AP PSY CHAP 5

Sleep

According to the psychological definition of consciousness, sleep is a state of consciousness because, while we are asleep, we are less aware of ourselves and our environment than we are when we are in our normal awake state. Other states of consciousness—drug induced states, hypnosis, and so on—are states of consciousness for similar reasons. Many studies show that a large percentage of high school and college students are sleep deprived, meaning they do not get as much sleep as their body wants. To a psychologist, referring to being sleep as being unconscious is incorrect. Sleep is one of the states of consciousness

REM

As we reach stage 1, our brain produces a period of intense activity, our eyes dart back and forth, and many of our muscles may twitch repeatedly. This is REM—rapid eye movement, or called paradoxical sleep since our brain waves appear as active and intense as they do when we are awake. We are not sure of the exact purpose of REM, only some effects. Dreams usually occur during REM. (Dreams can occur in any stage of sleep, but it is far more likely that any detailed dream occurs in REM). REM sleep deprivation interferes with memory. Such person may experience REM rebound—experiencing more and longer period of REM—the next time they are allowed to sleep normally. The more stress we experience during the day, the longer REM will be.

Hallucinogens (or psychedelics)

Do not necessarily speed up or slow down the body, but cause changes in perceptions of reality, including sensory hallucinations, loss of identity, and vivid fantasies.Common hallucinogens include LSD, peyote, psilocybin mushrooms, and marijuana.

Circadian rhythm

During a 24-hour day, out metabolic and thought processes follow a certain pattern. Some are more active than others in the morning. Some get hungry or go to the bathroom at certain times of day, and so on. Part of our circadian rhythm is the sleep cycle. Our sleep cycle is our typical pattern of sleep. Researchers use EEG machines to record how active our brains are during sleep and describe the different stages of sleep we progress through each night.

Stimulants

Including caffeine, cocaine, amphetamines, and nicotine. Speed up body processes, including autonomic nervous system functions such as heart and respiration rate. This dramatic increase is accompanied by a sense of euphoria.The more powerful stimulants, such as cocaine, produce an extreme euphoric rush that may take a user feel extremely self-confident and invincible. All stimulants produce tolerance, withdrawal effects, and other side effects (such as or lesser degree that corresponds with the power of the drug.

The Activation-Synthesis Theory of Dreaming

Looks at dreams first as biological phenomena because brain images proves that our brain is very active during REM sleep. This theory proposes that perhaps dreams are nothing more than the brain's interpretation of what is happening physiologically during REM sleep.This is based on the research that our minds are very good at explaining events, even when events have a purely physiological cause. Dreams may be a story made up by a literary part of our mind caused by the intense brain activity during REM. According to this theory, dreams, while interesting, have no more meaning than nay other physiological reflex in our body.

blood-brain barrier

Normally the brain is protected from harmful chemicals in the bloodstream by thicker walls surrounding the brain's blood vessels

reverse tolerance

One notable feature of hallucinogens is their persistence. Some amount may remain in the body for weeks. If one ingests the hallucinogen again during this time period, the new dose of the chemical is added to the lingering amount, creating more profound and potentially dangerous effects.

Unconscious level

Psychoanalytic psychologists believe some events and feelings are unacceptable to our conscious mind and are repressed into the unconscious mind. Many psychologists object this concept as difficult or impossible to prove.

Depressants

Slows down the same body systems that stimulants speed up.Including alcohol, barbiturates, and anxiolytics (also called tranquilizers or antianxiety drugs) like Valium are common depressants. A euphoria accompanies the depressing effects of depressants, as does tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. In addition, alcohol slows down our reactions and judgment by slowing down brain processes. The inhibition of different brain regions causes behavioral changes. Ex. When enough alcohol is ingested to affect the cerebellum, our motor coordination is dramatically affected.

Blind sight

Some people who report being blind can nonetheless accurately describe the path of a moving object or accurately grasp objects they say they cannot see.

Stage3&4

Stage 3 and 4, sometimes are called delta sleep (also called slow-wave sleep) because of the delta waves that exist during these stages. The slower the wave (slow waves are low-frequency waves), the deeper the sleep and less aware we are of our environment. Increasing exercise will increase the amount of time we spend in stage 3 and 4.

somnambulism (sleep walking)

The cause is unknown, but it is suspected to be related in some way to ______

antagonists

The drugs that block neurotransmitters. They also fit into the receptor sites on a neuron, and they simply prevent the natural neurotransmitters from using the receptor site.

agonists

The drugs that mimic neurotransmitters. These drugs fit in the receptor sites on a neuron that normally receive the neurotransmitter and function as that neurotransmitter normally would.

Conscious Level

The information about yourself and your environment you are currently aware of. Your conscious level right now is probably focusing on these words and their meanings.

withdrawal symptoms

These can range from headache from caffeine, to dehydrating and potentially fatal night sweats (sweating profusely during sleep) from heroin.

The Information-Processing Theory of Dreaming

This theory falls between the Freudian and activation-synthesis theories. This theory points out that stress during the day will increase the number and intensity of dreams during the night. Also, most people report their dream content relates somehow to daily concerns. Proponents of information processing theorize that perhaps the brain is dealing with daily stress and information during REM. The function of REM may be to integrate the information processed during the day into our memories. Babies may need more REM sleep than adults because they process so much new information every day.

manifest content (literal content of our dreams) and latent content (unconscious meaning of the manifest content)

This type of dream analysis emphasizes two levels of dream content

Sleep onset

We go through different stages of sleep during the night. Our brain waves and levels of awareness change as we cycle through the stages. Every 90 minutes we pass through a cycle of five distinct sleep stages. The period when we are falling asleep is called sleep onset. This is the stage between wakefulness and sleep our brain produces alpha waves when we are drowsy but awake. We might experience mind hallucinations (such as falling or rising) before actually falling asleep and entering stage 1.

Stage1&2

When we are awake and in stages 1 and 2, our brains produce theta waves which are relatively high-frequency, low-amplitude waves. However, theta waves get progressively slower and higher in amplitude as we go from wakefulness and through stages 1 and 2. In stage 2, EEG starts to show sleep spindles, which are short bursts of rapid brain waves

Priming

You responds more quickly/accurately to questions you have seen before, even if you do not remember seeing them

tolerance

a physiological change that produces a need for more of the same drug in order to achieve the same effect.

Dream

a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person's mind. Dreams are notable for their hallucinatory imagery discontinuities, and incongruities, and for the dreamer's delusional acceptance of the content and later difficulties remembering it.

Night terrors

a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during Stage 4 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered.

Sleep apnea

a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings.

Narcolepsy

a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times.

posthypnotic suggestion

a suggestion that a hypnotized person behave in a certain way after he or she is brought out of hypnosis.

Manifest content

according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from its latent, or hidden, content).

Latent content

according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content).

Psychoactive drugs

are chemicals that change the chemistry of the brain (and the rest of the body) and induce an altered state of consciousness. Some of the behavioral and cognitive changes caused by these drugs are due to the physiological processes, but some are due to expectations about the drug. Research shows that people will often exhibit some of the expected effects of the drug if they think they ingested it, even if they did not (this is similar to the placebo effect)

Current Study of Consciousness

are trying to examine what we can know about consciousness and to describe some of the processes or elements of consciousness

Nonconscious Level

body processes controlled by your mind that we are not usually (or ever) aware of. Right now, your nonconscious is controlling your heartbeat, respiration, digestion, and so on.

Dissociation theory

by Ernest Hilgard points out that hypnosis causes us to divide our consciousness voluntarily. Our part or level of the consciousness responds to the suggestions of the hypnotist, while another part of level retains awareness of reality.Ex. In an experiment investigating hypnotism and pain control, Hilgard asked hypnotized participants to put their arm in an ice water bath and they reported no pain. However, when Hilgard asked them to lift their index finger if any part of them felt the pain, most participants did. This experiment demonstrated the presence of a hidden observer, a part or level of our consciousness that monitors what is happening while another level obeys the hypnotist's suggestions.

Freudian psychoanalysis

emphasizes dreams interpretation as a method to uncover the repressed information in the unconscious mind. Freud believes that dreams were wish fulfilling, meaning that in our dreams we act out unconscious desires. Freud believes that even during sleep, our ego protected us from the material in the unconscious mind (protected sleep) by presenting these repressed desires in the form of symbols.

hallucinations

false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus.

Delta sleep

important in replenishing the body's chemical supplies, releasing growth hormones in children, and fortifying our immune system. A person deprived of delta sleep will be more susceptible to illness and will feel physically tired.

Preconscious Level

information about yourself on your environment that you are not currently thinking about (not in your conscious level) but you could be. If I asked you to remember your favorite toy as a child, you could bring the preconscious memory into your conscious level

Subconscious level

information that we are not consciously aware of but we know must exist due to behavior. The behaviors demonstrated in examples of priming and mere-exposure effect suggest some information is accessible to this level of consciousness but not to our conscious level

Posthypnotic amnesia

is when people report forgetting events that occurred while they were hypnotized.

■ Sleep apnea

may occur almost as common as insomnia and in some ways might be more serious. Apnea causes a person to stop breathing for short periods of time during the night. The body causes the person to wake up slightly and gasp for air, and then the sleep continues. This process robs the person of deep sleep and causes tiredness and possible interfere with attention and memory. Severe apnea can be fatal. Since these individuals do not remember waking up during the night, apnea frequently goes undiagnosed. Overweight men are at a higher risks for apnea. Apnea can treated with a respiration machine that provide air for the person as he sleeps.

NREM sleep

non-rapid eye movement sleep; encompasses all sleep stages except for REM sleep.

Narcolepsy

occurs in less than 0.001% of the population.

Mere-exposure effect

occurs when we prefer stimuli we have seen before over novel stimuli, even if we do not consciously remember seeing the old stimuli

consciousness

our awareness of ourselves and our environment.

Consciousness

our level of awareness about ourselves and our environment.

sleep

periodic, natural loss of consciousness-as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation. (Adapted from Dement, 1999.)

State theory

points out that hypnosis meets some parts of the definition of an altered state of consciousness. Hypnotists seem to be able to suggest that we become more or less aware of our environment. In addition, some people report dramatic health benefits from hypnosis, such as pain control and reduction in specific physical ailments.

REM sleep

rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active.

Insomnia

recurring problems in falling or staying asleep.

Role theory

states that hypnosis is not an alternate state of consciousness at all. This theory points out that some people are more easily hypnotized than others, a characteristic called hypnotic suggestibility. People with high hypnotic suggestibility share some other characteristics as well. They tend to have richer fantasy lives, follow directions well, and be able to focus intensely on a single task for a long period of time. These factors may indicate that hypnotism is a social phenomenon. Perhaps during hypnosis, people are acting out the role of a hypnotist because that is what is expected of the role.

Opiates

such as morphine, heroin, methadone, and codeine are all similar in chemical structure to opium, a drug derived from the poppy plants.They are all ac as agonists for endorphins and thus are powerful painkillers and mood elevators. They cause drowsiness and a euphoria associated with elevated endorphin levels. They are some of the most physically additive drugs because they rapidly change brain chemistry and create tolerance and withdrawal symptoms.

Narcoleptics

suffer from periods of intense sleepiness and may fall asleep at unpredictable and inappropriate times. They may suddenly fall into REM sleep regardless of what they are doing at the time. Narcolepsy can be successfully treated with medication and changing sleep patterns (usually involving naps at certain times of the day).

circadian rhythm

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle.

delta waves

the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep.

Insomnia

the most common sleep disorder, affecting up tp 10% of the populations. An insomniac has persistent problems getting to sleep or staying asleep at night. Treated with suggestions of changes in behavior: reduction of caffeine or other stimulants, exercise at appropriate times (not right before bedtime) during the day, and maintaining a consistent sleep pattern. Doctors and researchers encourage insomniacs to use sleeping pills only with caution, as they disturb sleep patterns during the night and prevent truly restful sleep

alpha waves

the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state.

Dreams

the series of story like images we experience as we sleep. The study of dreams is difficult because it replies almost entirely on self-reports. Researchers know that if people are awaken during or shortly after an REM episode, they often report they were dreaming. Many theorize about the purposes and meanings of dreams, but validating these theories is difficult with the limited access researchers currently have to dreams

REM rebound

the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation (created by repeated awakenings during REM sleep).

Night terror

usually affects children. They would sit up in bed in the middle of the night and move around in horror. Most do not remember the episode when they wake up.

Sigmund Freud

was one that considered dreams as an important tool in his therapy.