U3O1 Part A: Mind, Body, Brain Flashcards
Consciousness
Awareness of objects and events in the external world and of our own existence and mental experiences at any given moment. Includes the awareness of: sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and memories.
Consciousness is personal, selective, continuous, changing.
State of consciousness
Level of awareness of our internal state and external surroundings, which determines how much information we take in and respond to.
Normal waking consciousness
The states of consciousness when we are awake and aware of our thoughts, memories, feelings and the sensations we are experiencing from the outside world.
Altered states of consciousness
Any states of consciousness that is distinctly different to normal waking consciousness in terms of level of awareness and experience, and the quality or intensity of sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings and memories.
Daydreaming
Day dreaming in an ASC in which we shift our attention from external stimuli to internal thoughts, feelings and imagined scenarios.
• Naturally occurring
• Unaware of the shift into daydream state
• Lower awareness, less control over content limitations, high level of perceptual distortions, high level of cognitive distortions, distorted time orientation, lower emotional awareness, lower self control
Purpose
• Allow us to do in our fantasies what we are unable to do in reality
• Enable us to mentally try out a range of courses of action
• Stay alert in situations where there is insufficient stimuli
Alcohol-induced State
- Change in consciousness due to alcohol consumption
- Purposely induced ASC
- A psychoactive drug: includes chemicals that change consciousness awareness, perception or moods
- Alcohol is a depressant
- Lower level of awareness, less control over content limitations, high level of perceptual distortions, high level of cognitive distortions, distorted time orientation, lower level of emotional awareness, lower self control
Consciousness as a psychological construct
Consciousness is a concept constructed to describe a physiological process believed to exist or occur but not directly measurable or observable.
Attention
Attention: Concentration of mental activity that involves focusing on specific stimuli while ignoring other stimuli.
Selective: Choosing and attending to specific stimulus to the exclusion of others.
Divided: Ability to distribute our attention and undertake two or more activities simultaneously.
Level of awareness
NWC:
Attention can be focused on internal thoughts or feelings, or an external stimuli.
Selective - driving as a learner. Divided - watching TV and going on your phone.
ACS:
Level of awareness either decreases or increases. Become more or less aware of your perceptions and surroundings.
Content Limitations
NWC:
The content is restricted and limited. Organised and logical. E.g. blocking things that make us sad
ASC:
Don’t have the same control over what enters our consciousness.
- Less limited
- Less logical
E.g. can’t control content of dreams
Controlled process definition
Involve conscious, alert awareness and mental effort in which the individual actively focuses their attention on achieving a particular goal.
Automatic process definition
Require little conscious awareness and mental effort, minimal attention and don’t interfere with the performance of other activities.
Controlled and automatic processes
NWC:
Can perform both controlled (learning to drive) and automatic (knitting) processes well.
ASC:
Difficult to carry out controlled processes, ability to perform automatic processes can also be impaired.
Perceptual distortions
NWC:
Usual level of awareness of sensory stimuli e.g. pain
ASC:
Heightened or lowered sensory thresholds e.g. pain
Cognitive distortions
NWC:
Effective control of memory processes. e.g. can solve a maths problem
ASC:
Memory processes may be disrupted or distorted. e.g. can;t remembered what occured during an ASC
Emotional awareness
NWC:
Greater awareness of emotions and control of emotional responsiveness. e.g. know how to act appropriately in public
ASC:
Less control of emotions, emotional responsiveness may be heightened or dampened
e.g. more affectionate, aggressive
Self control
NWC:
More control over actions and movements. e.g. plan and monitor what we say
ASC:
Less control over actions and movements e.g. when in alcohol induced state there is an inability to coordinate movements
Time orientation
NWC:
Clear sense of time e.g. passage of time
ASC:
Distorted sense of time e.g. when waking from a nap you may be surprised only an hour has passed since you went to sleep
Physiological characteristics of sleep: Electrical activity of the brain
Electroencephalograph (EEG)
Brain waves can differ in frequency – number of brain waves per second, and amplitude – intensity of brain waves.
Physiological characteristics of sleep: Heart Rate
Electrocardiograph (ECG or EKG)
Heart rate can either increase or decrease during an ASC as compared to the usual heart rate during NWC.
Physiological characteristics of sleep: Body Temperature
- Can change in relation to physical activity, physical health problems, illegal drugs
- Body temp decreases by more than 1 degree during sleep
Physiological characteristics of sleep: Electrical conductivity of the skin
Galvanic skin response (GSR)
• Measures the electrical conductivity of the skin. Indicates a change in the resistance of the skin to an electrical current
Sleep labs
These labs are usually attached to hospitals where patients with sleep disorders can be diagnosed, treated or used for research purposes.
Polysomnography
An intensive study of a sleeping person involving simultaneous monitoring and recording various physiological responses of the sleeper.
Video cameras/monitoring
Used to record the patient’s behaviour while sleeping, meaning measurements can be made during sleep without having to wake the person.
Record externally observable physiological responses accompanying sleep.
EEG
Electroencephalograph
Detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the brain.
External electrodes are attached to the surface of the scalp and a graph is produced showing the pattern of the brain waves.
EOG
Electro-oculargram
Detects, amplifies and records the electrical changes associated with eye movement during sleep. The electrode is placed on the skin near each of the eyes.
EMG
Detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the muscles. Measures changes in muscles movement and tone.
ECG/EKG
Electrocardiograph
Detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of the heart. Heart rate drops from light to deep sleep, and increases from deep to light sleep.
Sleep reports
Sleep diary or sleep log is a self reported record of an individual’s sleep and waking time over a few weeks.
Sleep
Sleep is a naturally induced ASC that is characterized by a loss of conscious awareness. Sleep occurs naturally, but various drugs such as alcohol and tranquillisers can induce sleep. We spend about 1/3 of our lifetime asleep.
Restorative Theory
Enables our body to repair damaged cells, detoxify muscles and replenish energy stores.
Sleep is potentially involved in consolidating memories of information (particularly REM).
NREM:
• Important for restoring and repairing the body
REM:
• Thought to restore the brain
• Have a role in higher mental functions such as memory
REM Rebound
When deprived of REM sleep, a person will ‘compensate’ by having extra amounts of it when next asleep
Limitations of restorative theory
- Limited evidence
* People who not exert themselves physically have the same sleep pattern as those who are physically active
Survival Theory
Also called adaptive or evolutionary theory.
Proposes that sleep evolved to enhance survival.
• Animals to be inactive during part of day when it is most risky or dangerous to be out
• Animal must spend day conserving energy
• Humans sleeping at night servers as an adaptive survival function
Limitations of survival theory
- Limited evidence
- Sleep involves loss of awareness, therefore placing animal at greater risk
- Not ready to respond to danger when asleep `
Stages of sleep
NREM sleep
Non rapid eye movement: four stages that are characterised by different depths of sleep. Approx 80% of sleep. Typically first half of the night.
REM sleep
Rapid eye movement: characterised by short bursts of rapid eye movements.
Occur in continuous cycles, one cycle of NREM followed by REM lasts approx. 80-120 mins
NREM Stage 1
- Light sleep
- Lasts for 5-10 minutes
- Alpha and theta waves
- Decrease in alpha waves which are associated with resting, replaced with theta waves
- Theta waves irregular in frequency, mixture of high and low amplitude
- Decrease in heart rate, respiration, body temp and muscle tension
Hypnic jerk
A jerking sensation where our body, or part of body, seems to go into spasms.
NREM Stage 2
- Light stage of sleep, someone can be said to be truly asleep
- Lasts for 10-20 minutes
- Theta waves, lower in frequency and higher in amplitude
- Body movements lesson, breathing more regular, blood pressure-temp-heart rate decrease
- Sleep spindles and K complexes occur
Sleep spindles
Bursts of higher frequency brain waves lasting about 1 second.
K complexes
Bursts of low-frequency and higher amplitude brain wave, in response to arousing stimuli.
NREM Stage 3
• Transitional stage – start of deepest period of sleep
• Lasts for 10 minutes
• Theta and delta waves
• Low frequency and high amplitude of brain waves (delta)
• Heart rate, blood pressure and body temp continue to drop, breathing is slow and steady
• Less responsive to outside world
Phenomena may occur: sleepwalking, sleep talking, night terrors. Bedwetting may also occur.
NREM Stage 4
• Deepest stage of sleep
• First cycle lasts 20 minutes, then it decreases in length as night progresses
• Delta waves
• Muscles are relaxed
• Little movement
• Difficult to wake
Phenomena may occur: sleepwalking, sleep talking, night terrors. Bedwetting may also occur.
REM Sleep
- Eyeballs rapidly move beneath the closed eyelids, darting back and forth and up and down in jerky movements
- ‘Paradoxical sleep’ brain and other body systems become more active, externally body appears calm
- Beta like waves: low amplitude, high frequency
- More dreaming
- More REM as the night progresses
- Breathing and heart rate become fast and irregular
- Difficult to wake
Purpose of REM Sleep
- REM sleep assists in considolodating new memories in the brain
- Servers an important biological need
- Allow for the maturation of the nervous system (infants and children)
Sleep deprivation
Refers to going without sleep.
Partial deprivation:
Having less than what is normally required.
Total deprivation:
Having no sleep at all.
Partial sleep deprivation
- Severity and extent of the side effects depend on the individual, the amount of sleep lost, the period of time over which the sleep deprivation occurs
- Temporary and relatively minor effects
- We can recover quickly
- Prolonged partial sleep deprivation has more adverse effects
- Most people can only stay awake for 3-4 days
Total sleep deprivation
- When rats are totally deprived of sleep they die, sleep is vital to the regulation and stability of an animal’s internal environment
- Randy Gardner: 17 years old, stayed awake for 11 days, didn’t experience any lasting significant effects
- Peter Tripp remained awake for 8 days, experienced severe disturbances including hallucinations, difficulty thinking, paranoia
Micro sleep
- Very short period of drowsiness or sleeping that occurs while the person appears to be awake
- Occurs after 3-4 sleepless days
- EEG pattern resembles that of an early NREM sleep
- Individuals may have no recollection of what happened
Psychological effects of sleep deprivation
- Impaired performance on cognitive tasks
- Irritability
- Irrational thinking
Physiological effects of sleep deprivation
- Drooping eye lids
- Slurred speech
- Hand tremors
Sleep-wake cycle shift
- Amount of sleep drops from 10 hours to 8 hours in 13-19 year olds
- Adolescents suffering from sleep problems including lengthy time to fall asleep, insufficient sleep on weekends, difficulty waking in the morning
Amount of sleep needed
Age Sleep (Hours) REM Sleep (%)
Newborn 16 50%
Adults 8 25%
Elderly 6 20-25%
Psychological factors
• Sense of independence
Social factors
• Increased demand on their time
Biological factors
- Circadin rhythm: cycle which hormones are produced to control body functions, and is linked to external cues in the environment such as light
- Higher need to sleep
Sleep-wake shift
Adolescents experience a delayed release of melatonin, so have a hormonally induced shift of the body clock forward by about 1-2 hours and therefore need to sleep 1-2 hours longer.
Sleep debt
Sleep that is owed and needs to be made up
