Psychology - Altered States Flashcards
What is a circadian rhythm?
A circadian rhythm, is a behavioural/ physiological cycle that takes place over a 24 hour cycle
E.g. sleep/wake cycle
Secretion of growth hormones
Blood sugar levels
What is an exogenous rhythm?
Exogenous rhythms are influenced by environmental factors. Things like work/school days, what time the news is on. They are all influenced by societal norms and/or demands of the environment.
What is an endogenous rhythm?
Endogenous rhythms are influenced by internal (biological) factors. They are are driven by pacemaker cells/systems (biological clocks).
What is the sleep theory of repair and restoration?
It theorises that one function of sleep may be to repair the body after the exertions of the day.
Recent studies also suggest that it is also involved in learning and consolidating knowledge.
What are the short term effects of sleep deprivation?
Difficulty focusing the eyes
Impaired reaction time
Increases moodiness and more prevalent negative emotions such anger/frustration/sadness
Impaired cognition (thinking, memory, problem solving) Cravings for fatty and sugary foods
What are the long term effects of sleep deprivation?
Increased risks of:
- Hypertension
- Heart attack and stroke
- Weight gain
- Diabetes
- Depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses
- Faulty brain function
- Memory loss
- Immune system deficiency
- Reduced fertility
How much sleep does a 14-17 year old need?
Recommended: 8-9
OK: 7-11
What is a sleep cycle?
A sleep cycle is the process of going through each stage of sleep and then reversing the sequence before spending a period in awake or REM sleep. Takes between 1-2 hours.
What are warnings of poor sleep quantity/ quality?
- wake up feeling tired
- cannot wake up without an alarm
- crave sugary/fatty foods
- falling asleep in dark rooms
What is sleep debt?
Sleep debt is a term used for when an individual gets less than their required amount of sleep. They then have a sleep debt equal to the amount of sleep they did not get and experience physical and mental impairment until that debt is repaid
What is shift work and why is it bad?
Shift work means someone does not have set work hours. It is an external factor that impacts the circadian rhythm. It often requires people to desynchronise their sleep pattern from their environment and make regular adjustments to daily routine.
Often suffer from
- poor sleep quality/quantity
- high workplace stress
- increased chance of accident
How can shift worker minimise the negative impacts of shift work?
They can minimise impacts by:
- implementing sleep hygiene
- structuring their home routine to allow for quality/quantity sleep (have friend drop kids to school)
- taking melatonin supplements
- taking short naps
- drinking caffeine at work
How can employers protect shift workers?
Employers can protect their work force by:
- Change employees shifts as infrequently as possible.
- Educating employees about sleep hygiene and good sleep practice.
- Emphasising a culture that prioritises and respects healthy sleep practices.
- Providing employees with nap breaks and a napping environment.
- Rotating shifts forward rather than backward (4pm-12pm moves to 12pm to 8am) as this makes it easier for staff to adapt.
What is stress?
Stress is a high state of arousal that includes both physical and psychological arousal.
Stress is caused by stressors. These are factors in our environment we perceive as requiring increased arousal to deal with.
(it is how an individual perceives a factor not the factor itself that causes a stress response)
What is the Yerkes- Dodson Law?
The Yerkes-Dodson Law theorises that there is an optimal state of arousal for task performance and that the optimal level of arousal varies depending on the complexity of the task.
Furthermore, the optimal level of arousal varies for different personality types.
What is the Yerkes- Dodson Law?
The Yerkes-Dodson Law theorises that there is an optimal state of arousal for task performance and that the optimal level of arousal varies depending on the complexity of the task.
Furthermore, the optimal level of arousal varies for different personality types.
What is post traumatic stress disorder? (PTSD)
PTSD develops after an acute stress event. It is usually life threatening or traumatic.
Symptoms include:
- unpleasant recollection of memories
- reoccurring dreams
- sensitivity to stimuli associated with event
- avoidance behaviours for activities/situations associated with the event
What are treatments for PTSD and how does it work?
CBT: focuses on the relationships among thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It targets current problems and symptoms and focuses on changing patterns of behaviours, thoughts and feelings that lead to difficulties in functioning
Cognitive therapy: Patient is taught to reframe, challenge and modify unhelpful beliefs and evaluations related to trauma.
Prolonged exposure therapy: patient is taught to gradually approach traumatic memories. By confronting the memories in a supportive environment the impact of those memories may be reduced.
What is anxiety disorder?
Anxiety disorder is when an individual experiences a level of worry, anxiety or fear that is beyond the everyday/ the accepted level of anxiety seen in certain circumstances.
Symptoms:
- Panic attacks, hot and cold flashes, racing heart, tightening of the chest, quick breathing, restlessness, or feeling tense, wound up and edgy.
- Excessive fear, worry, catastrophizing, or obsessive thinking.
- Avoidance of situations that make you feel anxious which can impact on study, work or social life
What are treatments for anxiety disorder?
CBT: changing thoughts (check other card)
Pleasant Event scheduling: patient is taught to plan, schedule and engage in activities that they find enjoyable or relaxing.
Relaxation Therapy: aims to teach the patient to be able to relax voluntarily. Techniques include special breathing practices and progressive musclerelaxationexercises which are designed to reduce physical and mental tension.
What are psychological methods an individual can use to cope with stress?
- seeking social support (talk to friend, counsellors about stress)
- utilise problem solving skills to find least worse solution
- reframe negative thoughts in a positive or optimistic manner.
- try find humour in a situation
What are physical and behavioural coping methods an individual can use to cope with stress?
- exercise
- healthy diet, avoid self medicating
- sleep hygiene
- relaxation and meditation
- use environmental planning so that when you’re dealing with one stressor you avoid the presence of other stressors
What is the work stress theory “demand-control-support model”
Demand – Control – Support model focuses on the structure or organisational aspects of the work environment.
Demand consists of deadlines and other expectations. These increase stress.
Control consists of the workers ability to exercise decision making and to implement coping skills (take breaks, determine priorities). Control helps reduce work stress.
Support consists of the social, emotional and practical support offered by the organisation. Support decreases stress.
What is the work stress theory “person-environment fit model”?
Person-environment fit model focuses on:
An Individual’s abilities match the demands of job. A mismatch will lead to unnecessary work stress.
Personal needs are supplied by the job environment. This can include job satisfaction, sense of identity, purpose and challenge. A mismatch will lead to unnecessary work stress.
What is the life situation intervention?
coping with work stress
Life situation interventions involve changes to life style and work practices.
E.g. Don’t take work home
Stop working and talking about work in your breaks
De-stress, debrief or discuss stress with peers and family
What is perception intervention?
coping with work stress
Perception intervention changes an individuals outlook and perception
E.g Look for humour in your stressors at work
Set deadlines and keep deadlines reasonable.
Distinguish between needs and desires
Separate your self worth from task performance
Identify situations and employ appropriate coping skills/mechanism
Make a commitment to maintaining a healthy work/life balance early
What are the consequences of long term stress?
Prolonged stress is called chronic stress. It can lead to:
- Mental health disorders (anxiety, depression, personality disorders)
- Cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure, heart disease, etc)
- Obesity and other eating disorders
- Menstrual problems
- Sexual dysfunction
- Skin and hair problems
- Weaker immune system
What are methods of measuring stress?
- polygraph test (uses breathing rate, heart rate, blood pressure, sweat)
- Cortisol levels in saliva
- Self report question-airs such as Social Readjustment Rating Scale test
What are the ethical considerations of investigating stress?
- Stressing individuals or depriving them of sleep can cause negatively impact on their physical and mental health both in the short and long term. This could result in poor decision making, accidents or mishaps or health issues.
- Stressed or sleep deprived individuals have impaired cognition. This causes issues with informed consent, right to withdraw and voluntary participation as the participant may not exercise their best judgement.
What is the biological process of the sleep wake cycle?
The biological process of the sleep/wake cycle is an example of a circadian rhythm. It is controlled by the SCN, which is a biological clock that keeps track of the time of day. (controls it by sending messages to the pineal gland to adjust melatonin levels which adjust the circadian rhythm).
It states that our levels of alertness are at their lowest in the early hours of the morning and they peak in the late afternoon.
(peak can occur at different times depending on the person)
What are the features of stage 1 sleep?
Brainwave: alpha & theta
EEG reading: low frequency, low amplitude
EOG reading: slow, gentle rolling eye movements
(no set time)
-lose consciousness, heart rate slower, muscles relax, breathing becomes irregular
What are the features of stage 4 sleep?
Brainwave: mostly delta
EEG reading: low frequency, high amplitude (slow wave sleep)
EOG reading: eye movements rare, slow rolling if occurs
Time: up to 30 mins
-state of oblivion, slow breathing, increase growth hormone secretion
What are the features of REM sleep?
Brainwave: mixture of theta and beta
EEG reading: irregular frequency, low amplitude
EOG reading: bursts of rapid eye movement
Time: up to 40 minutes
-80% of dreams occur (vivid, clear, longer, detailed), no muscle tone
What is general adaptive syndrome? (GAS)
GAS describes the physiological changes the body automatically goes through when it responds to stress. There are 3 stages.
- Alarm reaction- increase neurotransmitters & hormones that prepare the body for high level activity (sympathetic nervous system)
- Resistance- body attempts to resist or combat high arousal of initial alarm response
- Exhaustion- body reserves are depleted and more severe damage to body can occur
What are the biological responses of arousal?
The sympathetic nervous system responds to stress by speeding up the bodies functioning whereas the parasympathetic nervous system slows down the bodies functioning .
However, at all times both systems are responsible for carrying signals that bring changes to the bodies functioning
What are the biological responses of arousal?
The sympathetic nervous system responds to stress by speeding up the bodies functioning whereas the parasympathetic nervous system slows down the bodies functioning .
However, at all times both systems are responsible for carrying signals that bring changes to the bodies functioning
