Unit 4 AP Psychology

LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

• Conscious - aware of the environment
• Nonconscious - body processes controlled by the mind that we're unaware of
• Preconscious - information not thinking about, but could be
• Subconscious - information we're not constantly and consciously aware of
• Unconscious - some events that are unacceptable to the conscious mind are repressed into it

SLEEP STAGES

• Stage 1 - drifting into sleep with slowing muscle activity
• Stage 2 - eye movement stops and brain waves become slower
• Stage 3 - delta waves (slow brain waves) are interspersed with rapid, short waves
• Stage 4 - delta waves are produced exclusively leading to a deep sleep
• REM - breathing becomes irregular and shallow, brain activity increases, easily awoken

INSOMNIA

• Defined as:
• The inability to fall asleep
• The inability to stay asleep
• Consistent poor sleep quality

NARCOLEPSY

• Definition: inability to regulate sleep/wake cycles
• Narcoleptics usually have constant daytime sleepiness
• Narcoleptics fall into the REM stage within 5 minutes of falling asleep
• This leads to poor sleep and constant waking

SLEEP APNEA

• Sleep disorder characterized by:
• Pauses in breathing
• Shallow breathing
• Infrequent breathing
• All caused by obstructed airflow during sleep

NIGHT TERRORS

• Waking feeling of terrors or dread
• Typically occurs in the non-rapid eye movement stage

FREUDIAN DREAM INTERPRETATION

• Freud considered dreams to be the royal road to the unconscious mind
• He believed that dreams provided insight as to how the unconscious mind operates

ACTIVATION-SYNTHESIS DREAM THEORY

• Dreams are caused by the physiological processes of the brain
• Circuits in the brain stem are activated during REM sleep
• This, therefore, causes dreams

INFORMATION-PROCESSING DREAM THEORY

• With this perspective, it is said that maturation changes lead to development
• Humans process the information they receive rather than just responding to stimuli
• Approach from the analytical perspective of the human mind

ROLE HYPNOSIS THEORY

• Hypnosis can be used to guide a person
• Can be used as:
• Changes in cognitive ability or beliefs
• Remember forgotten memories
• A pain reducer

STATE HYPNOSIS THEORY

• Subjects are put into a "trance"
• Produces an altered state of consciousness
• Stable over long periods

DISSOCIATION HYPNOSIS THEORY

• Known as a division of consciousness
• Attention, effort, and planning are carried out without awareness
• The other parts of the brain simply have no reaction

STIMULANTS

• Induce temporary improvements to either physical or mental processes of the body
• Effects may include enhanced alertness, wakefulness, or locomotion
• Enhance the activity of the peripheral or central nervous system
• Can also improve mood or feelings of anxiety

DEPRESSANTS

• Drug that lowers neurotransmissiom levels in the brain
• Reduces arousal or stimulation in different areas of the brain
• Produces a relaxed feeling
• Widely used in prescription medicines as well as illegal substances

HALLUCINOGENS

• Psychoactive agent that causes hallucinations or perception anomalies
• Changes in thought, perception, and mood
• No addictive craving
• Little to no intellectual impairment

OPIATES

• Any of the narcotic alkaloids found naturally in the poppy plant
• Used as a pain reducer
• Directly depress the central nervous system
• Can be easily abused and highly addictive
• Produce a "warm feeling" and/or drowsiness in users