AP Psychology Drugs and Conscience

AP Psychology Unit 5 Consciousness - awareness of yourself and your environment - (ex - to nod off is to temporarily lose waking consciousness) Body Rhythms - Biological rhythms - Periodic physiological fluctuations - Can affect physiological functioning (body temperature, blood pressure, and effectiveness of medications) - Fall into 3 man categories - Circadian rhythms - Happens every 24 hrs - Regulates temperature and is the sleep-wake cycle - Ultradian rhythms - Happens several times throughout the day - stages of sleep throughout the night - Makes body repairs, body temperature, and dp decreases, heart rate slows, brain does less, complicated tasks - Infradian rhythms - Happens once a month or a season - Ex - women’s menstrual cycle and bear’s winter hibernation - disorders - SAD (seasonal affective disorder) - - - - - Sleep and sleep deficit - Decreases efficiency of immune system functioning - Safety and accident issues (truck drivers falling asleep) - Contributes to hypertension, impaired concentration. Irritability, etc. - Possible hallucinations - (recommended hrs for sleep 7-9 ½) Hypothalamus - Monitors changes in light or dark in the environment - Changes level of hormones in the body-that will put you to sleep - Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) - part of the hypothalamus that controls falling asleep - sends messages to brain to put body to sleep or to wake up Melatonin - Hormone that helps regulate daily biological rhythms - Linked to the sleep-wake cycle - Melatonin level increases during night and decreases with exposure to morning light Reasons why we sleep - Preservation: keep us protected from the dangers of the night (survival) - Ex - ancestors traveling and hunting - Restoration: recuperate from the wear and tear of the day Adaptation theory - - - - - - - Sleep cycles of other animals have adapted depending on factors such as ability to hide, habits, and ned for nourishment - Sleep at times of night or day that maximizes our safety and survival EEG (used for sleep studies) - Alpha waves: the slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state Stages of sleep (4) 1. Stage 1 a. Breathing is slowed b. Brain waves become irregular c. It’s easy to wake the person, who will insist they are not asleep. d. Rarely lasts longer than 5 minutes 2. Stage 2 a. Brain wave cycle slows b. First time through stage 2 last about 20 minutes 3. Stage 3 + 4 a. Slow wave sleep b. First time through stage 4 is about 30 minutes and is where one gets rejuvenated Rem sleep - Stages 1-3 consider N-rem (non-REM) - NREM 1 -> NREM 2 -> NREM 3 -> NREM 2-> REM - Rapid eye movement (REM sleep) as eye move quickly back and forth - Vivid dreaming occurs in REM sleep - Considered “paradoxical sleep” Paradoxical sleep - During REM sleep brain wave patterns are similar to when a person is awake - Pulse and breathing quickens - REM sleep is sometimes called paradoxical sleep as one’s physiology is close to that of being awake but the brainstem blocks all muscle movement Animals - We are not the only animals who experience REM sleep - Nearly all animals show signs of measurable REM periods - Fish do not have REM, whose behavior is governed by instinct rather than learning Reasons for needing REM - People don’t feel rested unless their sleep contained REM periods - When finally allowed to sleep after deprivation, we tend to go straight into REM rather than following the normal normal sleep cycle REM round - REM sleep increases following REM sleep deprivation Dreams - sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind - lucid dreams: awareness of one’s dream - Typically this happens when the dreamer experiences something strange, and when they stop to question their reality, they realize they are in a dream - What do we dream about? - Negative emotional content: 8 out of 10 dreams negative emotional content - Failure dreams: people commonly dream about failure, being attacked, pursued, rejected, or struck with misfortune - Sexual dreams: contrary to our thing, sexual dreams are sparse. Sexual dreams in men are 1 in 10; and in women 1 in 30 - Dreams of gender: women dreams of men and women equally; men dream more about men than women - Common to dream of events in our daily lives - Manifest content: the storyline of our dreams, sometimes includes the previous days’ experiences - Sigmund freud + dreams - Freud’s book - the interpretation of dreams, explained is theory on why we dream - He believed that dreams were the “royal road” to the unconscious, shedding light on the forbidden thoughts and feelings we keep hidden from ourselves and the world - manifest content: remembered storyline - The dream’s manifest content (apparent and remembered story line) may also have symbolic meanings latent content that signify our unacceptable feelings - latent content: symbolic version of that consists of unconscious drives/wishes that would be threatening if expressed directly - Believed most adult dreams could be traced back to erotic wishes - A gun might be a disguised representation of a penis Dream theories - Information-processing theory - Dreams serve an important memory related function by setting and sifting through the day’s experiences - Research suggests REM sleep helps memory storage - Wish fulfillment: Sigmund freud suggested that dreams provide a psychic safety value to discharge unacceptable feelings - Physiological function theory - Neural activity during REM sleep provides periodic stimulation of the brain - pituitary gland secretes growth hormone during delta sleep - Activation-synthesis theory - Dreams are the mind’s attempt to make sense of random neural firings in the brain as one sleeps - Cognitive theory - Dream content reflects dreamers’ cognitive development-their knowledge and understanding - - - - - - - - Insomnia - Recurring problems falling asleep or staying asleep - Sleeping pills tend to inhibit or suppress REM sleep; worsen the problem - Alcohol suppresses REM sleep; also worsens the problems - Studies show most people overestimate how long it took them to get to sleep Sleep apnea - Sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and consequent momentary reawakenings - Tend to be loud snorers - Continuous positive airway pressure machine Narcolepsy - Sleep disordered characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks - Person may lapse directly into REM sleep - Nervous system getting aroused tends to trigger the sleep attack Somnambulism (Sleep walking) - Starts in the deep stages of N-REM sleep - Person can walk or talk and is able to see - Rarely has any memory of the event Night terrors - Sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and appearance of being terrified - Unliked nightmares - Happens during stage 3 sleep, mostly children - The children seldom remember the event Hypnosis - A social interaction in which a hypnotist makes suggestions about perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors, and the subject follows those suggestions - Can be therapeutic - Can alleviate pain (Lamaze too) - Cannot enhance recall of forgotten events or force people to act against their will Social influence theory (external social variables) - Theory that powerful social influences produce a state of hypnosis - This theory notes that a person’s physiological state does not change under hypnosis-fully awake and alert - Social factors influence people to believe hypnosis will work - Peer pressure - A form of social influence, conformity , groupthink, social desirability - Mob mentality - sports fan engaging in destructive behavior while “celebrating” a big win - Tend to lose individual identity and responsibility for actions - People get carried away because they feel anonymous-no one would hold them responsible if everyone is participating Divided consciousness theory (internal variables) - - - - - - - Theory that during hypnosis our consciousness splits so that one aspect of consciousness is not aware of the role that other parts are playing - Promoted by Ernest Hilgard - Part of consciousness remains aware of pain (icy water) even though she behaves as though pain does not exist - “Hidden observer” - Part that remained aware Ernest Hilgard - Believed hypnosis involves not only social influence but also special dual processing state of dissociation-split between different of consciousness - Viewed hypnotic dissociation as a vivid form of everyday mind splits - Similar to doodling while listening to the lecture - Ex - running and thinking about something else other than running Hypnotic induction - The process by which a hypnotist creates a state of hypnosis in a subject - Usually done by voicing a series of suggestions - “Secret” = voice is usually calm and of a rhythmic tone - Hypnosis not does equal deep sleep Hypnotizability - Differences in the ability of people to become hypnotized - Varies from person to person and situation to situation - More difficult in front of an audience than one-on-one - High suggestibility: want to appear cooperative but not faking it - Respects authority: wants to please the hypnotist - Stronger the belief the more likely to experience results - Tests can be conducted where subjects respond to a series of suggestions - In sum: environment and attitude play important roles in how suggestible someone may be Limits to hypnotic suggestions - Suggestions usually involve sensations, thoughts, emotions, and a wide variety of behaviors - Hypnotists creates new and interesting reality - Hypnosis alone does not cause behaviors - Hypnosis can lead people to certain behaviors but so can ordinary suggestions Posthypnotic suggestions - Will carry out after the hypnosis session has ended - Technique can be used to encourage helpful behavior changes, such as stopping smoking or losing weight Hypnotic Amnesia - Inability to remember what happened during hypnosis because the hypnotist suggests that the subject will have no memory of that particular event Hypnosis and Memory - Idea that memories “lost” in subconscious - There are isolated cases of hypnosis that helping recall - Ex: Ed Ray (kidnapped) hypnotized to remember license plate/led to arrest - - - - - - - - - Some police depts. Have used hypnosis to uncover details witnesses may have lost - Cannot be sure if the memory came back due to hypnosis - Cannot be sure if the memory is accurate or one that is created to please the hypnotist - Unable to distinguish between real and unreal - Many courts have banned testimony from hypnotized witnesses Pain and Hypnosis - Works as a means to control pain - Has a number of practical applications - Dentists: help nervous patients relax and deal with discomfort - Relieves chronic illnesses Placebo Effect - Improvement due only to the power of positive expectations - People think they will get better so they do Feats of Strength/hypnosis - Researchers skeptical of two types of claims - Many feats of strength done under hypnosis can be accomplished without hypnosis Age Regression/hypnosis - Under hypnosis, the supposed ability to remember earlier periods of time in one’s life - Psychologists consider age regression demonstrations unreliable Psychoactive drugs - Chemical substance that alters perceptions, mood, or behavior - Three common psychoactive drugs: (legal and easy to get) - Caffeine - Alcohol - Nicotine - Induce an altered state of consciousness Dependence - State of physiological, psychological or both types of need to take more of a drug after continued use. - Withdrawal follows if the drug discontinued - Dependence vs addiction - Concept of addiction has been applied freely to so many social behaviors - Ex - addicted to love, TV, phones, Internet - True addictions seriously disrupt a person’s ability to function in everyday life Tolerance - Reduced responsiveness to a drug, prompting the user to larger dosages to achieve the same pleasurable effects previously obtained by lower doses Withdrawal - Discomfort and distress that follow when a person who is dependent on a drug discontinues the use of that drug - Withdrawal symptoms are usually the reverse of the drug’s effects - Depression, restlessness, rapid breathing, headaches, grogginess - Drugs and Neurotransmission - Neuron - a nerve cell that is the basic building block of the nervous system - Central nervous system - the brain and spinal cord - Neurons communicate through a process called neurotransmission - Psychoactive drugs interfere with normal neurotransmission - Neurons communicate with one another through neurotransmitters - Neurotransmitter are released into the synapse - Psychoactive drugs get into your synapse and … - Mimic a neurotransmitter’s effect - Prevent neurotransmitters from binding - Block neurotransmitters reabsorption - Drugs are similar to neurotransmitters - Cocaine is chemically similar to dopamine - LSD is chemically similar to serotonin - Opiates, like morphine, are similar to endorphins - Many antidepressants are classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSSRIs) - These drugs block the reabsorption of serotonin so that is remains in the synapse longer - Prozac - Zoloft - Celexa - Luvox - Usually used to treat depression, bulimia, anorexia, and panic disorder (lowers the anxiety) Depressants - drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functioning - Alcohol - 2nd most used drug - slows thinking, and impairs physical activity - BAC (Blood alcohol content) - a measure of how much alcohol is in a person’s bloodstream. BAC of .08% considered legal intoxication in most states - Impairs the parts of the brain responsible for controlling inhibitions and making judgements - Studies have that alcohol impairs memory by suppressing the processing of events into long term memory - Impairs REM sleep, further disrupting memory storage - Blackout - short-term memory loss due to drinking - Sedatives - Drugs prescribed by a physic to reduce anxiety or induce sleep - Barbiturates: drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment - Benzodiazepines: drugs (valium and xanax) that depress the activity of the central nervous system without most of the side effects associated with barbiturates Opiates - depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety - Morphine - strong sedative and pain relieving drug derived from opium - prevent s pain-signaling neurons from firing - Effects - euphoria, relaxation cravings of dependence and tolerance develops - Withdrawal symptoms: intense pain, hyperventilation, depression, high blood pressure and explosive diarrhea - Death from overdose - Heroine Stimulants - drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body functions - include: caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, and cocaine - Caffeine - stimulant found in coffee, chocolate, tea, and some soft drinks - Provides user with a sense of increased alertness, energy, mental wakefulness - Blocks neurological receptor sites that, if activated, sedate the central nervous system - Adenosine - Effects - tolerance and dependence, withdrawal symptoms: headaches, agitation, and tiredness - sleep-deprived brain - Nicotine - stimulant found in tobacco - Effects - similar to those of caffeine - Very addictive and does not stay in the body very long (leads to chain smoking to smoke again and again) - Cocaine - stimulant derived from leaves of the coca plant - blocks serotonin, dopamine, and epinephrine - Crack - cocaine crystals - Snort, smoke, or inject - Blocks the reuptake of certain neurotransmitters - Dependency is quick and severe; places extreme strain on cardiovascular system and users experience paranoia and suspiciousness - Effects - high risk of stroke, insomnia/hypersomnia, soreness (throat), bruxism (teeth), rhinorrhea (discharge) - Amphetamines - drugs that stimulate neural activity, speeding up body functions - Include increased energy and mood changes, speed (including aging), uppers, and methamphetamines - Mimic adrenaline - Can cause irreversible changes in mood - Violent behavior and paranoia - Meth - most common is to smoke it although in some geographic regions over 50% of users inject the drug - Effect (heart failure, hyperthermia) almost instantaneous when smoked or injected - Takes approximately 5 minutes after snorting or 20 minutes after oral ingestion Hallucinogens - psychedelic drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input - Mimics serotonin - - - LSD - powerful hallucinations drugs synthesized by Swiss chemist, Albert Hoffman - Also known as “acid” - the effects vary from person to person - “Acid trip”: visual distortions, detachment from reality, and panic are common - Nightmarish and deadly experiences - Users can be dangerous to themselves and others - Hallucinogens found in nature: Mescaline (peyote cactus) and Psilocybin (mushrooms) Ecstasy - hallucinogenic drug that produces lower inhibitions, pleasant feelings, and greater acceptance of others = love drug - Also called MDMA - Even moderate users may experience permanent brain damage Marijuana - leaves, stems, resin, and flowers from the hemp plant that, when smoked, lower, inhibitions and produce feelings of relaxation and mild euphoria - THC - the active ingredient - Disrupts memory; lung damage from smoke - withdrawals ; depression, insomnia, nausea, cramping, and irritability