lecture 4: consciousness and the Two-Track mind Flashcards
what is the definition of consciousness?
subjective awareness of ourselves and environment
describe how the consciousness is a two-tracked mind?
Conscious information processing enables us to exercise control and to communicate our mental states to others.
describe the stroop effect
our tendency to experience difficulty naming a physical color when it is used to spell the name of a different color.
describe selective attention and selective inattention
selective attention: your conscious awareness focuses on only a very limited aspect of your surroundings.
selective inattention: at the level of conscious awareness, we are “blind” to out surroundings
describe the stages of sleep including REM.
(N-1) sleep- slow breathing and irregular brain waves, hallucinations, hypnagogic sensations, brief
(N-2) - relaxes more deeply; 20 minutes; sleep spindles that aid memory processing
(N-3)- deep sleep; 30 minutes; slow delta waves
(REM)- eyes more rapidly, heart-rate increase, dreams occur, genital arousal.
how does the circadian rhythm apply to the stages of sleep?
aligns our sleep and wakefulness with day and night.
how is melatonin related to sleep?
Melatonin is a hormone that your brain produces in response to darkness. It helps with the timing of your circadian rhythms (24-hour internal clock) and with sleep.
what are the brain waves involved in each stage of sleep? including REM?
beta waves- normal wakefulness
alpha waves- seen when relaxed and drowsy
delta waves- seen in “deep sleep”
Outline and explain the possible 5 reasons we sleep (“the possible functions of sleep” slide from lecture).
- sleep protects us (evolutionary)
- sleep helps us recuperate
- sleep is for making memories and learning
- sleep feeds creative thinking
- sleep helps us grow (releases growth hormone during sleep)
what are the effects of sleep deprivation?
takes 2 weeks to recover
conflicts in friendships, depression predictor, diminished productivity, and increases rick for accidents, weight gain
list and describe the major sleep disorders discussed in lecture.
insomnia- can’t sleep
narcolepsy- sudden attacks of overwhelming sleepiness
sleep apnea- stop breathing repeatedly while sleeping
sleep walking/talking- doing normal waling activities
night terrors- appearing terrified talking, sitting up, or walking around during N-3 sleep; different from nightmares
explain the proposed explanations for why we dream.
- satisfy our own wishes
- wish fufillment
- to file away memories
- to develop and preserve neural pathways
activation synthesis- to make sense of random neural static - to reflect cognitive development (REM rebound)
what is hypnosis?
altered state of consciousness and suggestibility.
describe both, the facts and falsehood, of hypnosis
Myth #8: When Hypnotized, I will lose all sense of my surroundings, and will have no memory of the session. Fact: hypnosis is not an unconscious state of sleep.
what is tolerance and dependence as it relates to addiction?
1) tolerance - more–> same effect
2) addiction- continue to crave/use
