Mrs. Fantin

Intro to Stages of Consciousness

In the text, consciousness is defined as: “our ____________ of ourselves and our ____________.”

Aren’t animals aware of their environment? If so, is our awareness different?...Possibly…because we have (uniquely?) a narrative experience of that awareness.

Consciousness is… alertness; being awake

vs. being unconscious ____________; the

ability to think about self

having free will; being able to make a “conscious” decision

a person’s mental content, thoughts, and imaginings

To explore the nature of consciousness, it helps to first choose a definition.

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Forms of Consciousness

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Brain and Consciousness: Findings and Debates

FindingSome rare “unconscious”

patients have brain responses to conversation.

ImplicationDon’t judge a book by

its cover when it comes to consciousness.

____________What is going on in

the brain that generates our experience of

consciousness?

One ViewSynchronized, coordinated

brain activity generates consciousness, or at least is a sign that conscious activity is

occurring.4

Conscious vs. Unconscious Activity: The Dual-Track Mind

____________“high” track:our minds take deliberate

actions we know we are doing Examples: problem solving, naming an object, defining a

word

____________“low” track:our minds perform automatic

actions, often without being aware of them

Examples: walking, acquiring phobias, processing sensory details

into perceptions and memories

Automatic processing: Conscious “high” track says, “I saw a bird!”

Unconsciously, we see:

Example in the book (borrowed from the Sensation and Perception topic:

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Think before you act? In one study, students

showed brain activity related to pushing a button ____________they were aware of their decision to push the button.

Does this mean the “decision” is an illusion?

What experiment from the beginning of the semester does this remind you of?

Why Have ________Tracks?Possible benefit: not having

to think about everything we do all at once

Examples You can hit or catch a ball

without having to consciously calculate its trajectory.

You can speak without having to think about the definitions of each word.

You can walk and chew gum AND carry on a conversation.

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Unusual Consequences of Having a Dual-Track Mind

Blindsight

Selective Attention

Selective Inattention

Inattentional blindness

Change blindness Choice blindness

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Case StudyA woman with brain

damage, but NO eye damage, was unable to use her eyes to report what was in front of her.

BUT, she was able to use her eyes to help her take actions such as putting mail in slots.What are the two mental “tracks” in this case?

____________

Judging size and distance well enough to put the mail in the slot: the “low road,” or unconscious, automatic track, in this case known as the visual action track

Describing the mail and the slot:the “high road,” or conscious track, in this case known as the visual perception track

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There are millions of bits of information coming at our senses every second.

So, we have the skill of selective attention; our brain is able to choose a focus and select what to notice.

___________ Attention

Selective Attention and Conversation

The good news: we can focus our mental spotlight on a conversation even when other conversations are going on around us. This is known as the cocktail party effect.The bad news: we can hyperfocus on a conversation while driving a car, putting the driver and passengers at risk. 9

Selective inattention refers to our failure to notice part of our environment when our attention is directed elsewhere.

Selective ____________ : inattentional blindness change blindness choice blindness

Selective ____________ :what we are not focused

on, what we do not notice

Selective ____________ : what we focus on, what we

notice

10https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4

____________ Blindness Various experiments show that when our attention is

focused, we miss seeing what others may think is obvious to see (such as a gorilla, or a unicyclist).

Some “magic” tricks take advantage of this phenomenon.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubNF9QNEQLA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkrrVozZR2c

____________ Blindness

Two-thirds of people didn’t notice when the person they were giving directions to was replaced by a similar-looking person.

The Switch

By the way, did you notice whether the replacement person was in the same

clothes or different clothes?12

____________ BlindnessIn one experiment, people chose their favorite among two jams. But when the jar’s contents were deceptively reversed and tasted again, people described the same jar’s contents as their chosen jam.

The researcher flips the divided containers, so that the next taste from that jar is actually the other jam.

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• Narcolepsy • http://www.today.com/health/video-womans-narcolepsy-attack-goes-

viral-1D80309220

• Insomnia• Sleep apnea• Night terrors• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfwFaKpOK74• Sleep walking

Brief Overview of Sleep Disorders

Sleepwalking Defense…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnuHNtGogYwThen, read article.

How Do We Learn About Sleep and Dreams?

We can monitor EEG/brain waves and muscle movements during sleep.

We can expose the sleeping person to noise and words, and then examine the effects on the brain (waves) and mind (memory).

We can wake people and see which mental state (e.g. dreaming) goes with which brain/body state.

Sleep as a State of ____________

Consider that:we move around, but how do we stop ourselves from falling out of bed?we sometimes incorporate real-world noises into our dreams.some noises (our own baby’s cry) wake us more easily than others.

When sleeping, are we fully unconscious and “dead to

the world”?

Or is the window to consciousness open?

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Daily ____________ and Sleep

The ____________(“about a day”) rhythm refers to the body’s natural 24-hour cycle, roughly matched to the day/night cycle of light and dark.

What changes during the 24 hours?

Over the 24 hour cycle, the following factors vary, rising and falling over the course of the day and night:body temperature arousal/energy mental sharpness

“Larks” and “Owls”Daily rhythms vary from person to person and with age.General peaks in alertness:evening peak—20-year old “owls”morning peak—50-year old “larks”

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Stages and Cycles of ____________

Sleep stages refer to distinct patterns of brain waves and muscle activity that are associated with different types of consciousness and sleep.

There are four

types of

sleep.

Sleep cycles refer to the patterns of shifting through all the sleep stages over the course of the night. We “cycle” through all the sleep stages in about 90 minutes on average.

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Falling Asleep:From Alert to ____________

Eyes Closed

Alpha waves are the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state.

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____________ asleep Yawning creates a brief boost in

alertness as your brain metabolism is slowing down.

Your breathing slows down. Brain waves become slower and

irregular. You may have hypnagogic (while

falling asleep) hallucinations. Your brain waves change from alpha

waves to NREM-1.

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____________ Sleep Stages Getting deeper into sleep…

but not dreaming yet

NREM-1

NREM-2

NREM-3

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____________ SleepEugene Aserinsky’s discovery (1953): dreams occurred during periods of wild brain activity and rapid eye movements [REM sleep].

Heart rate rises and breathing becomes rapid.

“Sleep paralysis” occurs when the brainstem blocks the motor cortex’s messages and the muscles don’t move. This is sometimes known as “paradoxical sleep”; the brain is active but the body is immobile.

Genitals are aroused (not caused by dream content) and stay this way after REM is over.

What happens during REM sleep?

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Stages of Sleep: The 90 Minute Cycles

Through 8 Hours of ____________The length of REM sleep increases the longer you remain asleep.

With age, there are more awakenings and less deep sleep.

NREM-1

NREM-2

NREM-3

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★ 5 identified stages of sleep.★ 90-100 minutes to pass through the 5

stages.★ Brain’s waves will change according to the

sleep stage you are in.★ First 4 stages and know as NREM sleep.★ 5th stage is called REM sleep.90 minutes

(night progresses we have more time in REM cycle).

★ 4 to 6 cycles per night is typical.

Sleep Stages Info.

________ 1★ Falling to sleep - transition stage★ Lasts between 1 and 5 minutes

and occupies approximately 2-5 % of a normal night of sleep.

★ Eyes begin to roll ____________.★ Consists mostly of theta waves that

are high amplitude & low frequency ★ Brief periods of alpha waves, similar

to those present while awake

Hallucinations can occur & feeling of falling.

_________ 2★ Follows Stage 1 sleep and is the "baseline" of sleep.

★ Part of the 90 minute cycle & occupies approximately 45-60% of sleep.

★ Brain waves slow down dramatically.

★ ____________ stage of sleep. ★ Sleep spindles (bursts of neural

activity or neural firings) occur. ★ Not easy to wake up.

Stages 3 & 4 are “____________ " sleep or "slow wave" sleep and may last 15-30 minutes. "slow wave" sleep because brain activity slows down dramatically."theta" rhythm of Stage 2 to a much slower rhythm called "delta" and the height or amplitude of the waves increases dramatically.

_______ 3 & 4

Stage 3 and 4 (cont.) Contrary to popular belief, it is delta sleep that is the "deepest" stage of sleep (REM is not) and the most restorative. It is delta sleep that a sleep-deprived person's brain craves the first and foremost.

In children, ____________ sleep can occupy up to 40% of all sleep time & this is what makes children difficult to wake or "dead asleep" during most of the night.

____________ 5: REM REM: Rapid Eye ____________This is a very active stage of sleep. Composes 20-25 % of a normal nights sleep.

Breathing, heart rate and brain wave activity quicken. ____________ Dreams can occur.

From REM, you go back to Stage 2But the brain causes a decrease in muscle tone and control. Impossible to sleepwalk in this stage (the body is immobile).REM cycles decline during childhood and levels off at 20%

Why do we sleep???

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0_vwGZpyNgEUW9YTUJMdjE4dlk/view?pli=1

Why do we sleep?What determines the quantity and ______ of sleep?The ____________ and pattern of sleep is affected by biology, age, culture, and individual variation.

Age: in general, newborns need 16 hours of sleep, while adults need 8 hours or less

Individual (genetic) variation: some people function best with 6 hours of sleep, others with 9 hours or more

Culture: North Americans sleep less than others, and less than they used to, perhaps because of the use of light bulbs

Light and the brain regulate sleep.

The circadian rhythm is hard to shift (jet lag). This rhythm can be affected by light, which

suppresses the relaxing hormone melatonin.

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1. Sleep protected our ancestors from predators.

2. Sleep restores and repairs the brain and body.

3. Sleep builds and strengthens memories. 4. Sleep facilitates creative problem

solving.5. Sleep is the time when growth

hormones are active.

Why do we ____________?What does sleep do for us?

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Effects of Sleep Loss/

____________Research shows that inadequate sleep can make you more likely to:

lose brainpower. gain weight. get sick. be irritable. feel old.

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Sleep Loss _______ by Body System

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Sleep Loss/Deprivation= ____________ Risk

Sleep loss results in more accidents, probably caused by impaired attention and slower reaction time.

Accident Frequency

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Can you just make up lost sleep in 1 night?NO!

Sleep Disorders

• ____________ : persistent inability to fall asleep or stay asleep

• Narcolepsy (“numb seizure”): sleep attacks, even a collapse into REM/paralyzed sleep, at inopportune times

• ____________ apnea (“with no breath”): repeated awakening after breathing stops; time in bed is not restorative sleep

Night terrors refer to sudden scared-looking behavior, with rapid heartbeat and breathing.

Sleepwalking and sleeptalking run in families, so there is a possible genetic basis.

Are these people dreaming?

These behaviors, mostly affect children, and occur in NONREM-3 sleep. They are not considered dreaming.37

__________Recurring problems in falling or staying asleep.

Not your once in a while, I’m having trouble getting to sleep episodes... because you have a big test tomorrow.

Insomnia is not defined by the number of hours you sleep every night.

____________Characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks.

Lapses directly into REM sleep (usually during times of stress or joy).

Excessive sleepiness. Unpredictable & uncontrolled. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myaonferplk

____________Sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep & consequent momentary re-awakenings.

What Causes Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

____________A sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified.Occur in Stage 4, non REM, and are not often remembered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSVwmSzxKtU

____________ (Somnambulism)

Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder affecting an estimated 10% of all humans at least once in their lives.Sleepwalking most often occurs during deep non-REM sleep (stage 3 or stage 4 sleep) early in the night.

Symptoms and Features:Ambulation (walking or moving about) that occurs during sleep. The onset typically occurs in pre-pubertal children.

★difficulty in arousing the patient during an episode ★amnesia following an episode ★episodes typically occur in the first third of the sleep episode ★polysomnographic monitoring demonstrates the onset of an episode during stage 3 or 4 sleep ★Fatigue (which is not the same as drowsiness)★Stress and  ____________   https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=4i7OSlfnbAY

http://www.nbcnews.com/video/dateline/29665943#29665943

____________ ParalysisSleep paralysis is a feeling of being conscious but unable to move. It occurs when a person passes between stages of wakefulness and sleep. During these transitions, you may be unable to move or speak for a few seconds up to a few minutes. Some people may also feel pressure or a sense of choking. Sleep paralysis may accompany other sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is an overpowering need to sleep caused by a problem with the brain's ability to regulate sleep.

____________ Leg Syndrome

● People with restless legs syndrome have uncomfortable sensations in their legs (and sometimes arms or other parts of the body) and an irresistible urge to move their legs to relieve the sensations. The condition causes an uncomfortable, "itchy," "pins and needles," or "creepy crawly" feeling in the legs. The sensations are usually worse at rest, especially when lying or sitting. 

● The severity of RLS symptoms ranges from mild to intolerable. Symptoms can come and go and severity can also vary. The symptoms are generally worse in the evening and at night and less severe in the morning. For some people, symptoms may cause severe nightly sleep disruption that can significantly impair a person's quality of life.

____________Cataplexy often affects people who have narcolepsy, a disorder in which there is great difficulty remaining awake during the daytime.The word cataplexy means, "to strike down." It happens in narcolepsy patients who describe it as sudden attacks of muscle weakness. It usually affects both sides of the body. It often happens because of strong emotions.  

These patients experience sudden loss of muscle tone and falls down at moments of strong emotion such as stress, laughter, anger or frightening experiences. Sending electric signals through the muscles and gauging their response can measure the phenomenon. People with cataplexy may injure themselves.

Cataplexy requires separate treatment from narcolepsy. Often, Imipramine or Desipramine can completely control this situation, when given in gradually increasing doses.

____________ Defense Breakout

• Massachusetts v. Tirrell• Fain v. Commonwealth• State v. Bradley• Regina v. Parks• Pennsylvania v. Ricksgers• California v. Reitz

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Sleep Brochure

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____________the stream of images, actions, and feelings, experienced while in REM sleep

What We Dream About Dreams often include some negative event or emotion, especially failure dreams (being pursued, attacked, rejected, or having bad luck).Dreams do NOT often include sexuality.We may incorporate real-world sounds and other stimuli into dreams.Dreams also include images from recent, traumatic, or frequent experiences.

What We Dream About: (Psychoanalytic Theory)Sigmund Freud believed there was often a hidden “latent content” (conflicts, worries, and urges) underneath the symbolic “manifest content” (the plot, actions, and images recalled) of dreams.

50https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0_vwGZpyNgER2VsYzJKZG9ieGc/view?pli=1

Theory Explanation

Wish fulfillment (psycho-analytic theory)

Information-processing

Physiological function

Activation-synthesis

Cognitive-developmental theory

Theories about Functions of _______

Dreams provide a “psychic safety valve”; they often express otherwise unacceptable feelings, and contain both manifest (remembered) content and a latent content (hidden meaning).

Dreams help us sort out the day’s events and consolidate our memories.

Regular brain stimulation from REM sleep may help develop and preserve neural pathways.REM sleep triggers impulses that evoke random visual memories, which our sleeping brain weaves into stories.

Dream content reflects the dreamers’ cognitive development—his or her knowledge and understanding.

Lacks any scientific support;

dreams may be interpreted in many different

ways.But why do we sometimes

dream about things we have

not experienced?

This may be true, but it does not

explain why we experience meaningful

dreams.

The individual’s

brain is weaving the

stories, which still tells us something about the dreamer.Does not

address the neuroscience of

dreams.51

Dream Analysis Assignment 52

Another Possible State of Consciousness:____________Text definition: Hypnosis is a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur.

“Your arm may soon

feel so light that it

rises…”

Alternate definition: Hypnosis is a cooperative social action in which one person is in a state of being likely to respond to suggestions from another person.This state has been called heightened suggestibility as well as a trance.Controversy: does this social interaction really require an altered state of consciousness?

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(“The headache is fading away.”)

(“You got lost in a mall as a child.”)

(“I get nutrition from food, and get comfort from friends.”)

(“You are feeling more relaxed and confident.”)

(“Your arm might rise by itself.”)

perceptions

memory

attitudes

emotions

behavior

The subject may be led into changes in:

Types of Hypnotic ____________

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The Highly Hypnotizable 20 Percent

How do some people get so hypnotized that they can have no reaction to ammonia under their noses?

• These people seem to be more easily absorbed in imaginative activities.

• They are able to focus and to lose themselves in fantasy.

• The hypnotic induction method may happen to work just right.

Induction Into ____________

A swinging watch and recitation of the words “you

are getting sleepy” are not

necessary.

Hypnotic induction, the inducing of a hypnotic state,

is the process by which a hypnotist leads someone

into the state of heightened suggestibility.

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Theories Explaining ____________Social Influence Theory

Hypnotic subjects may simply be imaginative people who go along with the “subject” role they have agreed to

play.

Divided Consciousness Theory Hypnosis is a special state of

dissociated (divided) consciousness of our dual-track mind.

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Benefits of ____________ for

Some People:

blocking awareness of pain, even enough for surgery without anesthesia

reducing obesity, anxiety, and hypertension

improving concentration and performance

What ____________

Cannot Do:

work when people refuse to cooperate

bestow ‘superhuman’ abilities or strength

accurately boost recall of forgotten events (it is more likely to implant false recall)

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Altering Consciousness ____________Psychoactive drugs are chemicals introduced into the body which alter perceptions, mood, and other elements of conscious experience.

Dependence/AddictionMany psychoactive drugs can be harmful to the body.Psychoactive drugs are particularly dangerous when a person develops an addiction or becomes ____________ on the substance.Factors related to addiction:

tolerance withdrawal impact on daily life

of substance use physical and

psychological dependence 59

____________

In physical dependence,

the body has been altered in ways

that create cravings for the drug (e.g. to end

withdrawal symptoms).

In psychological dependence,

a person’s resources for coping with daily life wither as a drug becomes “needed” to relax, socialize,

or sleep.

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____________on a substance (or activity?)

Tolerance: the need to use more to receive the desired effect

Withdrawal: the distress experienced when the “high” subsides

Using more than intended Persistent, failed attempts to regulate use Much time spent preoccupied with the substance,

obtaining it, and recovering Important activities reduced because of use Continued use despite aversive consequences

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____________

Examples: alcohol barbiturates opiates

Depressants are chemicals that reduce neural activity and other body functions.

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Effects of _________ UseImpact on functioningSlow neural processing, reduced sympathetic nervous system activity, and slower thought and physical reactionReduced memory formation caused by disrupted REM sleep and reduced synapse formationImpaired self-control, impaired judgment, self-monitoring, and inhibition; increased accidents and aggression

Chronic Use: Brain damage

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____________Barbiturates are tranquilizers--drugs that depress central nervous system activity.Examples: Nembutal, Seconal, AmytalEffects: reducing anxiety and inducing sleep Problems: reducing memory, judgment, and concentration; can lead to death if combined with alcohol

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____________ : Highly Addictive Depressants

Opiates depress nervous system activity; this reduces anxiety, and especially reduces pain.

High doses of opiates produce euphoria.

Opiates work at receptor sites for the body’s natural pain reducers (endorphins).

Opiates are chemicals such as morphine and heroin that are made from the opium poppy.

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____________

Examples of stimulants: Caffeine Nicotine Amphetamines,

Methamphetamine Cocaine Ecstasy

Stimulants are drugs which intensify neural activity

and bodily functions.

Some physical effects of stimulants: dilated pupils, increased breathing and heart rate, increased blood sugar, decreased appetite

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____________ adds energy disrupts sleep for 3-4

hours can lead to withdrawal

symptoms if used daily: headaches irritability fatigue difficulty

concentrating depression

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__________

The main effect of nicotine use is ADDICTION.

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Why do people ____________? Starting to smoke: invited by

peers, influenced by culture and media

Continuing: positively reinforced by physically stimulating effects

Not stopping: after regular use, smokers have difficulty stopping because of withdrawal symptoms such as insomnia, anxiety, distractibility, and irritability

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____________ Cocaine blocks reuptake (and thus

increases levels at the synapse of: dopamine (feels rewarding). serotonin (lifts mood). norepinephrine (provides energy).

Effect on consciousness: Euphoria!!! At least for 45 minutes…

What happens next?Euphoria crashes into a state worse than before taking the drug, with agitation, depression, and pain.Users develop tolerance; over time, withdrawal symptoms of cocaine use get worse, and users take more just to feel normal.Cycles of overdose and withdrawal can sometimes bring convulsions, violence, heart attack, and death.

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____________ Methamphetamine triggers the sustained release of

dopamine, sometimes leading to eight hours of euphoria and energy.

What happens next: irritability, insomnia, seizures, hypertension, violence, depression

“Meth” addiction can become all-consuming.From 1998 to 2002: Extreme Makeover, Meth Edition

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Ecstasy/ ____________(MethyleneDioxyMethAmphetamine) Ecstasy is a synthetic stimulant that

increases dopamine and greatly increases serotonin.

Effects on consciousness: euphoria, CNS stimulation, hallucinations, and artificial feeling of social connectedness and intimacy

What Happens Next?In the short run, regretted behavior, dehydration, overheating, and high blood pressure.Make it past that, and you might have:

damaged serotonin-producing neurons, causing permanently depressed mood

disrupted sleep and circadian rhythm impaired memory and slowed thinking suppressed immune system 72

____________LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) LSD and similar drugs interfere with

serotonin transmission. This causes hallucinations--images

and other “sensations” that didn’t come in through the senses.

Marijuana/THC (delta-9-TetraHydroCannabinol) Marijuana binds with brain

cannabinoid receptors. Effect on consciousness:

amplifies sensations disinhibits impulses euphoric mood lack of ability to sense satiety

Marijuana/THC:What Happens Next?

Impaired motor coordination, perceptual ability, and reaction time

THC accumulates in the body, increasing the effects of next useOver time, the brain shrinks in areas processing memory and emotion Smoke inhalation damage

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Table 3.5 A Guide to Selected Psychoactive DrugsMyers: Psychology, Tenth EditionCopyright © 2013 by Worth Publishers

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____________ of Drug Use in the United States

Nicotine Use as of 2011: 26 percent of high school

dropouts smoke; 6 percent of people with graduate

degrees smoke

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What influences can lead to drug use?

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What can turn drug use into dependence?

____________ factors: dependence in relatives, thrill-seeking in childhood, genes related to alcohol sensitivity and dependence, and easily disrupted dopamine reward system

Psychological factors: seeking gratification, depression, problems forming identity, problems assessing risks and costs

Social influences: media glorification, observing peers

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Are substances inherently

addictive and should they

be avoided at all cost? Does

recovery require

therapy, or require a 12-step group?

Is the “addiction” concept

applicable to repeated

behaviors that do not involve ingesting

chemicals?

Only 10 to 16 percent of people who try most drugs, even morphine and cocaine, become addicted.

In general, recovery rates do not seem to differ much from people quitting on their own.Controversies

Related to Addiction

Labeling it this way can be seen as making excuses for misbehavior such as gambling or sexual affairs. However, many of the dependence criteria are often met, and there may be a dopamine-based chemical process underlying some ‘addictive’ behavior patterns.

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