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psychology unit one > human consciousness and sleep > Flashcards

human consciousness and sleep Flashcards

chapters 9-13

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1
Q

what is consciousness?

A

the awareness of our own thoughts, feelings and perceptions and our surroundings at any given moment. it is considered a psychological construct because it is believed to exist, but we cannot see, touch or measure it.

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2
Q

what are the levels of the consciousness continuum?

A

hyperarousal
focused selective attention
divided attention
daydreaming
sleep
anaesthetised
coma

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3
Q

what is normal waking consciousness?

A

the states we experience when we are awake and aware of our thoughts, feelings and perceptions from internal events and the surrounding environment; we experience a real sense of time and place and create our reality and a baseline to judge all other states of consciousness

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4
Q

what are altered states of consciousness?

A

any state of consciousness that deviates from normal waking consciousness, in terms of awareness, perceptions, memories, thinking, emotions, behaviours and one’s sense of time, place and self-control; it can be deliberately induced or occur naturally

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5
Q

what is the stream of consciousness and its qualities?

A

an analogy that explains the consciousness as an ever-changing stream of thoughts that can shift smoothly from one moment to the next, like water flowing in a stream
- continuous
- ever changing
- highly personal
- selective
- active

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6
Q

what is attention?

A

refers to the information you are actively processing, either consciously or outside your conscious awareness

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7
Q

what is selective attention?

A

the ability to focus on only select stimuli or objects in the environment and to filter out other distractions

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8
Q

what is selective inattention?

A

the way we attend to (or do not attend to) information that may be relevant but emotionally upsetting

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9
Q

what is divided attention?

A

the ability to attend to and perform multiple activities at the same time

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10
Q

what are automatic processes?

A

require very little effort or mental effort to be performed well and generally don’t interfere with other processes, enables us to have divided attention

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11
Q

what are controlled processes?

A

require mental effort to focus attention on the required task, requires selective attention

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12
Q

what does an EEG do?

A

detects, amplifies and records electrical activity in the brain in the form of brainwaves. measures changes in consciousness from changes in brainwave activity.

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13
Q

what does an EOG do?

A

detects, amplifies and records electrical activity in the muscles that allow the eye to move. particularly useful in determining whether a person is in REM or nREM sleep

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14
Q

what does an EMG do?

A

detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of heart muscles. when someone is awake, activity on EMG recordings is high, during sleep the activity is moderate to low and during REM it is virtually non-existent

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15
Q

what is the circadian rhythm?

A
  • the sleep-wake cycle of humans
  • a biological rhythm that occurs approximately once every 24 hours
  • determined by an internal body clock (the suprachiasmatic nucleus) located in the hypothalamus
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16
Q

what hormones are involved in the sleep cycle?

A

released by the superchiasmatic nucleus
- melatonin: drowsiness, is released at night and stops releasing when we see light in the morning
- cortisol: alertness, is released when we see light in the morning

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17
Q

explain stage 1 nREM

A
  • the transition from being awake to being asleep
  • relaxed state known as a hypnogogic state
  • may experience hallucinatory images, involuntary muscle twitches and the “falling” feeling
  • very brief and can be easily awoken
  • sometimes called the pre sleep stage
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18
Q

explain stage 2 nREM

A
  • true sleep begins
  • still fairly easy to be awoken, despite being in a deeper stage of sleep
  • eyes stop rolling, muscles become further relaxed and
  • breathing and heart rate continue to decrease
  • accounts for around 50% of our total sleep
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19
Q

explain stage 3 nREM

A
  • brief transitional stage that marks the beginning of deep sleep
  • become less responsive to external stimuli and more difficult to awaken
  • if awoken, we are groggy and disoriented
  • eyes do not move, muscles are relaxed, heart rate and breathing continue to become slower and more regular
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20
Q

explain stage 4 nREM

A
  • the deepest stage, extremely difficult to wake up
  • consciousness level is very low
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21
Q

explain the REM stage

A
  • eyes move rapidly for short bursts of time
  • lighter than stages 3 and 4, easier to wake up from
  • if woken during REM sleep, likely to report we were dreaming
  • heart rate, blood pressure and breathing increase and fluctuate
  • no muscle tension, muscles are completely paralysed in order to prevent sleepwalking
  • lighter sleepers and more anxious people are more likely to dream
22
Q

how does sleep change as we age?

A
  • total time spent sleeping decreases
  • older people struggle to reach stage 3 and 4 of nREM
23
Q

how does sleep change in adolescence?

A
  • teenagers experience delayed sleep-wake phase disorder: a circadian phase disorder that delays sleep patterns
  • in teenagers, the release of sleep-wake hormones is delayed by up to 2 hours, and as a result they tend to want to go to sleep later and wake up later
  • teenagers need 9-10 hours of sleep per night
24
Q

explain the evolutionary theory of sleep

A
  • sleep serves as a means to increase an animal’s chance of - survival in its environment
    sleep patterns have adapted to periods of light and darkness, to meet the demands of the environment, and depending on whether the animal is a predator or prey
  • animals with vision suited to day time sleep at night and carry out their risky tasks such as hunting, during safer daylight hours
25
Q

criticisms of the evolutionary theory of sleep

A
  • assumes sleep is useful but not essential, does not explain why we must sleep
  • assumes sleep is a way to hide safely from predators; for animals that are highly preyed upon, sleeping can be dangerous
26
Q

explain the restoration theory of sleep

A
  • sleep allows us to recharge our bodies and recover from the physical and psychological work during the day, and allows the bodies growth processes to occur
  • activities that are more physically demanding should increase the need for sleep
  • neurotransmitter adenosine provides further evidence for this theory: adenosine is produced when our cells use energy and accumulates when we are awake, the more energy we spend the more adenosine is produced, it is linked to making us feel sleepy, and when we wake it decreases and we feel refreshed and alert
27
Q

criticisms of the restoration theory of sleep

A
  • assumes that more sleep is needed to recover when we are physically active, not always the case
  • if the above is true, expected that those who do less exercise need less sleep, but there is no evidence to support this
  • assumes the body rests during sleep, but the brain is very active during sleep
28
Q

what is partial sleep deprivation?

A

having some sleep in a 24-hour period but not getting enough to meet your needs

29
Q

psychological effects of partial sleep deprivation

A
  • lower emotional
  • regulation/control
  • lack of motivation
  • fatigue
  • slowed performance
  • risk-taking behaviours
  • difficulty concentrating
  • difficulty processing information
  • poor decision making
  • memory problems
30
Q

physiological effects of partial sleep deprivation

A
  • slower physical reflexes
  • hand tremors
  • droopy eyelids
  • headaches
  • difficulty in focusing eyes
  • heightened sensitivity to pain
31
Q

what is total sleep deprivation?

A

going without sleep for an entire 24-hour period

32
Q

explain the effects of total sleep deprivation each night

A
  1. discomfort is felt, but tolerable
  2. urge to sleep, especially between 2am and 4am when body temperature is at its lowest
  3. tasks requiring concentration are seriously impaired, especially if they are simple, repetitive or boring
  4. periods of microsleep are unavoidable, irritable and confused, the hat phenomenon is experienced
  5. still irritable and confused, may become delusional
  6. possible depersonalisation, with a loss of sense of personal identity and increased difficulty in coping with other people and the environment, sleep deprivation psychosis
33
Q

what is a circadian phase disorder?

A

a sleep disorder that affects a person’s internal sleep-wake clock, resulting in disturbed sleep

34
Q

what is narcolepsy?

A

a sleep disorder that causes sudden and unexpected sleeping

35
Q

symptoms of narcolepsy

A
  • sleepiness during daytime
  • loss of muscle control
  • REM hallucinations
  • can experience cataplexy
  • beginning night sleep with REM
36
Q

causes of narcolepsy

A
  • can run in families
  • can be triggered by highly emotional events
  • could be triggered by medications and illnesses
37
Q

treatment of narcolepsy

A
  • maintaining a routine sleep schedule
  • regular exercise
  • healthy diet
  • scheduling naps during the day
  • avoid alcohol and caffeine
38
Q

what is sleep-onset insomnia?

A

type of insomnia that causes difficulty falling asleep

39
Q

symptoms of sleep-onset insomnia

A
  • inability or excessive time to fall asleep at the start of the night
  • unsatisfactory sleep
  • excessive daytime sleepiness
  • fatigue
  • low energy
  • moodiness
40
Q

causes of sleep-onset insomnia

A
  • stressful or highly emotional events
  • can run in families
  • can be triggered by medications or illnesses
41
Q

treatment of sleep-onset insomnia

A
  • cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
  • maintaining a sleep routine
  • relaxation techniques
  • learning to deal with negative thoughts and emotions
  • medical intervention
42
Q

what is sleep apnoea?

A

a sleep disorder that involves periods of the cessation of breathing during sleep

43
Q

symptoms of sleep apnoea

A
  • cessation of breathing for periods of the night
  • gasping for breath during the night
  • excessive daytime sleepiness
  • chronic snoring
  • can lead to hypertension, heart disease, mood and memory problems
44
Q

causes of sleep apnoea

A
  • obstructive sleep apnoea - caused by a physical obstruction to breathing
  • central sleep apnoea - caused by the brain failing to adequately control breathing
45
Q

treatment of sleep apnoea

A
  • CPAP device
  • diet changes
  • exercise
  • weight loss
  • avoiding alcohol
  • medication
46
Q

what is sleepwalking?

A

the act of walking or completing routine activities whilst asleep

47
Q

symptoms of sleepwalking

A
  • walking during the night
  • completing routine acts during the night e.g. brushing teeth, going to the toilet
  • excessive daytime sleepiness
48
Q

causes of sleepwalking

A
  • triggered by a highly emotional event
  • stress
  • alcohol
  • medication
  • diet and lifestyle
49
Q

treatment of sleepwalking

A
  • keeping a safe sleep environment
  • maintaining a sleep routine
  • avoiding alcohol
  • diet and lifestyle reviews
50
Q

explain cognitive behavioural therapy for sleep-onset insomnia

A
  • a branch of psychology used to treat mental health or disorders by focusing on breaking unhealthy patterns of thinking and replacing these patterns with positive habits and coping skills
  • CBT seeks to establish a healthy relationship with sleep in order to improve sleep experience and allow it to become automatic, natural and restful
51
Q

explain bright light therapy

A

the use of a high intensity light to advance or delay sleep and therefore treat circadian phase disorders

psychology unit one (3 decks)

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