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intro to psych chapter 5

1

By: kstewart075 21
October 14, 2009 | Psychology - lewin, stanley

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• THE NATURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS
  • Consciousness is the awareness of ourselves and our environment
    • Subjective because you cannot share it with another person
    • Selective because you can be aware of some things while ignoring others.
    • Divided because you can pay attention to two things at once
    • Continuous because each moment on consciousness blends into the next.
    • Changing because what you are aware of now will normally shift to awareness of other things within seconds.
    • Consists of many levels from an alert and focused awareness to the relative stupor of deep sleep.

• THE STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
  • Daydreaming is a relatively passive state of waking consciousness that involves turning attention away from external stimuli to internal thoughts and imaginary situations.
  • Fantasy- prone personality is a person who has regular, vivid fantasies and sometimes cannot separate fantasy from reality.
  • Consciousness and evolution may have allowed our ancestors to plan future activities and categorize and make sense of emotions.

• SLEEP
  • Sleep is a nonwaking state of consciousness characterized by  minimal  physical movement  and minimal responsiveness to ones surroundings.
  • Altered state of consciousness is an awareness of oneself and one's environment that is noticeably different from the normal state of consciousness.
  • Circadian rhythms are internally generated behavioral and physiological changes that occur on a daily basis. (waking up at 7 for class everyday without an alarm)

• STAGES OF SLEEP
  • NREM sleep (stage 1) more rapid, smaller, irregular theta waves. You can easily be awakened in this stage.
    • Theta waves are irregular, low amplitude brain waves in stage 1
    • Beta waves are very fast, low amplitude brain waves associated with an active state of mind. YOU ARE AWAKE
    • Alpha waves are fast, low amplitude brain waves associated with a relaxed, wakeful state of mind.  YOU ARE AWAKE
  • Stage 2 sleep lasts about 20 minutes and Is characterized by sleep spindles which are bursts of rapid, rhythmic electrical activity in the brain.
  • Stage 3 you begin to move into the deeper form of slow- wave sleep  in which your brain waves become much higher in amplitude and slower in frequency.
  • Stage 4 is characterized by delta waves that are slow, high amplitude brain waves, it is very difficult to wake a person at this stage.
  • REM SLEEP
    • or rapid eye movement sleep is a relatively active phase in the sleep cycle characterized by rapid eye movements in which dreaming occurs.
    • REM sleep-on neurons are responsible for creating REM sleep, these neurons are located in the pons at the base of the hindbrain.

• NO CONSENSUS EXISTS ON THE CAUSE OR MEANING OF DREAMS
  • Lucid dreams are dreams in which the dreamer is aware of dreaming and is often able to change the plot of the dream
  • Manifest content is the dream that is remembered by the dreamer
  • Latent content the true meaning of the dream that is concealed from the dreamer through the symbols that make up the manifest dream content
  • Problem solving theory is a theory that dreams provide people with the opportunity to creatively solve their everyday problems.
  • Off-line dream theory is a theory that the cognitive process of dreaming consolidates and stores information gathered during the day, thus allowing us to maintain a smaller and more efficient brain.
  • Activation synthesis theory is a theory that dreaming is a by- product of random brain activity which the forebrain weaves into a somewhat logical story.

• Summary
  • Circadian rhythms closely align with the 24hr rotation of the earth
  • Jet lag and shift work can disrupt normal circadian patterns
  • Every 90-100 minutes we cycle through distinct sleep stages
  • Sleep may provide time to restore the body and mind as well as protect us from the dangers posed by engaging us in nighttime activities.
  • As people age the quantity and quality of sleep decreases
  • Individuals and cultures differ in sleeping patterns
  • REM sleep is where most dreaming occurs

• OTHER ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS (all drugs work at a synaptic level except alcohol, alcohol is most common)

Know charts and categories -stimulants, depressants etc. and one example of each.

• Hypnosis is a psychological state of altered attention and awareness in which a person is unusually responsive to suggestions.
• Hypnotizability-  the degree to which a person can enter a deep hypnotic state.
• Neodissociation theory- a theory that hypnotized people enter an altered state in which two streams on consciousness operate at the same time, one actively responding to suggestions and the other passively observing what is going on.
• Meditation- a variety of mental exercises that alter the normal flow of consciousness in order to enhance self- knowledge.
• Psychoactive drugs are chemicals that modify mental processes and behaviors
• Drug abuse- persistence in drug abuse even when impaired behavior or social functioning results.
• Drug tolerance is an effect of drug  abuse in which greater amounts of the drug are necessary to produce the same effect once produced by smaller doses.
• Depressants are psychoactive drugs that slow down or depress the nervous system and decrease mental and physical activity. (alcohol, barbiturates- phenobarbital, nonbarbitrate hypnotics- methaqualone
  • 5 principles of CNS depressants (central nervous system)
    • Additive and may show interactions (surprised or unexpected result),
      • Example a girl takes 2 valum and has 2 drinks and goes comatose sedative + alcohol= interaction
      • Depressants+ depressants = more depressed
    • Antagonism with stimulants- DO NOT CONTRADICT EACHOTHER-drinking alcohol and coffee is an awake drunk
    • Disinhibition- stop inhibitions, depressants lower inhibitions
    • Rebound- reverse reaction when you abruptly stop the drunk- withdrawal.
    •  addiction-  shown by
      • tolerance,
      • dependence
        • Physical
        • Psychological

• Alcoholism- the occurrence of tolerance and physical dependence due to the prolonged use of alcohol.
• Sedatives are depressants that in mild doses produce relaxation, mild euphoria, and reduced inhibitions.
• Opiates are a category of depressant drugs including opium, morphine, and heroin that depress the nervous system, temporarily relieve pain, and produce a relaxed dream- like state.
• Stimulants are psychoactive drugs that speed up or stimulate the nervous system and increase mental and physical activity.
• Stimulant induced psychosis is schizophrenic like symptoms that can occur following prolonged and excessive use of cocaine and amphetamines.
• Hallucinogens are psychoactive drugs that distort perception and generate sensory images without any external stimulation.
• LSD- the most potent of the hallucinogens which is synthesized and induces hallucinations and distortions and a blending of sensory experiences .
• Marijuana- a mild hallucinogen derived from the leafy material of the hemp , or cannabis, a plant that often induces a sense of giddiness or euphoria as well as a heightened sensitivity to various stimuli.
• THC is the major psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

• SLEEP DISORDERS
  • Night terrors is a sleep disorder involving panic attacks that occur during early night stage 4 NREM sleep.
  • Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder in which a person arises and wanders about while remaining asleep.
  • Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable REM sleep attacks during normal waking hours
  • Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which a person repeatedly stops breathing during sleep.
  • Insomnia is a sleep disorder involving the chronic inability to fall or stay asleep.