Consciousness
Our awareness of ourselves and our environment
Cognitive Neuroscience
The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory and language)
Dual processing
The principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
Selective Attention
The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
Inattentional Blindness
Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
Change Blindness
Failing to notice changes in the environment
What machine do they use to study sleep?
Electroencephalograph
Circadian Rhythm
The biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle
What two things can change our circadian rhythm?
Sleep and light
How long does a full sleep cycle last?
90 minutes
How many stages of sleep do you go through during that cycle?
4
REM Sleep
Rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage during which vivd dreams commonly occur. AKA paradoxical sleep because muscles are relaxes but body systems are active.
Alpha Waves
The relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state
Sleep
Periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness – as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia or hibernation
Stage 1 of Sleep (NREM-1)
Sensation of falling or floating, brief. May include hallucinations, false sensory experiences such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus.
Stage 2 of Sleep (NREM-2)
Relax more deeply, about 20 minutes. Sleep spindles, bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain-wave activity, occur here.
Stage 3 of Sleep (NREM-3)
Lasts about 30 minutes. Delta waves, large and slow brain waves associated with deep sleep, occur here.
REM Sleep
Heart rate rises, rapid and irregular breathing, darting eyes behind closed eyelids
What happens to NREM-3 sleep as the night goes on?
Dream formation
How much of an average night’s sleep do we spend in REM?
30-45 minutes
How much do newborns sleep per night?
2/3 of their day
How much do most adults sleep per night?
Less than 1/3 of their day
What are some of the effects of getting too little sleep?
Difficulty studying, diminished productivity, tendency to make mistakes, irritability, fatigue, weight gain, stress
List the 5 reasons that sleep may have evolved.
- Sleep protects.
- Sleep helps us recuperate (restore and repair brain tissue).
- Sleep is for making memories.
- Sleep feeds creative thinking.
- Sleep may play a role in the growth process.
Insomnia
Persistent problems in falling or staying asleep
What makes insomnia worse?
When drugs are discontinued
What are the quick fixes for insomnia? Do they work?
Sleeping pills and alcohol; no, they aggravate the problem.
Narcolepsy
A sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks, sufferers lapse directly into REM sleep at inopportune times
What is the cause of narcolepsy?
Absence of a hypothalamic neural center that produces orexin, a neurotransmitter linked to alertness
Sleep Apnea
A sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings
What are the causes/warning signs of sleep apnea?
Snoring at night, feeling tired during the day, high blood pressure
Night Terrors
A sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; distinct from nightmares
Who do night terrors usually affect?
Children
During what stage of sleep do night terrors happen?
Stage 3
Dream
“Hallucinations of the sleeping mind”
What is the difference between daydreams and REM dreams?
Daydreams tend to involve familiar details of our life, but dreams can be vivid, emotional and bizarre.
What can happen to sensory stimuli that occur while you are sleeping?
A similar sensory experience can happen in the dream
Why do we dream?
- To satisfy our own wishes (Freud)
- To file away memories
- Information-processing perspective: To develop and preserve neural pathways, to make sense of neural static, and to reflect cognitive development
Who is responsible for the theory that we dream to satisfy our own wishes?
Sigmund Freud
According to Freud, what is the purpose of dreaming?
Dreams are our unconscious selves revealing our own deep desires.
Manifest content
The remembered story line of a dream
Latent content
The underlying meaning of a dream
What do most psychologists believe today about Freud’s dream theories?
There is no reason to believe that Freud’s theory are true.
What happens if you deprive yourself of REM sleep for many days in a row? (REM rebound)
REM sleep increases; people return more and more quickly to the REM stage after falling asleep
Psychoactive Drugs
A chemical substance that alters perception
A drug’s overall effect depends on what two things?
Physical and psychological dependence
Tolerance
The diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug requiring larger intakes to achieve an effect
Withdrawal
The discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug
Physical Dependence
A physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued
Psychological Dependence
A psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emotions
Addiction
Compulsive drug craving and use, despite adverse consequences
What are the three myths of addiction?
1) Addictive drugs quickly corrupt.
2) Addictions cannot be overcome voluntarily.
3) Addictions cover not just drug dependencies but many pleasure-seeking behaviors.
Depressants
Drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions
Is alcohol a stimulant in small doses?
No
What does it mean that alcohol is a disinhibitor?
Alcohol leaves you feeling invincible; drinkers may become hyper-aggressive or leave extravagant tips.
Why, biologically, does alcohol relax the drinker?
Alcohol slows sympathetic nervous system activity.
What effect does alcohol have on memory?
Alcohol disrupts processing of recent experiences into long-term memories.
How does alcohol affect your self-control?
Self-control is reduced because alcohol reduced self-awareness.
What effect does expectancy have on drinking?
When people believe that alcohol affects social behavior in certain ways, and they believe that they have consumed alcohol, they act accordingly.
Barbiturates
Drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system reducing anxiety and impairing memory and judgment
What are barbiturates commonly used for?
Induce sleep and reduce anxiety
What is the effect of large doses of barbiturates?
Impaired memory and judgment, death
Opiates
Opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety
What is the long term price of opiates?
Depression of neural functioning
When you take an opiate, what does your brain stop producing?
Endorphins
Examples of opiates
Opium, morphine, heroin
Stimulants
Drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body functions
Amphetamines
Stimulant. Drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes
What do people use stimulants for?
Stay awake, lose weigh, boost mood or athletic performance
Methamphetamine
Powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system and speeds up bodily functions, reduces baseline dopamine levles
What neurotransmitters does meth trigger?
Dopamine
What is the world’s most widely used stimulant?
Caffeine
Nicotine
Addictive, mood-altering, reinforcing drug found in cigarettes, releases epinephrine and norepinephrine which diminishes appetite and boosts awareness
Cocaine
Addictive drug that enters the blood stream quickly and leads to emotional disturbance, suspiciousness and cardiac arrest
What neurotransmitters are affected by cocaine?
Dopamine, serotonin, and nonepinephrine
Ecstasy (MDMA)
Stimulant and mild hallucinogen, amphetamine derivative, triggers dopamine release
Hallucinogens (psychedelics)
Drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input
LSD
A powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid
Marijuana (THC)
THC is a major active ingredient in marijuana; triggers a variety of effects including mild hallucinations
What are some of the effects of marijuana?
Relaxation, disinhibits, produces a euphoric high, amplified sensitivity to colors, sounds, tastes and smells
What diseases is medical marijuana used for?
Cancer, chronic pain disease, eating disorders, anxiety, depression and cramps