Unit 4: Area of Study 1 - How is Wellbeing Developed and Maintained? Flashcards
Consciousness
Is our awareness of objects and events in the external world, and of our sensations, mental experiences and own existence at any given moment
Psychological Construct
Is a concept that describes specific Psychological activity, or a pattern of activity that is believed to exist but cannot be directly observed
Continuum of Awareness (From bottom to top)
- Total lack of awareness
- Coma
- Anaesthetised
- Asleep
- Hypnotised
- Meditative state
- Daydreaming
- Normal wakefulness
- Focused attention
- Total awareness
Normal Waking Consciousness
Is a state of Consciousness where individuals are aware of their thoughts and feelings and of sensations they are experiencing from the environment
Characteristics of Normal Waking Consciousness (List 2)
- Attention is focused
- The individual has a sense of time
- Uncontrolled bodily processes operate as usual
Altered States of Consciousness
Is any other state other than the ordinary, normal waking Consciousness
Characteristics of Altered States of Consciousness (List 2)
- Perceptual and Cognitive Distortions
- Disturbed sense of time
- Heightened or supressed emotions
- Increased or decreased Physiological Changes
- Changes in self-control
Naturally Occurring State of Consciousness
Is a state of Consciousness that occurs as part of the Natural Daily Cycle, such as sleep and dreaming
Induced State of Consciousness
Is an altered state of Consciousness that does not naturally occur
Attention
Is the process where we selectively focus on and respond to certain environment stimuli, while ignoring other stimuli
Selective Attention
Involves choosing and attending to a specific stimulus, whilst excluding others
Divided Attention
Is the ability to distribute our attention and undertake two or more activities simultaneously
Brain Waves Associated with Different States of Consciousness
- Alpha
- Beta
- Delta
- Theta
Alpha Waves
Are Medium Amplitude, relatively High-Frequency Brain Wave patterns
When do Alpha Brain Waves occur? (List 2)
- Relaxed
- Light meditation
- Daydreaming
- Drowsiness
- Hypnosis
- NREM Stage 1
Frequency of Alpha Waves
8-12Hz
Beta Waves
Are Low-Amplitude, High-Frequency Brain Wave Patterns
When do Beta Brain Waves occur? (List 2)
- Normal waking consciousness
- Alert
- Engaged in active thought
- Focused attention
- REM sleep
- Stressed
Frequency of Beta Waves
12-40Hz
Delta Waves
Are the slowest Brain Waves of Low Frequency and High Amplitude
When do Delta Brain Waves occur? (List 2)
- Sleeping
- Deep sleep
- NREM Stages 3-4
- Anaesthetised
Frequency of Delta Waves
1-4Hz
Methods of Measuring Physiological Responses
- EEG
- EMG
- EOG
EEG
Is a device that uses surface electrodes, attached to the scalp to detect and amplify the electrical impulses produced by Neurons activated within the Brain
Advantages of the EEG (List 2)
- It is a reliable source for determining abnormal Brain activity
- It is a reliable source for monitoring change within a state of consciousness, such as sleep stages
- It is useful in providing general information about Brain activity in real time without being invasive
- It helps to diagnose conditions such as Brain Damage and Epilepsy
Disadvantages of the EEG (List 2)
- It poorly measures Neural Activity that occurs below the Cortex
- It does not provide detailed information about which particular structures of the Brain are activated and what their specific functions might be, especially below the Cortex
- Since there are multiple Electrodes positioned across the Brain, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly where in the Brain the activity is coming from
EMG
Is a device that is used in sleep laboratories that measures muscles tension and the electrical activity of the muscles
EOG
Is a device that is used in sleep laboratories that uses Electrodes attached to the face to measure eye movements
Drug
Is any substance which when taken into the body alters the body’s function Physiologically and/or Psychologically
Types of Drugs
- Stimulants
- Depressants
Stimulants
Are a category of Drugs that increase the activity in the Central Nervous System and the rest of the body
Effects of Stimulants (List 2)
- Increased Heart Rate
- Increased Blood Pressure
- Increased Respiration Rate
- Increased Body Temperature
- Increased Electrical Activity in the Brain
- Increased Alertness
- Altered attention
- Altered emotional awareness
- Altered memory
- Altered judgement
Examples of Stimulants (List 2)
- Caffeine
- Nicotine
- Amphetamines
- Cocaine
- Ecstasy
Depressants
Are a category of Drugs that calm the body and slows down Nervous System and Brain activity
Effects of Depressants (List 2)
- Reduced Heart Rate
- Reduced Breathing Rate
- Calms the body
- Drowsiness
Examples of Depressants (List 2)
- Sleeping pills
- Heroin
- Morphine
- Codeine
- Alcohol
- Marijuana
Brain Wave Patterns Under the Effect of Stimulants
There is an increase of Beta Wave activity and decreased Alpha, Delta and Theta activity
Brain Wave Patterns Under the Effect of Depressants
There is a decrease in Beta Wave activity and an increase in Alpha, Delta and Theta activity
Measurement of Speed on Cognitive Tasks
The measurement of speed involves the reaction time to a Stimulus, which is measured in milliseconds
Measurement of Accuracy on Cognitive Tasks
The measurement of accuracy involves the number of correct and incorrect responses made by the individual, which is calculated by the proportions of correct and incorrect responses in relation to the total number of possible responses
Sleep Diaries
Is a daily log that can be used to record an individual’s sleep-wake pattern, with information such as the time a person tries to fall asleep and the time they wake up in the morning, over a period of one or more weeks
Video Monitoring
Is when video cameras are used to record externally observable or hearable Physiological responses of an individual during the night
Controlled Process
Are procedures that need higher levels of awareness and our ability to focus, pay attention and concentration
Example of a Controlled Process
Driving a car for the first time and there is the need to focus on the steering, accelerator and brakes, whilst also monitoring the surrounding all at the same time
Automatic Process
Are actions that require little Conscious effort and minimal attention, lower level of awareness and can be performed at the same time as other activities
Example of a Automatic Process
An experienced driver can usually reverse-park more quickly than a learner driver
Perceptual Distortions
Is a feature of Altered States of Consciousness where sensations and emotions are either experienced as stronger and more vivid or are suppressed an blurred
Cognitive Distortions
Are thought patterns that cause individuals to perceive reality inaccurately
Emotional Awareness
Is the ability to recognise one’s own and other people’s emotions, to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behaviour
Self-Control
Is the ability to knowingly and voluntarily direct our own actions and in altered states of consciousness are more open to suggestion and our actions can be influenced or controlled by others
Time Orientation
Is the ability to perceive the passage of time. During Normal Waking Consciousness, we experience the normal progression of time and are aware of the past, present and future whereas in Altered States of Consciousness experience a blurred perception of time with it either appearing to slow down or speed up
Research Findings of Comparing the Effects of One Night of Full Sleep Deprivation vs Legal BAC
Performance on the tasks decreased significantly in both experimental conditions. Statistical analysis led Dawson and Reid to conclude that the effects
of moderate sleep deprivation (i.e. 24 hours) on
performance are similar to moderate alcohol intoxication (i.e. 0.05%). Furthermore, the results showed that the performance impairment effects of moderate sleep deprivation are equivalent to or greater than the level of alcohol that is deemed
legally unacceptable when driving, working and/or operating dangerous machinery
Sleep
Is an altered state of Consciousness marked by reduced Metabolism and lowed Consciousness. Sleep consists of different stages, each of which can be distinguished by Brain Wave Patterns, the presence or absence of Rapid Eye Movement and changes in breathing, body temperature and muscle tone
Distinguishing Features of Sleep
- Reversibility
- Perceptual Disengagement,
- Unresponsiveness
- Circadian Rhythms
- Ultradian Rhythms
Reversibility
Is how a a sleeper can always be awoken with a strong enough stimulus, such as noise or bodily force, and therefore ‘reverse back’ to the waking state quite quickly
Perceptual Disengagement
Refers to how the
sleeper has no awareness of the sights, sounds, smells
and other sensory stimuli in their external environment
of which they are usually conscious in the waking state.
Unresponsiveness
Is how a strong enough Stimuli is presented to the sleeper, they do not perceive it the same way as an awake person
Circadian Rhythms
Are Biological Cycles that involves changes in bodily functions about every 24 hours, such as the Sleep-Wake Cycle
Circadian Rhythms: Biological Clock (SCN)
This regulates the timing and activity of the sleep-wake cycle, as well as other Circadian Rhythms
Circadian Rhythms: Melatonin
Is a naturally occurring Hormone in the body that triggers the onset of sleep
Ultradian Rhythms
Are Biological Cycles that involves changes in bodily functions as part of a cycle with a duration of less than 24 hours, such as hunger and a heartbeat
NREM Sleep
Are the stages of sleep that are not associated with rapid eye movements, which contain little dreaming, which means that the individual is unable to move
Characteristics of NREM Sleep (List 2)
- Reduction in Physiological Activity
- Brain Waves get slower and bigger
- Breathing Rate slows down
- Heart Rate slows down
- Blood Pressure drops
REM Sleep
Is a stage during the sleep cycle in which electrical brain activity has low voltage patterns and the eyeballs quickly move beneath the closed eyelids, and the body is relaxed and most of the time dreaming occurs
Characteristics of REM Sleep (List 2)
- Heart Rate is faster and more irregular
- Blood Pressure rises
- Breathing Rate is shallower, faster and more irregular
- Occasional twitching movements in the small muscles in the face, fingers and toes
Restoration Theory
Is a theory that proposes that the purpose of sleep is to allow the body and the Nervous System to grow and repair any damage that may have occurred to tissues during the day
Purpose of the Restoration Theory
It allows the body for the body to recover by replenishing the resources that have been used up during the day
Functions of the Restoration Theory (List 2)
- Restores and repairs the body
- Aids physical growth and tissue repair
- Helps the body recover from the effects of fatigue
- Helps Brain development that occurs in the early stages of the lifespan
- Maintains Brain Circuits
- Consolidates new memories
Evidence Basis of the Restoration Theory
An experiment with people found improved performance when REM sleep occurred after learning
a particular motor task, such as pressing a key on a keyboard after visually locating an object hidden in
a textured background
Evolutionary (Circadian) Theory
Is a theory that proposes that Organisms sleep to conserve energy and protect themselves during the most dangerous times of the day, when they are most vulnerable
Evidence Basis of the Evolutionary (Circadian) Theory
There is sequential pattern that demonstrates that the energy requirements of animals and the number of predators correlates with sleep requirements
Sleep Patterns of Babies
Need 16 hours of sleep per day
Sleep Patterns of Children
- 12-13 hours of sleep per day
or
- 10-12 hours of sleep per day
Sleep Patterns of Adolescents
Need between 9-10 hours of sleep
Sleep Patterns of Adults
Need approximately 8 hours of sleep
Sleep Patterns of the Elderly
Need between 5-7 hours of sleep
REM Sleep of Babies
50%
NREM Sleep of Babies
50%
REM Sleep of Adolescents
20%
NREM Sleep of Adolescents
80%
REM Sleep of Adults
20%
NREM Sleep of Adults
80%
REM Sleep of the Elderly
15%
NREM Sleep of the Elderly
85%
Sleep Disturbances
Is a term that is used to refer to any sleep-related problem that disrupts an individual’s normal Sleep-Wake Cycle
Dyssomnias
Are Sleep Disorders that make it difficult for people to get to sleep, staying asleep and/or timing sleep
Insomnia
Is a Sleep Disorder where individuals have a persistent problem with falling or staying asleep, which means that they do not feel rested during the day and experience excessive tiredness
Type of Dyssomnia: Sleep-Onset Insomnia
Is a term that is used to refer specifically to a Sleep Disorder by which people have persistent troubles falling asleep at the usual sleep time
Key Symptoms of Sleep Onset Insomnia (List 3)
- There is regular failure to fall asleep within about 20-30 minutes after intending to go to sleep
- There are complaints of poor quality sleep that does not leave the individual rested upon awakening
- The sleep difficulty occurs t least 3 nights a week
- The sleep difficulty is experience for at least 3 months
- The sleep difficulty occurs dispute adequate opportunity to sleep
- The sleep difficulty does not occur in the course of another sleep disorder and is not due to another disorder or the effects of a substance
- The difficulty falling asleep causes significant impairment in behaviour or important areas of everyday functions, such as at school or work
Effects of Sleep Onset Insomnia on the Sleep-Wake Cycle (List 3)
- There are changes in the amount, restfulness and timing of sleep
- The Sleep Onset tends to occur much later than desired
- Sleep tends to be non restful
- The total sleep time may be less than desired
- There is excessive daytime sleepiness
- There is difficulty waking up in the morning
- There is continually delayed Sleep Onset that may disrupt the Circadian Sleep-Wake Cycle to the extent that a delayed Sleep Phase Disorder develops
Parasomnia
Are Sleep Disorders that are characterised by the interference between sleep and waking sensations that may impair sleep continuance
Type of Parasomnia: Sleep Walking
Is a Sleep Disorder that occurs when an individual rises from bed and walks around or performs other actions while in deep sleep (NREM Stages 3 or 4)
Characteristics of Sleep Walking (List 3)
- The level of activity varies
- Most walkers engage in low complexity tasks
- The episode ends on its own if the sleep walker is left alone
- The sleep walker’s eyes are usually open with a ‘blank stare’ o
- The sleep walker’s movements often occur in a confused of clumsy manner
- The sleep walker tends to walk towards a stimulus such as light or noise when then arise from bed
- Sleep walkers may engage in well-learnt activities such as eating or getting dressed
- Episodes may occur 3 or 4 times a week and only last a few minutes, and rarely beyond 15 minutes
- Sleep walkers have little awareness of what is goin on during an episode and when it is over, they have very little memory of what they did, if anything at all
Effects of Sleep Walking on the Sleep-Wake Cycle (List 1)
- Sometimes, the sleep walker may not be able to quickly go back to sleep after an episode
- The individual loses deep sleep and the sleep episode will be fragmented
- There is a loss of deep sleep, resulting in a sleep episode not being as restful as usual, which will make the individual more tired than usual during the day
Circadian Rhythm Phase Disorders
Are a group of Sleep Disorder that involve sleep disruption that is mainly die to a mismatch between an individual’s Sleep-Wake Pattern and the Pattern that is required
Type of Circadian Rhythm Phase Disorder: Sleep-Wake Cycle Shift in Adolescence
- This type of Sleep-Wake Cycle Shift is called a Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder
- Adolescents need about 9.25 hours of sleep a night, however adolescents between 13-19 years of age seem to get much less sleep
- Around puberty is when a characteristic of sleep patterns tend to take place
- Adolescents stay up much later because they feel sleepy later. This leads to difficulty waking up in the morning
- Adolescents tend to make up for their sleep debt over the weekends
- A hormonally induced shift of the Sleep-Wake Cycle pushes it forward by about 1-2 hours
- Melatonin secretion that induces sleep occurs later in the 24-Hour Cycle, and makes Adolescents sleepier 1-2 hours later. This is know as the Sleep-Wake Cycle Shift
- At the age of 20, the Sleep-Wake Cycles go back to normal
Insufficient Sleep in Adolescence
- Affects the ability to concentrate, think and learn
- Causes excessive sleepiness
- Leads to inattention and mentally ‘drifting off’ in class
- Leads to problems staying motivated to complete classwork
- Causes lethargy
- Leads to difficulty with mood regulation
- Leads to difficulty with behaviour control
Sleep Debt
Is when daily sleep requirements have not been met and sleep is owed so it needs to be made up. Sleep debt does not continue to build up until it is repaired
Psychological Factors of the Sleep-Wake Cycle Shift in Adolescence
Adolescents like to exert their independence
Social Factors of the Sleep-Wake Cycle Shift in Adolescence
- They have school and work demands
- They see sleep as a low priority
Type of Circadian Rhythm Phase Disorder: Shift Work
- Humans are not nocturnal creatures, therefore night shift workers tent to have more problems with the quality and quantity of sleep
- Generally, they sleep between 1-4 hours less than the average person and tend to sleep twice a day
- They find it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep during the day
- Sleep loss and Circadian Rhythm disruption represent the main causes of sleepiness
- Sleep Debt is accumulated as they juggle work and lifestyle demands
- We adapt more quickly when assigned to later shifts rather than earlier shifts
- Excessive sleepiness may lead to impaired performance, which can lead to problems with safety
- Rotating rosters leads to a higher frequency of sleep disturbances, compared to fixed rosters
- If an individuals experiences excessive sleepiness, they are likely to have Shift Work Sleep Disorder
Type of Circadian Rhythm Phase Disorder: Jet Lag
- Is a Sleep Disorder that occurs due to the disturbance to the Circadian Sleep-Wake Cycle that is caused by rapid travel across multiple time zones
- It is a Sleep Disorder because changing time zones leads to a mismatch between the internal Circadian Biological Clock and the external environment
- Sleep Wake Cycle disturbances reduce after 2-3 days after arriving at the destination
- Jet Lag is less disruptive when we travel in a westerly direction, since there is less of a mismatch between our Biological Clock and the Day-Night Cycle
- Easterly travel shortens the Sleep-Wake Cycle and is called Phase-Advance and therefore lengthens the day
- Westerly travel results in Phase-Delay
- To overcome Jet Lag, an individual needs to adjust to a ‘new’ time and should start to change their eating, sleeping and other behaviour patterns to accord with the destination time routes
Effects of Jet Lag
- Sleep problems
- Feeling unwell
- Having more difficulty functioning than normal
- There is a greater number of arousals and a greater percentage of NREM Stage 1 sleep during the first 2-3 sleep episodes after arrival
- The second half of the sleep episode is more severely disrupted
Sleep Deprivation
Is a lack of sleep that leads to lethargy, irritability, loss of concentration, REM rebound, headaches and difficulty completing low-level boring tasks
Total Sleep Deprivation
Involves not having any sleep over a short-term or long-period, and the individual stays awake for one or more days of weeks
Effects of Sleep Deprivation (List 4)
- Irritability
- Cognitive impairment
- Memory lapses
- Memory loss
- Impaired moral judgement
- Severe yawning
- Hallucinations
- Symptoms similar to ADHD
- Impaired Immune System
- Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
- Increased Heart Rate
- Risk of Heart Disease
- Increase reaction time
- Decreased accuracy
- Tremors
- Aches
- Growth suppression
- Risk of obesity
- Decreased body temperature
Effects of Total Sleep Deprivation (List 2)
- Loss of personal identity
- Difficulty coping
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Hypertension
- Obesity
- Diabetes
Effect of Partial Sleep Deprivation: Affective Functioning (Amplified Emotional Responses)
- There is a link between Sleep Deprivation and mood change
- There are also links between emotional functioning and how Sleep Deprivation can interfere with emotional regulation and reactivity
- Additionally, there is a strong link between low amounts of sleep and the ability to control our emotions, resulting in our emotional reactions being too quick, more intense or exaggerated than usual
- Sleep loss compromises the Brain’s ability to process emotional information, make accurate emotional perceptions and how we emotionally respond
- Loss of sleep makes it harder for individuals to accurately judge other people’s emotions and reactions, which makes us more prone to unwarranted emotional outbursts
- When we haven’t slept well, our emotional response threshold can be lowered, increasing our emotional reactivity, making us more likely to overreact to neutral events
- Sleep loss can also effect our ability to sort out important information from unimportant information leading to poor judgements being made
Sleep Inertia
Is a sleep-to-wake transition effect that is characterised by grogginess, low alertness and disorientation that can interfere with Behavioural and Cognitive functioning
- Sleep Inertia is the strongest at the wake tome but decays rapidly after
- Sleep Inertia can interfere with the ability to perform a wide range of Behavioural and Cognitive tasks, including the simplest everyday actions
- Motor and Cognitive functions are not at their full capacity during Sleep Inertia, meaning that performing tasks that require full alertness can compromise the individual’s safety
- Waking during NREM Stages 3 and 4 produces more Sleep Inertia than waking during NREM Stages 1 or 2
- Waking during REM sleep produces more Sleep Inertia
- Sleep Inertia may also be experienced after a short nap
- Sleep Inertia tends to last longer when a person has been sleep deprived, compared to an individual who has no deprivation
Effect of Partial Sleep Deprivation: Behavioural Functioning
- An immediate effect on behavioural functioning can be Sleep Inertia
- Sleep Deprivation causes excessive sleepiness during normal waking time, which is usually during the day (except those who are usually awake at night, such as shift workers)
- Fatigue is a common symptom
- Behaviour problems at home (naughtiness)
- Poorer teacher rated inattentiveness by students in class
- Poorer teacher rated social functioning by school children
- School lateness and absenteeism
- Low participation rate extracurricular activities at school
- Reduced speed and accuracy
- Reduced motor coordination
Effects of Sleep Inetria
- Reaction time tends to be slow
- Individuals perform below their normal standards
Effects of Fatigue (List 2)
- Drowsiness
- Difficulty maintaining concentration
- Reduced Awareness
- Reduces our efficiency, which tends to us taking longer to finish tasks
- Reduced reaction times
Microsleep
Is a short period of drowsiness or sleeping that intrudes into the waking state. This is usually the effect of sleep deprivation
Characteristics of Microsleep (List 2)
- Lasts between 1-10 seconds
- The person is in a fixed gaze
- The individual has a blank expression of their face
- The individual does not blink
- The person remains sitting or standing and becomes less responsive to external Stimuli
- The person may have no recollection of what happened during their microsleep, but may be aware of a lapse in concentration when they wake up
Effect of Partial Sleep Deprivation: Cognitive Functioning
- A relatively small amount of Sleep Deprivation can adversely affect attention
- Excessive sleepiness due to Sleep Deprivation tends to reduce alertness and our ability to stay focused on a task
- With prolonged sleep deprivation, individuals tend to experience lapses in selective attention and the reduced ability to divide attention onto tasks that require simultaneous attention to multiple sources of information
- Tasks often begin well, but performance tends to deteriorate as the duration of the task increases
- The greater the Sleep Deprivation, the more likely it is that attention will be implemented and that errors associated with the loss of attention will increase. This is more likely when a task lacks interest or complexity
- Sleep Deprivation may impair various learning and memory processes. Generally, Sleep-Deprived individuals tend to perform worse on learning and memory tasks, compared to well-rested individuals, especially when Sleep Deprivation is prolonged
- The deterioration in Cognitive Functioning from prolonged partial Sleep Deprivation has further implications for Shift Workers in jobs with significant responsibility for the health and wellbeing of others
Interventions to Treat Sleep Disorders
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Stimulus Control Therapy (SCT)
- Bright Light Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Is a therapeutic approach that uses Cognitive exercises to teach patients adaptive strategies to help strengthen their ability to think clearly
- The aim of this therapy is to help individuals to identify and replace thoughts and behaviours that cause or worsen their Insomnia with thoughts and behaviours that minimise the likelihood of their Insomnia and promote good sleep
- A CBT programme is made up of 8-10 sessions, which helps the individual understand the Sleep-Wake Cycle, Insomnia and factors that cause and maintain Insomnia. The individual may complete a Sleep Diary as they learn and apply the various CBT strategies, which enables improvements to be monitored and assessed
Cognitive Component of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- The individual is assisted to recognise and change inappropriate or dysfunctional attitudes, beliefs and other thought about their sleep. This may involve Anxiety of preoccupation with Sleep Difficulty and learning to control or eliminate worries and negative thoughts that prevent Sleep Onset
- After Dysfunctional Thinking is identified, alternative interpretations of what is making the person anxious or causing concern about sleep are offered, so they can think about their Insomnia in a different way
- In appraising the situation more accurately, realistically and positively rather than negatively, the individual does not place unnecessary pressure on themselves to fall asleep, is lass aroused, and is less likely to behave in ways that impair sleep
Behavioural Component of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Helps the individual develop good sleep habits and avoid behaviours that prevent them from sleeping well. This can be done by Stimulus Control Therapy and Sleep Hygiene Education
Stimulus Control Therapy
Is a behavioural therapy for people with Insomnia that aims to strengthen the bed and bedroom as cues for sleep, to weaken them as cues for behaviours that are incompatible
with sleep, and to establish a regular Sleep–Wake
schedule that is consistent with the Circadian Sleep–Wake Cycle
Sleep Hygiene Education
Is providing information about practices that tend to improve and maintain good sleep and full daytime alertness
