Psychology 09/08

Ch. 4
Sleep disorders
- Interfere with daytime. Functioning
- Serious an consistent sleep disturbance that interferes with daytime functioning
- Insomnia
o Regular inability to fall asleep to stay asleep or feel adequately rested by sleep
o Fatigue, impaired social or occupational performance, or mood disturbances
o Causes: hyperarousal (just too agitated) (anything that aruses you)
o Depression, etc
- Sleep apnea
o Problems with breathing during sleep
o Person repeatedly stops breathing during sleep
o Causes grogginess, poor concentration, memory & learning problems, irritability
o High levels of depression, suicidal levels
o Although not aware, they still don’t SLEEP WELL
o Treatment: CPAP, lifestyle changes
o Often associated with weight, not ALWAYS
- Narcolepsy
o Excessive daytime sleepiness
o Unable to stay awake
- Parasomnias
o Undesired arousal or actions during sleep
o Ex, sleep walking, sleep talking, sexsomia, etc
Hypnosis
- People respond to suggestions with changes in perception, memory and behavior
- Intense level of relaxation and breathing
o Getting to meet person first, starting to talk slower, speak in lower tone, use
words that are familiar to the individual
- 15% highly susceptible, 10-% are difficult or impossible to hypnotize
- Helps loose certain problematic behaviors
Meditation
- Mental or physical technique to induce state of focused attention and heightened
awareness
- Goal is to control/train attention
- Focused attention techniques; focus on a mantra
- Open monitoring techniques; focus on here and how
- Can improve concentration, perceptual discrimination, and attention
- Increase working memory, improve emotional well being
- Reduce stress and minimize its physical effects
Psychoactive drugs
- Alter consciousness by changing arousal, mood, thinking, sensations and perceptions
- Depressants
 o Drugs that depress or inhibit brain activity, ex alcohol
o Opioids
 Chemically similar to morphine and that relieve pain and produce
euphoria
o Stimulants
 Drugs that stimulate or excite, brain activity
 Nicotine, caffeine, cocaine
o Psychedelics
 Drugs that disort pain/sensory perceptions
- Each has different psychological effect
- Physical dependence
o Drug tolerance
o Withdrawal symptoms
o Drug rebound effect
- Drug abuse
- Chance in reward circuitry
- READ ON BRAIN CHANGES
- Depressants
o Inhibit central nervous system activity
o Produce drowsiness, sedation or sleep
o Relieve anxiety and lower inhibitions
o Produce addictive effects (increased sedative effects when combined)
o Alcohol
 Reduces tension and anxiety (in small amounts)
 Has high protentional for abuse
 Men
 Anger frustration
 Women
 Anxious due to fear of men
o DTS, withdrawal causes hyperexcitability in the brain
Barbiturates and tranquilizers
- Reduces anxiety promotes sleep
- Depress activity in brain centers that control arousal, wakefulness, alertness
Opioids
- Addictive drugs that relieve pain
- Produce feelings of euphoria
- Alert reaction to pain by reducing brains perception of pain, overdose
- Occupy endorphin receptor sites in the brain, mimicking the effect of endorphins
Stimulants
- Increase brain activity
- Caffeine
o Found in coffee, tea, cola drinks, chocolate, many OTC medications
o Wakefulness, alertness, vigilance, and faster through processes
 o Stimulates dopamine in brains prefrontal cortex
o Blpcks adenosine receptors in brain, blocks urge to sleep
o Can produce anxiety, restlessness and increased heart rate
o Disrupt sleep patterns
o Contributes to sleep disorders, NREM, parasomnias
- Nicotine
o Stimulant found in tobacco products
- Amphetamines
o Arouses the central nervous system and suppress apetite
- Cocaine
- Tolerance grows quickly
Marijuana
- Active ingredient THC
- Produces sensoroy distortions, can interfere with muscle coordination, perception and
driving ability
- Neural action
o Naturally occurring brain chemical, called anandamide, involved in regulating
transmission of pain signals
o May reduce painful sensations, similar to thc
o Brain siters have receptors that respond to both
- Consequences different and not as bad
- Still psychological dependence
- Has medicinal properties

EXAM PREP
- Read all of ch 1, 2, 4
- Clinical psychologist definition
- Neuroscientist psychologist
- Positive/negative correlation
- Experimental method
- Independent/dependent variable
- Liability
- Random assignment
- P value
- Meta analysis
- Consent and confidentiality
- Types of neurons
o Sensory neurons, etc 3 types
- What a neuron is made up of
- Different neurotransmitters
o Acetylcholine, dopamine etc
o What each is responsible for ex, memory
o Parkinsons
 o Alzheimers
- Different parts and lobes of the brain
o Frontal
o Occipital
o Parital
o Ex, vision, audition, hearing, memory, etc
- Consciousness
- Mostly dream about everyday
- Meditation, when used, effects
- Correct misperceptions on hypnosis
- Alcohol and drugs
o Effects
o Withdrawal
o Tolerance
- Caffeine