consciousness

Question 1

what is consciousness?

Answer 1

moment to moment awareness of ourselves in our environment

Question 2

features of consciousness

Answer 2

• subjective and private
• dynamic ever changing
• self-reflective
• central to sense of self
• linked to selective attention

Question 3

Freudian viewpoint

3 levels of consciousness

Answer 3

1. conscious mind - aware thoughts and perceptions
2. preconscious - mental events easily recalled
3. unconscious - events not brought into conscious awareness, no access

Question 4

Cognitive viewpoint

2 aspects insieme

Answer 4

1. controlled conscious processing
top down
- conscious use of attention and effort

2. automatic unconscious processing
   bottom up
   - occurs without conscious awareness or effort

Question 5

3 ways

measuring consciousness

Answer 5

1. self-report - questionnaires, subjective, limited
2. behavioural - tasks based on performance to infer consciousness
3. physiological - heart rate monitors, eeg sleep testing, brain signals

Question 6

where is consciousness?

Answer 6

no single place
- together in mind as information-processing modules

Question 7

unconscious information affects behaviour and performance

4 ways

Answer 7

**- visual agnosia **- inability to visally recognise objects, prosopragnosia
- blindsight - blindness in part of visial field
- hemispatial neglect - part of image not seen, lack of awareness, due to damage of brain hemisphere
- hallucinations - perceptions of things not present

Question 8

impact of drugs

blood-brain barrier

Answer 8

lining of packed cells
- let vital nutrients pass through so neurons can function
- screens out foreign substances
various drugs can pass through

Question 9

how are drugs carried to brain?

Answer 9

by capillaries
- drugs facilitate/inhibit synaptic transmission

Question 10

type of drugs

Agonist

Answer 10

increases activity of a neurotransmitter

Question 11

types of drugs

antagonist

Answer 11

decreases the activity of a neurotransmitter

Question 12

the 5 classes of drugs

Answer 12

• depressants
• stimulants
• opiates
• hallucinogens
• marijuana

Question 13

tolerance vs withdrawal

Answer 13

• tolerance - intensity of effects of drug decreases with repeated use
• withdrawal - opposite effect of drugs, as compensatory symptoms

Question 14

different effects of drugs due to…?

Answer 14

• environmental factors - new environ stronger effect
• biological - genetics
• physiological - placebo effect

Question 15

what is hypnosis?

Answer 15

a procedure in which one person is guided by another to respond to suggestions

not everyone is susceptible

Question 16

theories of hypnosis

Answer 16

1. dissociation
2. social-cognitive

Question 17

theory

1. dissociation

Answer 17

hyponosis as antered state involving a division of consciousness
- one responding to suggestions
- one hidden observer - aware

Question 18

theory

2. social-cognitive

Answer 18

hypnotic experiences result from expectations of people motivated to be hypnotised

Question 19

Sleep

Answer 19

= circadian rhythms
biological cycles within the body
- occur 24-hour cycle

Question 20

how much sleep?

Answer 20

• birth-young = REM sleep, longer hours
• as age increases, REM + non-REM sleep reduces

Question 21

purpose of sleep

Answer 21

to restore the body
- cognitive functioning
- brain health

• information transferred to long-term

Question 22

how sleep is measured:

Answer 22

EEG - electroencephalography

• electrodes read electricity from brain, record brain waves

Question 23

EEG signals when awake

B + A

Answer 23

BETA

ALPHA

Question 24

Beta waves are

Answer 24

present when you are awake and alert

small wave forms

Question 25

Alpha waves

Answer 25

present when you are feeling relaxed and drowsy

Question 26

Sleep Stage 1

Answer 26

light sleep, easily awakened
- brain wave patterns are irregular
- presence of slower theta waves increase
- sleep spindles begin

Question 27

Sleep stage 2

Answer 27

deeper level, characterised by sleep spindles
- breathing + heart slows
- muscles relax
- dreams may occur
- difficult to be awakened

Question 28

SLOW WAVE DEEP SLEEP

stage 3

Answer 28

slow
large delta waves

Question 29

Stage 4

Answer 29

deepest level
- dominated by delta waves
- body relaxed, hard to wake

both Stage 3 + 4 relaxed

Question 30

REM Sleep

Answer 30

rapid eye movement
- high arousal and frequent dreaming

Question 31

REM sleep paralysis

Answer 31

inability to move muscles

Question 32

paradoxical sleep

Answer 32

body is highly aroused, little movement

Question 33

REM rebound effect

Answer 33

tendency to increase amount of REm sleep after being deprived of it

Question 34

example of sleep cycles

3/4 a night

Answer 34

start stage 1,2,3,4
2 to REM
2,3,4
2 to REM
2,3,4, or REM or wakeup

Question 35

when do we dream?

hypnagogic state

Answer 35

during REM sleep
- can occur during any sleep stage

Hypnagogic state = lucid dreaming - the transitional state from wakefulness through early stage 2

Question 36

dream about…

Answer 36

negative content
life experiences

Question 37

Dream theories

Answer 37

1. freud psychoanalytic
2. cognitive
3. activation-synthesis

Question 38

1 freud psychoanalytic

Answer 38

wish fulfilment
- gratification of unconscious needs

Question 39

2 Cognitive

Answer 39

problem solving dream models to find creative solutions
focus on the process of how we dream

Question 40

3 activation-synthesis

Answer 40

dreams no function
- random neural activity during REM sleep and cerebral cortex