Consciousness, Sleep, Psychoactive Drugs, and Cognition - Prof. Angela Hilton, Study notes of Psychology

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Chapter 8: Consciousness · Consciousness: Awareness of external and internal stimuli External: things around us Internal: personal awareness · Attention: Processing of limited amount of info from all info available · Selective attention: Tracking one stimulus while ignoring another stimulus Cocktail party phenomenon- not focused on other convo’s, just yours · Functions of Consciousness: 2 of them · Monitoring: keeping track of internal mental processes, personal behavior and environment · Controlling: planning based on info received from monitoring · Levels of Consciousness · Conscious: normal waking state · Preconscious: info not always available but easily becomes conscious Tip of the tongue phenomenon · Subconscious- info not easily accessible; less awareness · Why Do We Sleep? · Preservation & Protection · Restoration · Circadian Rhythms- 24 hour biological clock · Pineal Gland- releases melatonin Body temp drops Hormone levels Slower thinking · Sleep Deprivation: we can make it 3-4 days without sleep Irritable, Visual Illusions, Hallucinations, Paranoia, Affects thinking & Behavior · Sleep disorders · Insomnia: 1) Difficulty falling asleep 2) Waking up during the night 3) Unable to go back to sleep 4) Waking up too early · Narcolepsy: Uncontrollable urge to fall asleep Lasts from 10-15 minutes Fall into REM sleep immediately · Sleep Apnea: A breathing disorder Sleeper repeatedly stops breathing Deprives body of oxygen · Sleepwalking: Person is able to see walk and talk Cannot remember Stage 3 or 4 Not Dreaming · Dreaming · Why do we dream? Freud- express hidden wishes Problem-Solving Activation-synthesis hypothesis · Hypnosis · Why Was I Hypnotized? · Psychoactive Drugs · Narcotics Morphine, Heroin, Codeine Produce numbness and relieve pain Highly addictive Can build up tolerance, which can lead to OD Treatment: maintenance & detoxification · CNS Depressants Alcohol, sedatives, tranquilizers Slows down Central Nervous System Elevate mood, reduce anxiety, relax inhibitions High doses: slows reflexes, slur speech, impair judgement Blood Alcohol Level Understand thought processes behind it Make problem-solving more efficient  4 Phases of Problem Solving 1) Understanding the Problem 2) Generate Hypotheses 3) Testing Hypotheses 4) Checking the Results  Algorithm A repetitive procedure for solving a problem by testing every hypothesis  Heuristic Strategies for simplifying a problem or for guiding investigation  Representative Heuristic Tendency to assume that if something resembles members of a category, it is probably a member of that category.  Availability Heuristic The more easily we can think of members of a category, the more common we think the event is  Confirmation Bias Seek confirmation of initial impressions/beliefs Tendency to accept one hypothesis & look for evidence to support it, instead of considering other possibilities  How To Avoid These Errors… When forming an impression, consider that you might be wrong Try to use more than one way to describe a person or event  Language Thinking & language - not the same Closely related When adult humans think, we do it in words  Language Acquisition Device Noam Chonsky - born with a language instinct A built-in mechanism for acquiring language  Language Development 3 months: random vocalizations 6 months: more distinct babbling 1 year: babbling that resembles family language 1 and a half years: about 50 words, mostly nouns 2 years: two-word phrases 2 and a half years: longer phrases 3 years: about 1,000 words, longer sentences 4 years: close to adult speech competence  Language’s Critical Period No cut-off age for learning language Learn quicker when younger Gradually worsens with age  Billingual Advantages Communicate with more people Cognitive flexibility Disadvantages Takes longer Can confuse words  Language & the Brain  Broca’s Aphasia Inarticulate speech & difficulties with using and understanding grammatical devices  Wernicke’s Aphasia Difficulty recalling names of objects and impaired comprehension of language Grammatical, but nonsensical EXAM Cognition Prototypes Spreading Activation Theory Preattentive & Attentive Processes Change Blindness Attentional Blink 4 Phases of problem solving Algorithms & Heuristics Representative & Availability Heuristics Confirmation Bias Language Development Bilingual Advantages & Disadvantages Broca’s & Wernicke’s Aphasia Chapter 10 - Intelligence  The study of intelligence  Conceptualizing  Measuring  Discovering   Intelligence Internal capacity/ability Accounts for individual differences on tests Allows us to adapt to changing environments  Spearman’s Two-Factor Model Psychometrics- means to measure the mind using psychological tests FACTOR G: One general (g) intelligence FACTOR S: Specific (s) abilities  Types of Intelligence  Fluid intelligence: Natural ability NOT influenced by experience  Crystallized intelligence: Knowledge and ability gained through experience  Multiple Intelligence Howard Gardner- came up with 8 different types of intelligences People have separate & independent “intelligences” Included special abilities/talents Case study approach  Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences:  Bodily-kinesthetic Have great control over their body  Interpersonal Easily able to infer other ppl’s moods; good with others  Intrapersonal Have good insight into their own emotions