Consciousness and information processing Conscious processing -sequential, relatively slow and limited capacity Unconscious processing -fast processing occurs simultaneously on parallel tracks (not sequential) Example? -meet someone: unconscious processing, instant reaction to race, gender, appearance-then become aware……

Biological rhythms Bodily (and mental) fluctuations over time Examples -annual cycles: animal hibernation->Seasonal affective disorders (humans/SAD) -28 day cycle: menstrual cycle -24 hour cycles: alertness, sleep, body temp, growth hormone -90 min cycles: sleep stages

Sleep It’s a state of consciousness We are less aware of our surrounding Regulated by : Circadian rhythms (24 hour cycle, sunlight)

Circadian Rhythm Light affects circadian rhythms by -activating retinal proteins, which… -activates brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus in hypothalamus -activates pineal gland, which increases, decreases melatonin (sleep inducing sleep) The point is.. -light strongly influences our circadian rhythms, which governs our sleep patterns

Pineal gland pic

Sleep Cycle Use EEG machine to measure stages of sleep When you are at the onset of sleep you experience alpha waves Produces mild hallucinations, like a feeling of falling (jerk reaction)

Stage 1 Kind of awake and asleep (sleep onset) Last a few mins, only occurs once a night Alpha waves: high frequency, low amplitude “hallucinations’ (dream-like-falling)

Stage 2 More Alpha Waves (get slower frequency, higher amplitude) Sleep spindles: short bursts of rapid brain waves 50% of your sleep! Revisit multiple times

Stage 3 and 4 Delta waves: (slower wave=deeper sleep) Dee sleep (groggy, disoriented if awakened) Releases child’s growth hormones, restores immune system Bed wetting, sleepwalking (somnambulism) Exercise increases time spent in stage 3 and 4! less as night progresses ` From stage 4 your brain begins

REM Rapid eye movement Paradoxical sleep-internally aroused externally calm -Heart rate, breathing. REM brain waves increase/ external paralysis Brain has similar activities to a person that is awake Dream state (95% of those awakened remember dream) Genital arousal (both genders) REM Rebound: if sleep deprived 20-25% of nights sleep! Or 2 hrs/night (6 years)

Sleep cycle 90 mins cycle From 1, 2,3,4,3,2, REM As night progresses longer…

Sleep disorders Insomnia: persistent inability to fall asleep Narcolepsy: overpowering urge to fall asleep that may occur while talking or standing up Sleep apnea: Failure to breathe when asleep (linked to obesity) Night terrors: the sudden arousal from sleep with intense fear accompanied by physiological reactions (rapid heart rate, perspiration) occurs during stage 4 Sleep walking (somnambulism): a stage 4 disorder which is usually harmless unrecalled the next day Sleep talking: condition that runs in families like sleepwalking

Freud’s theory of dreams Dreams are a roadway into our unconscious Manifest Content (storyline) :desires, urges Latent content (underlying meaning) Psychological (psychoanalysis)

Activation synthesis theory Biological theory Cerebral Cortex tries to interpret random electrical activity we have while sleeping That is why dreams sometimes make no sense

Information processing theory Dreams are a way to deal with the stresses of every day life We tend to dream more when we are more stressed Integrate new experiences, info into memory

Hypnosis How do we define hypnosis? -Social interaction in which one person (hypnotists) suggests to another (subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts etc. will spontaneously occur Altered state of consciousness Posthypnotic suggestion Posthypnotic amnesia: unable to remember things

Hypnotic Theories Role theory -Hypnosis is NOT an altered state of consciousness -diff ppl have various state of hypnotic suggestibility -a social phenomenon where ppl want to believe (social influence theory) State theory -Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness -Dramatic health benefits -Works for pain best

Dissociation Theory Theory by Ernest Hilgard We voluntarily divide our consciousness up Stimulus of pain vs. perception of or emotional suffering of pain Ice water experiment (pace subjects hand in an ice bucket of water, after they were asked if they remembered their hand in ice and said no, but they were asked if they felt pain and said yes)

Drugs Our brain is protected by a layer of capillaries called the blood-brain barriers

Drugs either Agonists (mimic, excite) Antagonists (inhibit, block) Reuptake inhibitors -If a drug is used often, a tolerance is created for the drug (neuroadaptation: brain adapts chemistry to offset drug’s effect) Thus you need more of the drug to feel the same effect If you stop using a drug you can develop withdrawal symptoms

Depressants Slows down CNS -alcohol -reduction REM sleep -social disinhibitor -memory loss/ kills brain cells -anxiolytics (barbiturates and tranquilizers) -disinhibitors

Opiates Has depressive and hallucinogenic qualities Agonist for endorphins Derived from poppy plant Morphine, heroin, methadone and codeine Brain stops producing endorphins Physically addictive

Stimulants Excites neural activity (CNS) Most powerful ones (like cocaine) Caffeine Nicotine Amphetamines Methamphetamines Cocaine ecstasy

Hallucinogens Psychedelics Change in perceptions without change in sensory input LSD, peyote psilocybin, mushrooms, marijuana Marijuana: no tolerance established Ex: hallucination (any sensory stimulation that you perceive but isn't there ) if you wake up in the middle of the night and think you see a big green fairy delusion you think you a re a green big fairy The patient is hearing voices : hallucination

Learning Long lasting change in behavior resulting from experience ( behavior as measurement of learning)

Classical conditioning Not psychologist, was studying digestive system of canines Tripped upon theory Pavlov’s experiment that would record salivation ( what triggered salivation)

Unconditioned stimulus UCS -something that elicits a natural reflexive response (food) Unconditioned response UCR -natural involuntary response (salivation) NS -bell paired with the Us (food) to form association between US and CS Conditioned stimulus (bell) -when CS elicits CR (NS becomes CS)

Conditioned processes Acquisition -learning=when animal responds to CS without UCS (bell=salivation) Strength of conditioning affected by order and timing of UCS and CS What methods is most effective -delayed conditioning-trace conditioning (ring bell, while it is still ringing, present food) What if you ring bell after the food? -backward

extinction To unlearn a behavior (suppressed) -qualifies when CS no longer elicits the CR How is it done? -present CS without UCS -bell without food

Spontaneous recovery Sudden reappearance of a CR upon presentation of CS (after extinction) Renewal effect: sudden reappearance of CR after extinction when return to environment where acquisition took place