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Psychology: Biology & Cognition > Week 5 > Flashcards

Week 5 Flashcards

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1
Q

Describe Consciousness

A

Everything of which we are aware at any given time—our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions of the external environment

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2
Q

Consciousness relates to your awareness of:

A
  • external events
  • internal events
  • self as the unique being having these experiences
  • your thoughts about these experiences
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3
Q

William James describes consciousness as:

A
  • A stream of thoughts and feelings
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4
Q

Freud said the unconsciousness is:

A

a part of conscious experience but not easily accessible or understandable

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5
Q

Where is the consciousness in the brain?

A
  • no single area of the brain has been identified
  • likely to be a neural network
  • possibly areas of the brain involved with attentional processes
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6
Q

Types of Conscious Experience

A
  • Focused awareness
  • Drifting Consciousness (daydreaming)
  • Divided Consciousness
  • Automation
  • Sleep and dreaming
  • Altered states of consciousness
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7
Q

How do we measure consciousness

A
  • historically this has been done by EEG
  • records activity in the cortex with a series of brain wave tracings
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8
Q

Measuring consciousness: Beta Waves

A
  • Conscious Mind
  • Frequency 12-30Hz
  • normal waking state
  • alertness, concentraion, focus
  • cognition engaged
  • 5 senses activating
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9
Q

Measuring consciousness:

Alpha Waves

A
  • Gateway to the subconscious mind
  • Frequency 7.5-30Hz
  • Deep relaxation and light meditation
  • usually eyes are closed
  • visualisation, creativity and super learning
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10
Q

Measuring consciousness:

Theta Waves

A
  • Subconscious Mind
  • Theta Waves - 4-705Hz
  • Usually light sleep including REM Dream state
  • deep meditation, intuition, memory and vivid visual imagery
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11
Q

Measuring consciousness:

Delta Waves

A
  • Unconscious or Supra-conscious Mind
  • Frequency up to 4HZ
  • Usually deep sleep
  • dreamless state
  • Transcendental Meditation state
  • Automatic self-healing, immune system function.
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12
Q

Is there a “third factor” in measuring consciousness

A
  • signals may come from the subcortical area of the brain - changes in brain wave activity may lead to changes in consciousness
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13
Q

Why do we sleep?

A
  • Protective function - Energy conservation - restore bodily processes - consolidate newly learned information into lasting memories - may bolster immune system
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14
Q

Circadian Rhythms

A
  • Run in 24 hour biological cycles - regulate sleep, temperature, blood pressure and hormone release - Alertness - Short Term Memory - Attention - Memory Consolidation - Decision Making
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15
Q

Circadian Rhythms: Physiological pathway of the biological clock

A
  • light level decrease
  • Retina
  • Suprachiasmtic nucleus of the hypothyalamus
  • Pineal gland
  • Secretion of melatonin hormone
  • BUT Rhythms remain even when cues to light and dark are removed
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16
Q

Melatonin

A

A hormone associated with regulation of the biological clock

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17
Q

24 Hour Circadian Rhythm

A

Within each 24 hour period the regular fluctuation from high to low points of certain bodily functions and behaviours

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18
Q

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)

A
  • A pair of tiny structures in the hypothalamus that control the timing of circadian rhythms - directs the biological clock by secretion or suppression of melatonin
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19
Q

24 Hour Circadian Rhythm Diagram

A
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20
Q

Alertness and Body Temperature

A
  • Natural body temperature falls during sleep
  • body temp is highest at the end of the day
  • Does this trigger release of Melatonin?
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21
Q

What interferes with Circadian Rythms?

A
  • Shift Work
  • Jet lag -
  • light cues and bodily rhytms are desinchronsied
  • flying East to West or West to East

Interventions

* Melatonin

* Bright lights

* Starting gradually later

* rotating shift work is difficult

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22
Q

What do sleep labs study?

A

Electroencephalograph - Brain Activity

Electromyograph - Muscle Activity

Electrooculograph - Eye

Heart rate, breathing rate and temperature

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23
Q

Stages of sleep

A

Stage 1: Brief, transitional (10-12 minutes)

  • gradual, no obvious transition point
  • Alpha to theta
  • considered to be asleep at theta

Stage 2: light sleep (10-25 minutes)

  • respiration, heart rate, muscle tension, body temperature all go down
  • mixed activity: burst of high frequency “sleep spindles”

Stage 3 & 4: slow-wave sleep (20-40 minutes)

  • lower frequency, higher amplitude delta waves

Stage 5: REM

  • EEG similar to wakefulness
  • irregular pulse & breathing, loss of muscle tone, vivid dreaming, hard to waken
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24
Q

What are Sleep Spindles

A

sudden bursts of oscillatory brain activity generated in the reticular nucleus of the thalamus that occur during stage 2 of light sleep.

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25
Q

Brain wave patterns during wakefuness and sleep

A
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26
Q

REM Sleep Stage

A
  • Rapid eye movements
  • Paralysis of large muscles
  • Fast and irregular heart and respiration rates
  • Increased brain wave activity
  • Vivid dreams
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27
Q

Posture Positions Diagram

A
28
Q

Physiological recordings of Sleep stages

A
  • Usually 4-5 cycles of REM & NREM sleep per night
  • Sleep cycles last around 90-110 minutes
  • More deep sleep earlier in the night
  • REM sleep increase in the 2 cycles before narural awakening
  • Infants have greater REM sleep than adults (50%vs20%)
  • Stage 3&4 decreses in adults while Stage 1 increases
29
Q

Change in sleep needs

A

The amount of REM sleep and total sleep decreases as we age

30
Q

Problems of sleep deprivation

A

Sleep deprivation may lead to suppression of neurological activity in the temporal lobes

31
Q

Sleep Deprivation risks:

A
  • Sleepinesss factors in about 20% of traffic accidents
  • Sleepiness contributes to accidents in the workplace
  • Both total and type of sleep affect funcitioning.
  • Linked to obesity, diabetes, hypertension and coronary diseas
32
Q

Types of Sleep Disorders

A
  • Narcolepsy
  • Sleep Apnea
  • Insomnia
33
Q

Narcolepsy

A
  • Incurable
  • excessive daytime sleepiness
  • uncontrollable attacks of REM sleep during waking hours
34
Q

Sleep Apnea

A
  • Periods during sleep when breathing stops
  • must awaken briefly in order to breath
35
Q

Insomnia

A
  • Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
  • waking too early
  • light, restless, poor qualtiy sleep
36
Q

Sleep Terrors

A
  • Happen during Stage 4 sleep
  • Sleeper awakens in panicked state with racing heart
  • Typically resolves quickly and person falls back to sleep
37
Q

Nightmares

A
  • Frightening dreams occur during REM sleep
  • Usually remembered in vivid detail
38
Q

Sleep Problems

A
  • Nightmares
  • Night terrors
  • Sleep talking
  • Somnambulism
39
Q

Somnambulism

A
  • Sleepwalking
  • 3% of adults and 15% of children
  • Slow wave sleep – stages 3 & 4
  • Sleeper not fully conscious
40
Q

Sleep Talking

A
  • Occurs in any stage of sleep
  • Mumbled nonsensical words and phrases
41
Q

Dreams

A
  • Occur during REM sleep
  • Vivid imagery
  • Story like quality often bizarre
  • Seem real to the dreamer
  • Sometimes occurs in non-REM sleep but have less vivid quality and are less frequent
42
Q

Why do we dream? – Freudian Theory

A
  • Emotions in buried in the unconscious
  • Wish fulfilment
  • Manifest content
  • Latent content

Research has not provided much support for this

43
Q

Why do we dream? Problem Solving theory (Cartwright)

A
  • Dreams offer a chance to work through emotional issues
  • Reflect on emotions and regulate emotional tone
  • Improve mood when awake
  • Engage in creative thinking because dreams are not restricted by logic
44
Q

Why do we dream?

Activation-Synthesis Model (Hobson et al.)

A
  • Cerebral Cortex trying to make sense of electrical activity during sleep
  • Pieces a story together based on memories and emotions
  • By-products of neural activation in Beta Brainwaves associate with wakefulness
  • This theory downplays the role of emotions
  • Doesn’t explain dreams outside of REM Sleep
  • Damage to Pons does not eliminate dreams
45
Q

Psychoactive Drugs

A

Chemical substances that modify mental, emotional or behavioural functioning

46
Q

Narcotics (opiates)

A
  • Drugs derived from opium capable of relieving pain
  • Morphine, Heroin, Oxycodone
  • Desired effects: Euphoria relaxation, anxiety reduction and pain relief
47
Q

Sedatives

A
  • Sleep inducing drugs decrease CNS activation and behavioural activity
  • Barbiturates like Secanol
  • Non-Barbiturates like Quaaludes
  • Desired Effects: Euphoria, relaxation, anxiety reduction, reduced inhibitions
48
Q

Commonly Abused Drugs – Stimulants

A
  • Drugs that increase CNS Activation and behavioural activity
  • Amphetimines, Cocaine
  • Desired Effects: Elation, excitement, increased alertness, increased energy, reduced fatigue
  • Halucinations
49
Q

Commonly Abused Drugs – Hallucinogens

A
  • Very divers group
  • Effects on emotional functioning, distortions in sensory and perceptual experience
  • LSD, Mescaline, Psilocybin
  • Increased sensory awareness, euphoria, altered perceptions, hallucinations, insightful experiences
50
Q

Commonly Abused Drugs – Cannabis

A
  • Derived from Hemp
  • Active ingredient is THC
  • Mild Euphoria, relaxation, altered perceptions, enhanced awareness
51
Q

Commonly Abused Drugs – Alcohol

A
  • Beverages containing ethyl alcohol
  • Mild euphoria, relaxation, anxiety reduction, reduced inhibitions
52
Q

Drug Tolerance

A
  • A progressive decrease in a persons responsiveness to a drug due to repeated use
53
Q

Types of drug dependence - Physical

A

Physical dependence is coupled with unpleasant withdrawal sysmptoms

54
Q

Types of drug dependence – Psychological

A

Cravings and urges for the drug and its pleasurable effects

55
Q

Three reasons people become addicted to substances

A
  1. Sensitisation of pleasure and reward system in the brain
  2. Reduction of negative feelings
  3. Classical Conditioning
56
Q

Sensitisation of pleasure and reward system caused by drug abuse

A
  • All addictive drugs stimulate dopamine
  • They mediate pleasure and reward
  • Drugs permanently alter the brains dopamine response by causing sensitisation
57
Q

Reduction of negative feelings caused by drug abuse

A

The more drugs consumed the stronger the feeling of withdrawal

58
Q

Classical Conditioning in drug abuse

A
  • Stimuli that are present when substance is consumed become associated with effects
  • Cravings occur when presented with the stimuli
59
Q

Hypnosis

A
  • Systematic procedure which requires one to narrow our focus of attention
  • Heightened state of suggestibility
  • Deep relaxation
  • Power of suggestion can influence thoughts, feelings, sensations, perception & behaviour
60
Q

Dissociation – Altered State of Consciousness

A

Splitting off of mental processes into two separate, simultaneous streams of awareness

61
Q

Characteristics of Hypnotisable people

A
  • Well-developed fantasy life
  • Vivid sense of imagination
  • Tendency to be forgetful
  • Positive attitude to hypnosis
62
Q

What is meditation

A
  • Practise that trains attention to heighten awareness
  • Gives better control over mental processes
63
Q

Two main styles of meditation

A
  • Focused Attention
  • Open Monitoring
64
Q

Focused Attention Meditation

A
  • Attention concentrated on a specific object, image or sound
  • Awareness of bodily sensation
  • Clear the mind of its clutter
65
Q

Open Monitoring

A
  • Attention directed to the moment to moment experience
  • non judgemental, non reactive observation of the flow of sensations, thoughts and feelings
  • become detached
66
Q

Effects of Meditation

A

Decrease in:

  • heart rate,
  • respiration rate
  • blood pressure
  • pain perception
  • stress & anxiety
  • depression

Increase in:

  • Brain activity
  • concentration
  • awareness
  • self esteem
  • emotional resilience
  • empathy

An EEG in this state with show prominent theta and alha rhythm patterns

67
Q

CT Scans on Tibetan Buddhist Meditation show

A
  • High activity in the pre frontal cortex
  • low activity in parietal lobe that processes body’s location in space
  • may explain some of the transcendent experiences reported by many meditators

Psychology: Biology & Cognition (20 decks)

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