SAC 3

Question 1

why is consciousness considered a psychological construct

Answer 1

because it is personal, selective, continuous and changing, it varies from person to person. a psychological construct is a concept used to describe something that is believed to exist because we can measure its effects but not directly observe or measure it

Question 2

what is a state of consciousness

Answer 2

our awareness of internal and external environments at any given time

Question 3

normal waking consciousness

Answer 3

a state of consciousness characterised by clear and organised alertness of thoughts, feelings and behaviours including internal and external events. common psychological characteristics are;
moderate to high level awareness
good memory and cognitive abilities
focused attention of specific tasks

Question 4

an altered state of consciousness

Answer 4

any state that is characteristically different from normal waking consciousness in terms of awareness, sensation or perception, can be natural or induced

Question 5

natural altered states of consciousness are

Answer 5

involve physiological and psychological changes that occur automatically and are produced spontaneously beyond our conscious control e.g sleep, meditation, daydreaming

Question 6

induced altered states of consciousness are

Answer 6

involves physiological and psychological changes that have been intentionally produced e.g alcohol or drugs

Question 7

measurements of physiological responses indicating state of consciousness (list objective ) and other techniques for investigating consciousness

Answer 7

EEG - electroencephalograph
EOG - electrooculograph
EMG - electromyograph
other techniques:
speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks
sleep diaries
video monitoring
heart rate
body temp
galvanic skin response (sweating)

Question 8

subjective data

Answer 8

data collected through personal observations, interpretations, emotions and judgement e.g observing a person and saying how they feel

Question 9

objective data

Answer 9

measurements of controlled behaviour collected under controlled conditions which allow data to be directly observed or measured e.g reading a chart of brainwaves to judge emotions

Question 10

ends of the continuum of consciousness

Answer 10

high end = total awareness, attention is focused, selective and you are able to concentrate on specific tasks and ignore unimportant information e.g maths
low end = lack of awareness you may be unaware of thoughts feelings and sensations

Question 11

amplitude and frequency of brainwaves

Answer 11

amplitude = the strength of the brainwave measured by size of peaks and troughs from baseline of zero
frequency = the number of brainwaves per second

Question 12

types of brainwaves

Answer 12

beta: low amplitude, high frequency, normal waking consciousness
alpha: low-med amplitude, med-high frequency, deeply relaxed state
theta: med-high amplitude, low-medium frequency, during early stages of sleep
delta: high amplitude, low frequency, experienced in deepest stages of sleep

Question 13

measurements of physiological responses indicating state of consciousness define:
EEG
EOG
EMG

Answer 13

EEG: electroencephalograph, detects, amplifies and records electrical activity in the form of brainwaves
EOG: electrooculograph, detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of muscles that control the eye
EMG: electromyograph, detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of voluntary muscles

Question 14

techniques for investigating consciousness define
speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks
sleep diary
video monitoring

Answer 14

speed and accuracy measured through a PTV (psychometric vigilance test) requires participants to respond to visual stimulus and measures their speed and accuracy
sleep diaries involve an individual keeping a record of their own subjective experiences, provides insights into behavioural and psychological experiences

Question 15

psychological measurements of difference between NWC and ASC

Answer 15

Level of awareness: high awareness of environments, controlled and automatic processes good vs low awareness and limited ability for processes
Content limitations: can block bad thoughts vs can’t block and limited info processes
Cognitive distortions: logically and clearly and memorise vs illogical and bad memory
Attention: selective and divided attention vs low ability to attend to stimuli
Perceptual distortions: perceive world right vs hallucinations and distortions reduce or intensify pain
Emotional awareness: appropriate vs dulled or intense, inappropriate
Self control: coordinate one motor skills vs loss of inhibitions
Time orientation: accurately perceive time passing vs faster or slower time

Question 16

divided vs selective attention

Answer 16

divided: when an individual simultaneously focuses on two or more stimuli or simultaneously undertakes two or more tasks
selective: attending to a particular stimulus whilst ignoring others, takes a high level of awareness

Question 17

controlled vs automatic processes

Answer 17

automatic: actions that require little conscious awareness or mental effort and do not interfere with performance on other activities
controlled: actions that require a high level of conscious awareness, attention and mental effort

Question 18

effect of stimulants

Answer 18

elevate mood, increase alertness, reduce fatigue, reduce appetite, increase mainly beta and some alpha e.g caffeine, nicotine, cocaine,

Question 19

effects of depressants

Answer 19

increase fatigue, induce calmness, reduce anxiety, increase delta and beta and some alpha e.g Benzos, opioids, alcohol

Question 20

effects of stimulants and depressants on CNS

Answer 20

depressants: slow messages between body and brain
stimulants: create false messages in the brain e.g the brain may not realise the body is under stress

Question 21

partial vs total sleep deprivation and REM rebound

Answer 21

sleep deprivation is going without sleep or not getting sufficient sleep to support optimal daytime functioning.
partial: getting some sleep in 24 hr period but less than normally required
total: no sleep at all in 24 hr period
REM rebound: when an individual experiences extra amounts of REM sleep after being sleep deprived

Question 22

effects of sleep deprivation on cognition, concentration and mood (physiological)

Answer 22

fatigue
trembling hands
drooping eyelids
staring
increased pain sensitivity
slurred speech
lack of energy
(effects are short lived as we recover quickly with next sleep)

Question 23

effects of sleep deprivation on cognition, concentration and mood (psychological)

Answer 23

cognition:
affects working memory, attention and decision making
concentration:
deteriorates with less sleep, difficulty with simple monotonous tasks but complex ones less affected
mood:
irritable, short temper, impatient, increase negative mood decrease positive

Question 24

REM sleep is important for

Answer 24

brain development, restorative function of the brain, improve and preserve neural pathways, consolidation of new memories

Question 25

NREM sleep is important for

Answer 25

replenishing and restoring body tissues

Question 26

Sleep Debt

Answer 26

accumulated amount of sleep loss; a typical pattern of sleep recovery following deprivation is: fall asleep faster total time asleep is prolonged but you do not need to make up total amount major improvements in mood, cognition and physiological functioning no long term effects

Question 27

effects of alcohol of cognition, concentration and mood

Answer 27

cognition: impaired, inability to problem solve and make decisions e.g when to give way concentration: BAC over 0.05 causes decline in ability to focus on different aspects of driving at once mood: mood is exaggerated or intensified

Question 28

relationship between BAC and sleep deprivation

Answer 28

deprived of sleep for 17-19 hours is same as having BAC of 0.05. so lowered alertness and judgement, lowered inhibitions, minor impairment of memory and reasoning

Question 29

what is sleep

Answer 29

a naturally occurring altered state of consciousness that features the suspension of awareness of the external environment and is accompanied by a number of physiological changes to the body

Question 30

the sleep cycle explained

Answer 30

divided into two stages, REM and NREM 1, 2, 3, 4. when first falling asleep we go into NREM 1 and gradually progress into the next stages and then go back in reverse but instead of entering NREM 1 again they go straight to REM and back into NREM 2 and repeat 5-6 time with each cycle about 90 minutes

Question 31

physiological measures of sleep

Answer 31

EEG EOG EMG ECG

Question 32

REM sleep

Answer 32

type of sleep characterised by brainwaves with high frequency and low amplitude, the muscles of the body are paralysed and dreams may be experienced. 1st cycle 10 mins and increases, beta like waves, increased heart rate and breathing restoration SA = dreams, sleep walking. paradoxical sleep (atonia)

Question 33

NREM sleep

Answer 33

a type of sleep that is broken into 4 stages where the sleeper falls into a deeper and deeper sleep as the stages progress, characterised by relaxation of the muscles, a slowing down of physiological functions and brainwaves that decrease in frequency and increase in amplitude

Question 34

NREM stages

Answer 34

NREM 1: 5-10 mins, alpha and theta, losing awareness. droopy eyes, heart rate decreases. sleep activity present is light sleep, hallucinations and hypnic jerks NREM 2: 50% of sleep, 20 mins. theta (sleep spindles and k) physiologically heart rate and breathing decrease. SA = sleep talking NREM 3: 3-10 mins, theta delta, more relaxation. SA = groggy hard to wake up NREM 4: 1st cycle 30 mins and decreases, delta (50% or more), no eye movements, sleepwalking and night terrors

Question 35

hypnogogic state

Answer 35

a state when alpha waves being to present on the EEG as a person drifts from wakefulness to sleep

Question 36

hypnic jerk

Answer 36

a reflex muscle contraction that occurs during stage NREM 1 as the body is relaxing

Question 37

sleep spindles | K-complex

Answer 37

sleep spindles: a type of brain activity characterised by a short burst of high-frequency brainwaves, experienced during stage 2 NREM K-complex: a short burst of high amplitude brainwaves experienced in stage 2 NREM

Question 38

slow wave sleep

Answer 38

a sleep state characterised by the emergence of delta waves, experienced during NREM 3 and 4

Question 39

circadian rhythms

Answer 39

are biological processes roughly follow a 24 hr cycle, is controlled by internal and external cues such as body temp cycle and light, the dominant circadian rhythm for humans is the SLEEP-WAKE cycle (NOT the sleep cycle). our internal body clock is in the hypothalamus ad cal called the Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), when there is lack of light it triggers the pineal gland to release melatonin to help us fall asleep

Question 40

biological rhythms

Answer 40

the cyclic natural rhythms our body follows to perform a variety of functions

Question 41

ultradian rhythms

Answer 41

a biological rhythm that follows a sleep cycle of less than 24 hours e.g sleep cycle (NOT sleep-wake)

Question 42

theories of sleep

Answer 42

restoration and evolutionary

Question 43

restoration theory of sleep

Answer 43

says that sleep is vital for replenishing and revitalising the physiological and psychological resources depleted by waking activities to keep the body functioning at optimum level. NREM = body, REM = brain Support: marathon runner spend more time in NREM and infants spend more time in REM compared to rest of life Criticism: bed ridden people require as much sleep as active people

Question 44

evolutionary theory of sleep

Answer 44

suggests we have periods of inactivity, or sleep, when we do not need to engage in activities important to our survival, takes into account amount of time animal needs to get food and says the rest of that time is better spent sleeping. Support: bats don't have high caloric requirement and so sleep 20 hrs, giraffes have high caloric requirement and so only sleep 1.9 hrs Criticism: we are more vulnerable when we sleep so its not protecting us, also doesn't explain why we sleep

Question 45

sleep in infants

Answer 45

16 hrs a day 50% REM 50% NREM

Question 46

sleep in children

Answer 46

10-11 hrs a day 20-25% REM 75-80% NREM

Question 47

sleep in adolescents

Answer 47

9 hrs a day 20% REM 80% NREM

Question 48

sleep in adults

Answer 48

7-8 hrs a day 80% NREM 20% REM

Question 49

sleep in elderly

Answer 49

6-7 hrs a day 80% NREM 20% REM not a lot of time in 3 and 4, frequent awakenings

Question 50

things that disturb circadian rhythms

Answer 50

circadian phase disorder sleep-wake shift in adolescence shift work jet lag

Question 51

circadian phase disorder

Answer 51

a sleep disorder that disturbs a persons ability to sleep and wake for the periods of time necessary to maintain good health and wellbeing, caused by the sleep wake cycle being out of sync with the natural night-day cycle of the external environment. the effects in daytime are excessive tiredness and desire to sleep, lethargy, difficulty following schedules and memorising . effects at night are difficulty falling asleep at right time and maintaining sleep.

Question 52

treatments for circadian phase disorder

Answer 52

aimed at resynchronising a persons circadian rhythms to their desired sleep schedule. involves teaching proper hygiene and external stimulus therapy e.g bright light therapy

Question 53

the sleep-wake shift in adolescence

Answer 53

occurs during puberty and results in a sleep phase delay meaning that they fall asleep at a later time and wake up later due to the delayed release of melatonin by 1-2 hrs. this results in sleep deprivation as they have to wake up early

Question 54

effects of the sleep-wake shift in adolescence and how to cope

Answer 54

causes sleep deprivation resulting in impaired cognitive functioning and memory, it reduces REM sleep resulting in difficulty processing information. to cope you should avoid exposure to screens 1 hr before bed and avoid intense study periods before bed

Question 55

shift work

Answer 55

hours of paid employment outside a normal working day, disrupts natural circadian rhythms and shift workers must override their natural rhythms, if their attempt to to sleep out of adjustment with their body clock for an extended time they may develop a shift work disorder

Question 56

jet lag

Answer 56

a temporary circadian phase disorder characterised by fatigue and sleep disturbance that results from a disruption of the bodys normal circadian rhythm following long periods of air travel through several time zones

Question 57

effects of partial sleep deprivation (ABC) plus physical

Answer 57

Affective: amplified emotional responses e.g mood swings, irritability, easily bored Behavioural: difficulty completing routine tasks, reduced ability to assess risks Cognitive: memory lapses, reduced creativity, slowed reaction time Physical: lack of energy, trembling, drooping eyelids

Question 58

dysomnias vs parasomnias

Answer 58

dysomnia is a group of sleep disorders characterised by disturbance of normal sleep pattern including quality, amount and timing of sleep vs parasomnias are a group of sleep disorders characterised by abnormal or unusual behaviour or physiological occurrences during sleep

Question 59

dysomnia example

Answer 59

sleep-onset insomnia, a sleep disorder characterised by an inability to fall asleep at the beginning of the night or at the point of normal 'sleep onset' must be consistent failure within 20-30 minutes

Question 60

parasomnias example

Answer 60

sleep walking, a sleep disorder characterised by a sleeping person walking and sometimes completing routine tasks or activities often when in deep sleep (stages NREM 3 and 4)

Question 61

CBT

Answer 61

cognitive behavioural therapy: focuses on fixing cognitive and behavioural therapies to treat disorders, cognitive component focuses on helping individual change dysfunctional attitudes and thoughts about sleep and behavioural involves addressing behaviours that prevent sleep. involves stimulus and discrimination and sleep hygiene

Question 62

Bright Light Therapy

Answer 62

exposure to intense but safe amounts of light to shift sleep cycle to a desirable time