sac one Flashcards
what is consciousness
our awareness of internal and external environments at any given time
consciousness is
-personal: consists of your understanding and perceptions of the world
-selective: we pay attention to somethings in the environments and ignore others
-continuous: its contents is blended into one another with no specific beginning or ending, your consciousness is never empty
-changing: thoughts are constantly moving from topic to topic
what is the consciousness continuum
Our level of consciousness can be placed on a continuum, which ranges from being highly focuses and alert through to having no thoughts, feelings or sensations at all
At the high end of the continuum (total awareness) our attention is focused and selective, allowing us to concentrate on specific tasks and ignore other, less important information
At the low end of the continuum (lack of awareness) we may be unaware of our thoughts, feelings and sensations. this may occur when we are fatigued, meditating, under the influence of drugs etc
what is consciousness as a psychological construct
psychological construct: a concept used to describe something that is believed to exist, because we can measure its effects but we cannot directly observe or measure
we cannot observe consciousness, and cannot directly measure what a person is thinking or what state of consciousness a person is in. therefore consciousness is a psychological construct
how can we measure behaviour
subjectively and objectively
what is subjective data
measurements that are collected through personal observations or behaviours. subjective data is often influenced by the researcher or observational biases, or may be influenced by the participants biased views of their own behaviour.
For example in reference to consciousness a researcher may make an assumption about a participants level of awareness of the things going on around the, or whether they are showing a reasonable amount of self control. This is subjective as it is based on observation of an individuals behaviour.
what is objective data
Measurements of behaviour collected under controlled conditions. They are easy to measure scientifically and can be compared to other data.
objective data minimised biases encountered in research and is more scientific, accurate and reliable
normal waking consciousness
a state of consciousness characterised by clear and organised alertness to internal and external stimuli.
We spend most of out lives in normal waking consciousness, 2/3 of every day.
It is placed at the high end of the continuum
state of consciousness
refers to your level of awareness of stimuli, both internal and external
altered states of consciousness
a state of consciousness that is characteristically different from normal waking consciousness in terms of awareness, sensations and perceptions
induced ASC
an ASC that is intentionally produced (for example being under the influence of alcohol or drugs)
naturally occurring ASC
an ASC that is produced spontaneously without any conscious effort or decision making (for example daydreaming)
divided attention
when individuals simultaneously focus on two or more stimuli, or simultaneously take on two or more tasks. we can do this when behaviours are automatic processes
For example: watching TV and eating a meal, doing maths and listening to music, question example.
The more similar the tasks are the more difficult they are to compete at the same time
selective attention
attending to particular stimulus while ignoring others. It requires a high level of awareness.
they require individuals to be in normal waking consciousness as they require a high level of awareness, attention and concentration. For example, when our mobile phone rings we shift our attention from what we are doing and focus on the phone call.
controlled processes
controlled processes
actions that require a high level of conscious awareness, attention and mental effort
e.g. when someone is learning to drive a manual car.
automatic processes
actions that require little conscious awareness or mental effort, and do not interfere with performance in other activities
for example typing out an essay while listening to music
EEG electroencephalograph
a machine used to detect , amplify and record the brains electrical activity, measured in the form of brainwaves
it provides a visual representation of distinctive brain wave patterns that are characteristic of various levels of conciseness
frequency
refers to the number of brain waves per second
the higher the frequency, the higher the level of brain activity, which means more brain waves per second
amplitude
refers to the size of the peaks and troughs in brain activity compared to a base line actbcoty of zero
the higher the peaks and troughs the higher the amplitude
types of brainwaves
there are four types of brain waves. beta, alpha, theta and delta waves. each have different combinations of frequency and amplitude and indicate various levels of consciousness
beta waves
indicates normal waking consciousness
some beta like waves can be experienced during rem sleep
low amplitude
high frequency
alpha waves
deeply relaxed or mediative state
low/medium amplitude
medium/high frequency
theta waves
early stages of sleep or light sleep
medium/ high amplitude
low/medium frequency
delta sleep
deep sleep
high amplitude
low frequency
electrooculograph (EOG)
measures the electrical brain wave activity of the muscles surrounding the eyes
- gives an indication of which stage of sleep a person is in and therefore their state of consciousness.
- the EOG will detect high amounts of activity in REM sleep
- the EOG will detect little to no movement in NREM
electromyograph (EMG)
measures the electrical activity created by active muscles
- gives an indication of which stage of sleep a person is in and there fore their state of consciousness
- REM sleep there is no muscle moment at all
- NREM little muscle movement and twitches
melatonin
night
serotonin
day
measurements of speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks
uses a PVT test (psychometric vigilance test)
this test is used to measure behavioural alertness, where participants respond to a visual stimulus and their speed and accuracy of the task is measured
subjective reporting of consciousness
includes self reports such as a sleep diary
sleep diaries
a log of subjective behavioural and psychological experiences surrounding a persons sleep
video monitoring
videotaping a person while they are sleeping to record and then analyse any observable disturbances in their sleep
self reports
involves an individual keeping a record of their own subjective experiences (thoughts, feelings and behaviours)
Stimulant
a group of drugs that elevate mood, increasing alertness and reducing fatigue by exciting neural activity in the brain; which increases bodily functions
some examples of stimulants include caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines and methamphetamine
- stimulants speed up the CNS as they increase blood pressure and heart rate, constrict blood vessels and increase blood glucose
effect of stimulants on consciousness
elevates mood increases alertness reduces fatigue reduced appetite increased energy levels
effect of stimulants on brain wave patterns
caffeine - increases beta waves
nicotine - increases alpha waves
amphetamines and methamphetamine - increases beta waves
cocaine - increases alpha and beta waves
depressants
a group of drugs that calm neural activity and slow down bodily functions
included alcohol, opioids, cannabis, benzodiazepines and barbiturates
depressants slows the CNS as they Lowe heart rate, increase fatigue and drowsiness and calm nerves
effect of depressants on consciousness
increases fatigue
induced calmness
reduced anxiety
effect of depressants on brainwave patterns
alcohol - increases alpha waves
opioids - increases theta and delta brainwaves
cannabis - increases alpha waves
sleep deprivation
refers to going without or not getting sufficient hours of sleep to support optimal daytime functioning
partial sleep deprivation
occurs when a person does not get the recommended hours of sleep per night for their age group
total sleep deprivation
occurs when a person goes without sleep altogether
effects of sleep deprivations on cognition
sleep deprivation damages the frontal lobe and therefore damages our working memory (which holds information needed for cognitive tasks such as planning, analysis and thinking) and attention systems
- our long term memory is also affected. people who are sleep deprived show significantly reduced activity within the mental temporal regions compared to rested wakeful people.
effects of sleep deprivation on mood
When sleep deprived, a persons positive mood decreases while negative mood increases
This affects ones vulnerability to stress, which can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression
effects of sleep deprivation on concentration
Concentration generally deteriorates the more sleep deprived we are with concentration deteriorating after one full night of sleep deprivation. Simple routine tasks seem to be more difficult for the sleep deprived with issues arising in concentration and accuracy.
More complex tasks seem to be less effected when sleep deprived
effects of alcohol on cognition, mood and concentration
mood- emotions are exaggerated and intensified which may alter there abilities to make safe decisions on the road
concentration- a BAC of over 0.05 causes a decline in concentration
cognition- a BAC of 0.05 lowers alertness and judgement, lowers inhibitions. there is a minor impairment to memory and reasoning
sleep deprivation and BAC equivalent
going without sleep for 17-19 hours is the equivalent of having a BAC of 0.05.
24-28 hours is equivalent to 0.10 BAC
circadian rhythms
regular automatic physiological changes that occur during a 24 hour cycle to regulate bodily processes
(for example body temperature
or the sleep wake cycle)
ultra radian rhythms
a biological rhythm that follows a cycle of less than 24 hours, such as eye blinks, heart beats and sleep patterns
sleep
an altered state of consciousness that features the suspension of awareness of the external environment and is accompanied by a number of physiological changes to the body
REM
a type of sleep characterised by brainwaves with high frequency and low amplitude. The muscles of the body are in a state of paralysis and dreams may be experienced
NREM
a type of sleep that is broken into four stages, where the sleeper falls into a deeper and deeper sleep as the stages progress. NREM is characterised by relaxation of the muscles, a slowing down of physiological functions and brainwaves decrease in frequency and increase in amplitude
stage one NREM
- We begin to enter a hypnogogic state where we experience jerks.
- Stage one sleep is light sleep. The brainwaves in stage one are irregular.
- Theta waves begin to appear and alpha waves are present.
- People who are woken from stage one NREM may not feel as if they have been sleeping at all
stage two NREM
- stage two is characterised by sleep spindles and k complexes
- lasts approximately 20-30 minutes
- sleep depends, body temperature drops but the sleeper is still receptive to external stimuli
- theta waves are very prevalent.
stage three NREM
- lasts for 3-10 minutes
- delta brain waves appear as slow wave sleep begins to emerge
- this is a deep sleep
stage four NREM
- brainwaves become almost purely delta waves
- people woken from stage four sleep will wake in confusion and be disoriented
- sleep walking and bedwetting happen in this stage
hypnogogic state and jerks
- a state where alpha waves begin to present on the EEG and a person is drifting from wakefulness to sleep
- jerks are a reflex muscle contraction that occurs during stage one NREM as the body relaxes
sleep spindles
a type of brain activity characterised by short bursts of high frequency brainwaves experienced during stage 2 NREM
k complexes
a short burst of high amplitude brainwaves experienced in stage 2 NREM sleep
slow wave sleep
A sleep state characterised by the emergence of delta waves. experienced during stage three and four NREM
REM sleep
- quite a deep, paradoxical sleep
- that occurs at the end of the first sleep cycle
- REM is associated with dreaming and shows beta like brain wave activity
- the bodies heart beats faster, breathing is rapid and irregular, eyes dart, blood pressure varies.
- REM sleep takes up about 20% of them sleep cycle and lasts around 90 minutes
paradoxical sleep
occurs during REM sleep where physiologically a lack of muscle tone is experienced and the body body is still and relaxed, but cortically the brain is active and alert
restoration theory explanation
a theory that states that sleep is vital for replenishing and revitalising the mind and body to keep them functioning at optimal levels
restoration evidence
following vigorous activity, there is increase in NREM as the body needs more replenishing.
we experience longer periods of REM sleep after being deprived of REM sleep
maraton runner experience more NREM sleep
respration criticisms
people that are not active (bedridden) experience as much NREM sleep as active individuals
evolutionary theory explanation
a theory that suggests we have periods of inactivity, or sleep, when we do not need to engage in activities important to our survival and animals that are sleeping are less likely to be attacked
evolutionary evidence
animals that have few physical needs sleep for longer than animals with greater physical needs
sleep conserves energy
evolutionary criticisms
doesn’t explain why we need sleep
animals could be more vulnerable when sleeping
dysominia
a group of sleep disorders characterised by disturbance of normal sleep patterns, including quality, amount and timing of sleep.
sleep onset insomnia
a sleep disorder characterised by an inability to fall asleep at the beginning of the night or at the point of normal ‘sleep onset’
insomnia
a sleep disorder caused by the inability to fall asleep adequately regardless of ample opportunity to do so. it always results in sleep deprivation
symptoms of onset insomnia
not feeling refreshed or feeling lethargic difficulty in concentrating and memory lack of motivation feeling depressed or anxious/irritable impaired performance
some causes of sleep onset insomnia
psychological: anxiety and depression
physiological: genetic predisposition, difficulty in breathing, chronic pain, dementia, disruption to circadian rhythm
behavioural: the use of drugs, caffeine, nicotine, lack of exercise, shiftwork, watching screens
parasomnias
a group of sleep disorders characterised by abnormal or unusual behaviours or physiological occurrences during sleep
they interfere with certain stages of sleep or disrupt the transition from being asleep to awake
they are common during REM sleep (sleep paralysis)
and NREM sleep (sleepwalking and sleep apnea)
sleep walking
a sleep disorder characterised by a sleeping person walking and sometimes completing routine tasks or activities (often in deep sleep, stages 3-4 NREM)
causes of sleep walking
most common in children
fatigue, sleep deprivation, stress and anxiety are contributing factors
what is cognitive behavioural therapy
the application of learning principles to change thought processes and human behaviour, especially maladaptive behaviour
cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (cognitive component)
- it focuses on correcting faulty beliefs a person has about sleep that may be affecting their behaviour
- it focuses on providing people with correct information about sleep such as sleep noms, deprivation, exercise etc
- it teaches a person to identify and replace any sleep interfering thoughts with more realistic and positive thoughts that promote sound sleep
cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (behavioural component)
- focuses on identifying any negative or maladaptive behaviours which hinders the ability to sleep
- modifying and removing unhelpful behaviours to develop positive sleep habits
- this may involve relaxation training, sleep environment improvements and sleep hygiene
bright light therapy
a treatment for circadian phase disorders that exposes people to intense but safe amounts of artificial light for a specific and regular length of time to help synchronise the sleep wake cycle with a normal external day night cycle
sleep wake cycle
the rhythmic biological pattern of altering sleep with wakefulness over a 24 hour period
the role of the SNC in the sleep wake cycle
a cluster of neurones in the hypothalamus situated directly above the optic charisma that received information about the intensity and duration of light from the retina via the optic nerve, which it uses to regulate the bodies circadian rhythms associated with the sleep wake cycle
shift work disorder
a circadian phase disorder caused by a persons work hours being scheduled during the normal sleep period (at night) causing their circadian rhythms to be out of step of their work patterns
jetlag
a temporary circadian phase disorder characterised by fatigue and sleep disturbances that result as a disruption of the bodies normal circadian rhythm as a result of travel
effects of adolescence sleep wake shift
daytime tiredness, fatigue
impaired cognitive functioning
difficulty concentrating
increase in moodiness and diminishing motivation
REM sleep is reduced and therefore mental processes are not fully revitalised and restored. this leads to impaired learning
circadian phase disorder
a sleep disorder that disturbs a person ability to sleep ad wake for the periods of time necessary to maintain good health and wellbeing, caused by the sleep wake cycle being out of sync with the natural night day cycle of the external environment
sleep wake shifts
- are changes in how sleep is initiated and maintained
- the percentage of time spent in each stage of sleep, caused by circadian rhythms which regulate the sleep wake cycle shifts to a different sleep wake time.
- sleepwake shifts result in sleep phase delays
sleep phase delays
a shift in the sleep wake patterns towards the evening that causes a delay in sleep onset
