Consciousness Flashcards
what is selective attention?
The selective attention process is the ability to focus on just one thing and respond.
Define circadian rhythms
a cycle that repeats every 24 hours
Define the suprachiasmatic nucleus
Located immediately superior to optic chiams. helps regulate the clocks?? contrlled
How do we learn if sleep cycle is controlled by light
We put someone in an environment where light does not change, no cues for time.
what are three ways to measure brain while sleeping
electroencephalogram, electromyogram, electroooculogram
Definition of sleep
state of unconciousness
where does inhibition of processing occur
in the thalamous
what is overt behaviour
subjects signaled awareness
what is arousal (alertness)
cortical awareness
what is the awake and alert (beta) frequency for an eeg
15+ hertz
what is alpha (relaxed alertness) frequency in an EEG
8-12 hertz
theta (light sleep, drowsiness) frequency on an EEG
4-7 hertz
delta (coma) frequency on an EEG
1-3 hertz
What are the stages of sleep
Stage N1, Stage N2, Stage N3, REM
what two stages of sleep are amalgamated to form NREM
N2 and N3
what is the definition of a waking state
usually alpha or beta/
Defintion of N1
Brief period during the transition from a waking to sleeping state EEG shows less than 50% alpha EOG shows slow rolling movements hypnogogic reverie they start to lose conciousness
what does hypnogogic reverie
drowsiness
Stage N2 definition
EEG shows slower frequencies (alpha and theta)
subject definitely asleep
what are sleep spindles
inhibitors of processing of external stimulous
The K-complex defintion
the means to detect a highly significant stimulous during the night; will not always allow you to wake up
Stage N3 definition
frequencies occur in the data range delta activity
occupies 25% of sleep
mainly occurs in the first half of the night
Definition of Non-REM sleep
Night terrors; sleep walking (but sleeper is unconciousness) within stage N3 (zombie-like)
Stage REM sleep definition
very difficult to awake (thus named paradoxical sleep)
90 min cycle
most of stage REM at the end of the night
Rapid eye movements, dreaming, and muscle inhibition
Can the experimenter influence dreams of the patient
yes
What is the purpose of dreams acoording to Freud
release of repressed desires and drives
what is one explanation of bizarre dreams
inhibition of frontal lobe
what are dreams and nightmares
Strong emotional REM dream (fear, but also sadness, despair)
occur most often in teens
what is the paradox in paradoxical sleep
the cortex seems to be conscious, yet sleeper is very unconcious
Changes in REM amounts of sleep as we age?
Lots at birth, but decreases rapidly
Recapitulation Theory?
Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny; basically, the embryo undergoes changes as it grows into an adult.
What animals sleep longer?
animals with highest metabolism have longest total sleep time
Where are arousal thresholds to awaken the highest?
REM
How is REM sleep distributed in animals?
Predators enjoy more REM sleep, Prey enjoy much less
How do sea mammals keep from sinking while Sleeping in REM?
Only one side of the brain sleeps at a time, the other side is still awake
What are some effects of sleep deprivation
Major effect: sleepiness; irritability
What is the first area of the brain that falls asleep?
The frontal lobes
When is the immune system active during sleep (also give the stage number)?
NREM, N3
What is the first thing that happens after a person who has been deprived of sleep goes to sleep?
Very fast onset of NREM
What is the consequence of deprivation of NREM sleep?
animals become very sick and eventually die
What horomones are released during NREM?
Growth
What part of sleep is required for the onset of puberty and growth?
NREM
what have studies have shown with sleeping and learning?
The task that is learned is performed better after sleep
In what stage of sleep do you imprint and hone new tasks?
NREM
When does REM occur?
Mostly in the second half of the night
what are some skills are learned in REM sleep
non-declarative memory, motor skills, and emotional memory, certain aspects of second language learning
What is cricks theory of REM sleep?
This is when you get rid of unneeded memoryies
What lack of sleep cycle will result in no conversion of shsort term memory to long term memory?
REM
What causes insomnia?
Variety of factors, such as reaing books or watching television
What is narcolepsy
They go directly to REM, they fall asleep randomly when relaxed
What is cataplexy
Strong emotion that causes a person to lose conciousness
What is orexin?
Orexin, also called hypocretin, is a neuropeptide that regulates arousal, wakefulness, and appetite.
What is apnea?
Where the person is lying on their back, and the tongue blocks the airway. can cause sudden infant death
What is selective attention?
The process by which we become concious of stimulous, but then decide to remove it
What is information overload?
The inability to select what is relevant and irrelevant
what is your central executive?
frontal lobe
The place where the frontal lobe stores relevant stimuli Is called… also known as short term memory
working memory
What does the brain do with all incoming stimuli?
It is compared with all existing memory for a match
What kind of attention requires no effort?
Passive attention
What causes narcolepsy?
The most common form of narcolepsy, in which the sufferer briefly loses muscle tone (cataplexy), is caused by a lack of orexin in the brain due to destruction of the cells that produce it.
alpah waves are best associated with…
a relaxed yet awake state
what occurs durring REM sleep (physically)
genital arousal
sleep iducing hormone
mmelatonin
