General Psychology

1

• General Psychology
• Chapter Four
• States of Consciousness

2

• Circadian rhythms24 hour fluctuations
• Two circadian rhythms of importance to the study
  of sleep
• Sleep/wakefulness cycle
• Body temperature

3

• Larks
• Awaken early every morning and leap out of bed
  with enthusiasm, eager to start the day
• Body temperature rises rapidly after they awaken
  and stays high until about 730 p.m.
• Turn in early and have the fewest sleep problems
• Owls
• Fumble for the alarm clock and push the snooze
  button to get a few more precious minutes of
  sleep
• Body temperature of an owl gradually rises
  throughout the day, peaking in the afternoon and
  not dropping until later in the evening

4

• Sleep cycles
• A cycle of sleep lasting about 90 minutes and
  including one or more stages of NREM sleep
  followed by a period of REM sleep

5

• NREM sleep
• Stage 1 sleep is the transition stage between
  waking and sleeping
• Stage 2 sleep puts a person somewhat more deeply
  asleep and harder to awaken
• Stage 3 sleep is the beginning of slow-wave sleep
• Stage 4 sleep is the deepest sleep

6

• REM sleep
• Sleep characterized by rapid eye movements,
  paralysis of large muscles, fast and irregular
  heart rate and respiration rate, increased
  brain-wave activity, and vivid dreams
• Sometimes called active sleep
• REM sleep behavior disorder
• Individuals are not paralyzed during REM sleep
• They often act out their dreams!

7
(No Transcript)
8

• REM rebound
• The increased amount of REM sleep that occurs
  after REM deprivation often associated with
  unpleasant dreams or nightmares
• Alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, and LSD suppress
  REM sleep, and withdrawal from these drugs
  results in a REM rebound

9

• Variations in sleep
• There is considerable individual variation in the
  amount of sleep people need
• Sleeping 6 or fewer hours per night or sleeping
  more than 10 hours per night is associated with
  higher death rates than those who slept about 7
  hours per night

10

• Sleep deprivation
• Research indicates that even a rather small
  amount of sleep deprivation leads to decreases in
  cognitive performance and increases in negative
  mood
• Microsleep
• A momentary lapse (2-3 seconds) from wakefulness
  into sleep, usually occurring when a person has
  been sleep-deprived

11

• Dreams
• REM dreams
• A type of dream having a dreamlike and story-like
  quality and occurring almost continuously during
  each REM period more vivid, visual, and
  emotional than NREM dreams
• NREM dreams
• Mental activity occurring during NREM sleep that
  is more thought-like in quality than REM dreams
  are

12

• Content of dreams
• Most common themes
• 70 reported falling, being attacked or chased,
  trying repeatedly to do something, and studying

13
Sleep Disorders

• Parasomnias
• Unusual behaviors that occur while a person is
  sleeping, such as sleepwalking and sleep talking
• Somnambulism
• Sleepwalking occurs during partial arousal from
  Stage 4 sleep
• Sleep terrors
• Stage 4 events during which the sleeper springs
  up in a state of panic

14

• Nightmares
• Frightening dreams that occur during REM sleep
  and are likely to be remembered in vivid detail
• Somniloquy
• Sleep talking can occur during any sleep stage

15

• Major sleep disorders
• Narcolepsy
• An incurable sleep disorder characterized by
  excessive daytime sleepiness and uncontrollable
  attacks of REM sleep, usually lasting 10 20
  minutes
• Associated with more accidents
• Genetic basis

16

• Sleep apnea
• Periods during sleep when breathing stops and the
  individual must awaken briefly in order to
  breathe
• The major symptoms are excessive daytime
  sleepiness, microsleeps, and extremely loud
  snoring, often accompanied by snorts, gasps, and
  choking noises
• Alcohol and sedatives aggravate the condition

17

• Insomnia
• A sleep disorder characterized by difficulty
  falling or staying asleep, by waking too early,
  or by sleep that is light, restless, or of poor
  quality
• Symptoms can lead to distress and impairment in
  daytime functioning

18

• Myths about hypnosis
• Hypnotized people are under the complete control
  of the hypnotist and will violate their moral
  values if told to do so
• People can demonstrate superhuman strength and
  perform amazing feats under hypnosis
• Memory is more accurate under hypnosis
• People under hypnosis will reveal embarrassing
  secrets
• People under hypnosis can relive an event as it
  occurred when they were children and can function
  mentally as if they were that age

19

• How drugs affect the brain
• Researchers have found that a surge of dopamine
  is involved in the rewarding and motivational
  effects produced by most psychoactive drugs
• Opiates such as morphine and heroin mimic the
  effects of the brains own endorphins, chemicals
  that have pain-relieving properties and produce a
  feeling of well-being

20

• Depressants, such as alcohol, barbiturates, and
  benzodiazepines, act on GABA receptors to produce
  a calming, sedating effect
• Stimulants like amphetamines and cocaine mimic
  the effects of epinephrine, the neurotransmitter
  that triggers the sympathetic nervous system

21

• The wrong combination of good things can lead to
  disaster
• birth control pills and antibiotics
• alcohol and Tylenol (acetaminophen)

22

• Psychoactive drugs and their behavioral effects
• Stimulants
• A category of drugs that speed up activity in the
  central nervous system, suppress appetite, and
  cause a person to feel more awake, alert, and
  energetic also called uppers

23

• Caffeine
• Coffee, tea, cola drinks, chocolate, and more
  than 100 prescription and over-the-counter drugs
  contain caffeine
• Makes people more mentally alert and can help
  them stay awake
• When moderate to heavy caffeine users abstain,
  they can suffer withdrawal symptoms such as
  nervousness, instability, headaches, drowsiness,
  and decreased alertness

24

• Nicotine
• Increases alertness
• hypnosis cannot be considered effective at
  helping smokers break the habit

25

• Amphetamines (Ritalin, Adderall, Methamphetamine
  Crank, Speed, Ice)
• Increase arousal, relieve fatigue, improve
  alertness, suppress the appetite, and give a rush
  of energy
• Amphetamines stimulate the release of dopamine
• Can cause confused and disorganized behavior,
  extreme fear and suspiciousness, delusions and
  hallucinations, aggressiveness and antisocial
  behavior, even manic behavior and paranoia

26

• Cocaine
• Stimulates the reward or pleasure pathways in
  the brain, which use the neurotransmitter
  dopamine
• Constricts the blood vessels, raises blood
  pressure, speeds up the heart, quickens
  respiration, and can even cause epileptic
  seizures in people who have no history of epilepsy

27

• Crack cocaine
• Most dangerous form of cocaine
• Quote cocaine is the most addicting substance
  known to man crack is the most addicting
  form of the most addicting drug

28

• Depressants
• A category of drugs that decrease activity in the
  central nervous system, slow down bodily
  functions, and reduce sensitivity to outside
  stimulation also called downers

29

• Alcohol
• The more alcohol a person consumes, the more the
  central nervous system is depressed
• Can cause men to become more aggressive and more
  sexually aroused but less able to perform
  sexually
• Decreases the ability to form new memories
• A drinkers expectations contribute to alcohols
  effects to some extent

30

• Barbiturates
• Depress the central nervous system, and,
  depending on the dose, a barbiturate can act as a
  sedative or a sleeping pill

31

• Minor tranquilizers/benzodiazepines
• Valium, Librium, Xanax
• Abuse of these drugs is associated with both
  temporary and permanent impairment of memory and
  other cognitive functions

32

• Narcotics (Morphine, Heroin, Codeine, Oxycontin,
  Vicodin)
• Derived from the opium poppy, they produce both a
  pain-relieving and a calming effect
• Opiates, when taken regularly, eventually
  suppress the production of endorphins altogether
• As a result, natural pain management systems
  break down, and the brain becomes dependent on
  the presence of opiates to function normally

33

• Hallucinogens
• Marijuana
• THC, the ingredient in marijuana that produces
  the high, remains in the body for days or even
  weeks
• Impairs attention and coordination and slows
  reaction time
• long-term use has a negative impact on short-term
  memory and the ability to focus sustained
  attention
• Chronic use has been associated with loss of
  motivation, general apathy, and a decline in
  school performance referred to as amotivational
  syndrome

34

• LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
• Sometimes referred to simply as acid
• Average LSD trip lasts for 10 to 12 hours and
  usually produces extreme perceptual and emotional
  changes, including visual hallucinations and
  feelings of panic
• Former LSD users sometimes experience flashbacks,
  brief recurrences of previous trips that occur
  suddenly and without warning

35

• Designer drugs
• STP (serenity, tranquility, and peace) and
  Ecstasy are two common examples of designer
  drugs
• All designer drugs are derived from amphetamines
  but have hallucinogenic as well as stimulant
  effects

36

• Ecstasy or MDMA (methylene-dioxy-methamphetamine)
• Users report an immediate and deep acceptance and
  understanding of others

37

• Ecstasy, or MDMA (continued)
• MDMA destroys brain cells that are essential for
  memory, sustained attention, analytical thinking,
  and self-control
• The drug is believed to have devastating effects
  on the critically important neurotransmitter
  serotonin by depleting the brains supply of
  serotonin receptors, thus leading to chronic
  depression and irritability, impaired sleep
  cycles, and impulsivity