Describe these 2 theories

Answer 16

-Dissociation involves a split in consciousness. The split depends on the specific theory (part that is hypnotized splits with hidden observer vs executive control split with thinking and acting)

-Sociocognitive: combo of expectations & beliefs with their level of suggestibility

Question 17

Biological theories about hypnosis suggest that _______ _______ are common in the brain while being hypnotized

Answer 17

alpha waves

Question 18

Disorders of consciousness can be assessed on a spectrum of wakefulness and awareness. List 5 disorders in order of most wakeful to least wakeful

Answer 18

-Locked-in syndrome: conscious and aware but unable to move
-Minimally conscious state: able to show behaviours suggestive to consciousness
-Persistent vegetative state: minimal consciousness or movement
-Coma: complete loss of consciousness, no body movement (except twitches)
Brain death:brain stem stops functioning

Question 19

Give some short-term effects
of using drugs

Answer 19

They affect neurotransmitter activities. They often target dopamine and reward center. The nucleus accumbens is a prime area of activation when engaging in rewarding behaviour

Question 20

Give some long-term effects of using drugs

Answer 20

-Tolerance: need more over time to feel the same rush
-Physical dependence: needed to function normally
-Psychological dependence: needed to ward off negative emotions

Question 21

What are stimulant drugs?

Answer 21

Speed up the nervous system and enhance alertness. There is a high risk of developing dependence and increased tolerance

Example: cocaine

Question 22

What category of drug would Xanax be?

Answer 22

A sedative, which depresses nervous system activity

Question 23

Hallucinogens cause perceptual distortions. Give an example of a hallucinogen

Answer 23

LSD

Question 24

Drugs like morphine or OxyContin are used as narcotics to reduce pain. What category of drug are they?

Answer 24

Opiates. They are dangerous because they are addictive and very quick to build up a tolerant

Question 25

What is the most commonly used drug in the world?

Answer 25

Alcohol

Question 26

What is the think-drink effect?

Answer 26

A psychological phenomenon where the expectation of alcohol (or any other drug) causes a real effect on the person where they can experience some of the drug’a effects without taking any