Lecture 8 Flashcards
What is consciousness?
The state of understanding and realizing something
Is consciousness difficult or easy to study in other?
difficult because we assume other humans minds are similar to ours
Is there a mind-body connection with consciousness?
it exists, but extent and the mechanisms are still being researched
What does Freudian Unconscious consists of?
dynamic unconscious and repression
Why is dynamic unconscious as defined by Sigmund Freud?
comprised of a series of hidden memories, desires, and impulses, often from childhood, that are too repulsive/painful to come into conscious awareness.
What is repression?
a mental process that removes unacceptable thoughts and memories from consciousness
What are Freudian slips?
an unintentional error as regarded as revealing subconscious feelings (ex: calling someone the same name)
What is the current view for the cognitive unconscious?
What is subliminal perception?
a thought or behavior that is influenced by stimuli that a person cannot consciously report perceiving
What is circadian rhythm?
a biological rhythm with a period of about 24 hours
What is circadian rhythm impacted by?
genetics, stress, illness, exercise, and drugs
What are examples of internal desynchronization for the circadian rhythm?
jet lag, night shift workers, hormone cycles
The waking brain consists of what waves?
beta and alpha
What can beta waves tell about a person?
they are alert and awake
What can alpha waves tell about a person?
they are relaxing and drowsy
How many stages of sleep are in the sleeping brain?
5
What are the five stages of sleep?
stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, stage 4, and REM sleep
What is stage 1 sleep?
consists of theta waves that denote light sleep
What is stage 2 sleep?
consists of sleep spindles and K complexes that denote sleep where minor noises will not disturb you
What is stage 3 sleep?
consists of delta waves that denote delta activity and brain activity
What is REMs sleep?
REM stands for rapid eye movement where there are beta like waves denoting dreams and muscle paralysis
What happens to dreams the longer we sleep?
the amount of time that we dream increases
Why do we need to dream?
it helps with memory consolidation
What happens to healthy sleep thought the lifespan?
it amount of sleep we need decreases
What is the healthy amount of sleep newborns and adults need?
newborns: 16 hours
adults: 7-8 hours
What would happen when someone interrupts REM sleep often?
there will be memory problems and excessive aggression
What are some effects of sleep deprivation?
hallucinations, increased vehicle accidents, increased depression, and high cortisol levels
How many Americans get less than 7-8 hours of sleep?
2/3 or 66.6%
What is the average hours of sleep American students get?
6 hours
Why do people sleep?
it allows the body to replenish by repairing cells throughout the body, strengthening the immune system, and eliminating the waste from muscles
What are the six sleep disorders?
insomnia, sleep apnea, somnambulism, narcolepsy, night/sleep terrors, and REM Behavior Disorder
What is insomnia?
difficulty falling or staying asleep
How many adults have insomnia?
around 15%
Are sleeping pills a good long term solution for insomnia?
no, because they do not let you get into REM sleep, are addictive, and can cause people to wake up groggy
What is sleep apnea?
when a person stops breathing for brief periods while asleep
Who detects sleep apnea?
the person sleeping next to or near them
Who are most seen to have sleep apnea?
middle aged men
What is somnambulism?
when a person arises and walks around while asleep (sleepwalking)
How many kids will experience sleepwalking in their life?
25%
What sleep stage does sleepwalking occur?
stage 3/4
Is sleepwalking dangerous?
no, and it is safe to wake them
What is narcolepsy?
Sudden REM sleep attacks occur in the middle of waking activities
What is the biological aspect of narcolepsy?
degradation of hypothalamus neurons which is influenced by genetics
How does one treat narcolepsy?
it is treated by meds
Is narcolepsy dangerous?
yes, because you can fall asleep while driving
What are night/sleep terrors?
Abrupt awakenings with panic and intense emotional arousal
When do you see most people having night/sleep terrors?
boys between the ages of 3 and 7
What type of sleep does night/sleep terrors occur?
anything that is non REM sleep
What happens during night/sleep terrors?
the person cannot calm down and then they fall asleep to wake up with no recollection of this happening
What is seen as the cause of night/sleep terrors?
poor sleep hygiene where there is a lot of adaptation to sleep times and daytime stress coming out at night
What is REM Behavior Disorder?
acting out dreams in your sleep
What happens to your body during REM Behavior Disorder?
the body is not paralyzed
How many people dream?
almost everyone
What are the five general characteristics of dreams?
intense emotion, thought is illogical (people and time are not the same), sensations are fully formed (signs, sound, and touch are primary), uncritical acceptance (as though it is all normal), difficulty remembering (lose recall of dream within seconds)
How many nightmares do college students have?
24/year
Who experiences nightmares?
children and adults who have experienced trauma
What are mundane dreams?
dreams that reflect prior day expediences and things we are concerned about (being naked in public or flying)
What did Freud fell that drams represent?
suppressed wishes, some unacceptable
What is manifest content?
the description of the content of the dram
What is latent content?
the underlying meaning of the dream
What was the problem with Freud’s theory?
any dream can have infinite interpretations
What does research suggest about dreams?
we DO express unwanted thoughts in dreams (failure)
What is the problem-focused approach?
when we dream about our concerns, rehearse various strategies to solve them, and we are not solving the concerns but rather just replaying them
What does the 1982 & 1996 study suggest?
men and women dream about different things
What is the activation-synthesis model?
the brain is making up a cohesive story through neuron stimulation
What is the biological aspect of the activation-synthesis model?
cortex attempts to synthesize or integrate signals with existing knowledge and memories to prepuce a coherent interpretation
What are the consequences of the activation-synthesis model?
tends to set off responses in emotional and visual parts of the brain
What does the activation-synthesis model tell us about dreams?
it does not mean that dreams are meaningless but since the brain is always on a quest, it assigns some to random firing
Is there a historical perspective for drugs?
yes
How do rats receive drugs?
they will work but 90% will die after 30 days of self-administered cocaine
How is drug addiction a mindbug?
causes an inability to look past the immediate consequences of our behaviors
What is psychoactive drug?
a chemical that influences consciousness or behavior by altering the brain’s chemical message system
What is drug tolerance?
the tendency for larger doses of a drug to be required over time to achieve the same effect
What is dependence?
harmful pattern of substance use characterized by continued consumption despite negative effects, increased intake over time, failed attempts to cut down, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms.
What is psychosocial dependence?
a strong desire to return to the drug even when physical systems are gone
What is an example of psychological dependence?
Nicolau’s mother used to smoke cigarettes until she went to college. Years after Nicolau graduated from college, her mother says “Oh I wish I could have a cigarette right now.”
Is it convenient to be addicted to a drug?
no
What are the five types of psychoactive drugs?
depressants, stimulants, narcotic/opiates, hallucinogens, and mariguana
What are depressants?
substances that reduce the activity of the central nervous system
What are the most common types of depressants?
alcohol and benzos (anxiety)
What is the short tern effect of taking a depressant?
relax, sense of euphoria, reduced anxiety, but can lead to delayed reaction time and poor judgment
Do people classify alcohol as a disease?
there is some genetic component to developing alcoholism and people speak about it as a disease but there is a behavioral component to picking up a drink (most diseases cannot be influenced by someone’s behavior)
What are stimulants?
substances that excite the central nervous system, heightening arousal and activity levels
What are some examples of stimulants?
cocaine, crack, ecstacy, nicotine, caffeine, and adderall
What are some the short term and long term effects of stimulants?
ST: euphoria, energetic -> anxious, confusion, stroke, blurred vision
LT: violent behavior, weight loss, insomnia, cardiac problems
What are narcotics/opiates?
highly addictive drugs derived from opium that relieve pain
What are some examples of narcotics/opiates?
heroin, codeine, morphine
What are the short and long term effects of narcotics/opiates?
ST: dizziness, nausea, slowed breathing, heavy body feeling
LT: fatal overdose, liver disease, HIV, hepatitis
What are endorphins/endogenous opiates?
natural neurotransmitters that have a similar structure to opiates and that appear to play a role in how the brain copes internally with pain and stress
What are hallucinogens?
drugs that alter sensation and perception and often cause visual and auditory hallucinations
What are examples of hallucinogens?
LSD, PCP, and ketamine
What are the short and long term effects of hallucinogens?
ST: tremors, memory loss, nausea, numbness, feeling separate from one’s body
LT: depression, mood swings, flashbacks, violent outbursts
What is marijuana?
the leaves and buds of the hemp plant that produces a mildly hallucinogenic intoxication
What is something scary that can happen with narcotics?
the more you take it, the more your body forgets how to make natural pain killers. Once you get off of the drug, your body goes through awful withdrawl
What are the short and long term effects of marijuana?
ST: mild hallucinations, euphoria, panic attacks, appetite, perception of rush of ideas (make up solutions)
LT: memory, mental health decline, respiratory problems
How has medical marijuana helped?
This woman got in a car accident and was paralyzed from the waist down. She suffered with much pain throughout her lower body. She was put on medical marijuana and has now transformed her life by enrolling in community college.
