Lecture 5 Flashcards
consciousness
The awareness of internal and external stimuli
Various kinds of awareness
External events
Internal sensations
Of oneself as unique to experiences
Of thoughts about experiences
conscious content includes
Current concerns, daydreams and unwanted thoughts
Property of Consciousness
Intentionality: being directed toward an object (I want to focus on this)
Unity: resistance to division (we tend to see things as a whole)
Selectivity: the cocktail party phenomenon (we are drawn to some things more than others, they grab our attention)
Transcience: the tendency to change (it is always changing)
Subliminal Perception
can we be “unaware” of things and have them still have an impact?
James Vicary and “Drink Coke and Eat Popcorn”
Krosnick study: subliminal messages may shape attitudes without conscious awareness
Freud and Consciousness
Three Levels of Consciousness
Conscious: mental events we are aware of
Preconscious: mental events that can be brought to our awareness
Unconscious: mental events inaccessible to our awareness
Circadian Cycles
Individuals have different internal clocks
Most run on a 24 hour cycle
Almost all are set for sleep at night
Night time sleepiness: 2am-6am peak
Siesta Zone
1-4pm (people rested during the hottest time, even here people take naps after lunch)
Programmed for naps
Functions of Sleep
- memory consolidation
- energy conservation
- helps restore bodily functions
Sleep Deprivation
decrease immune functions leads to hallucinations and perceptual disorders less alert and attentive more irritable ability to perform simple tasks declines
Stage 1 sleep
light sleep, small irregular brain waves, muscles relax
Stage 2 sleep
high peaking waves, sleep spindles, burst of electrical activity
Stage 3 sleep
Deep sleep, Delta waves, slow with high peaks
Stage 4 sleep
Progressively more Delta Waves (Deep Sleep)
Sleep Cycle
1,2,3,4,3,2 then REM sleep
REM sleep
Rapid Eye Movement Sleep: active brainwaves, increased heart rate and blood pressure, limp muscle state
80% of REM is dream sleep
Alternates on 90 minute cycles
Developmental Issues with Sleep
Newborns and Infants: 50% of sleep is REM
By age 3-5 it is more like 20% of overall sleep which is more similar to the adult level
Infants appear to be hardwired for more REM sleep
Sleep Apnea
a “lack of breath” while sleeping; disrupts sleep patterns
3 types identified but Obstructive Apnea is the most common and severe
The muscles at the back of the throat relax obstructing the airway, breathing can actually stop causing awakenings
Related to age and obesity, more common in men
Narcolepsy
falling asleep suddenly or “sleep attacks” which can occur at any time, and last a few seconds or 30 minutes
Symptoms appear between puberty and 25
Cataplexy or sudden loss of muscle control is characteristic
May experience sleep paralysis
May be accompanied by vivid dream like images
Insomnia
over half of American’s report it at some time in their lives
There are different types of insomnia
Transient Insomnia: lasts only a few nights, often due to anxiety or excitement
Short-term Insomnia: poor sleeping for 2-3 weeks caused by ongoing stressors as well as medical problems
Chronic Insomnia: underlying medical or behavioral issues, does have a genetic component likely as it runs in families
Ways to combat insomnia
Exercise during the day
Don’t use your bed for anything besides sleep
Don’t drink caffeinated products before bed (tea, coffee, hot chocolate, diet coke…)
If you can’t sleep, get up and then come back later and try again
Sleepwalking
causes people, usually children to take nocturnal trips they don’t remember
Temporary sleep mechanism malfunctions during the deeper stages of sleep.
Usually in 3rd or 4th sleep stage
Can run in families
Often abates by puberty
Treatment involves safety measures
Can you wake up a sleepwalker safely? Yes
Sleep talking
Can range from one word to a soliloquy
No memory of the conversation
Usually short term
Sometimes because of stress or illness
Sleep terror
Sudden awakening with physical behavior associated with intense fear
Screaming, fighting, trying to escape appear
Episodes last about 15 minutes
Person returns to sleep, unable to recall in the morning
More common in childhood
Parental reassurance is only treatment
REM Movement Disorder
Usually in sleep the paralysis which normally occurs does not function and a person actually acts out his dream
Most common in older men and may result in violent behavior
Unlike those who experience sleep terrors, these people may remember their vivid dreams
Treated with medication
Activation-synthesis model of dreams
dreams are produced as people try to make sense of the random neural activity that occurs during sleep
Altered Levels of Consciousness
Hypnosis: systematic procedure that typically produces a heightened sense of susceptibility Various factors involved in hypnosis Anesthesia Sensory Distortions Disinhibition Post-hypnotic amnesia
