Conciousness
Sleep + Circadian Rhythms
Drugs
Memory and Information Processing
Tricky questions (Worth double points)
100

What are the three characteristics of conciousness

1) It is subjective and private

2) It is dynamic

3) It is self-reflective and central to a sense of self

100

Your circadian rhythm is regulated by what part of the brain?

Bonus points (+100): What part of the brain does this part link to, and what does this other part of the brain secrete?

The suprachiasmatic nuclei

Bonus points (+100):The pineal gland, which secretes melatonin

100

Why are drugs able to cross the blood brain barrier?

Drugs immitate neurochemicals that are already in our bodies. So they are able to get through the barrier because our bodies are essentially tricked into thinking that these are natural chemicals

100

What are 2 functions of memory?

What are the 3 basic processes of memory?

1) Allows us to learn from experience 2) Helps us to adapt to changing environments


1) encoding (translating information into neural code)
2) storage (retaining information over time)
3) retrieval (accessing stored information)

100

Given everything that you've learned about in terms of memory, what might be some good strategies for remembering class content?

What might be an ineffective method of studying for the test?

- Study in the same classroom you're taking the test in
- Engage in deeper processing by linking information from class to your life, organizing information based on what concepts link together, and using imagery

Use multiple different techniques of deeper processing- come up with questions linking information from class to your life, use flow charts to link information together,etc

Ineffective method: rote memorization

200
Which of the three levels of Freud's levels of conciousness is where you might have awareness of your favorite books, movies, and how to spell the word "Halloween" if someone asks you?

Pre-concious- these are accessible memories that are not necessarily in your immediate awareness but you can easily access them

200

We cycle through the stages of sleep roughly every X minutes. What is X?

90 minutes

200

When Suzie goes out with her friends, she usually drinks 4-5 glasses of alcohol. Suzie is now at a night club with a new group of people she has never met before and after 3 glasses she blacks out. What are some reasons this might have happened?

There are lots of factors that can influence your alcohol intake, including dose, setting, and rituals surrounding your drug intake. Suzie was with a new group of people in an unfamiliar setting, so her body may have responded differently even if she drank less than she usually does

200

What is a technique by which you could increase short-term memory?

Chunking- creating meaningful groups of information 

200

What might be a better technique at remembering the different stages of sleep rather than trying to memorize them?

You could study what brain activity (i.e., different wave patterns) are going on within each stage, and make a flow chart that helps link all this information together 

300

What area of psychological research studies unconscious memories and processes 

Cognitive Psychology 

300

What types of waves are present during light sleep?

Theta waves 

300
How do depressants influence your nervous system?
Depressants typically increase GABA activity, and decrease glutamate activity, leading to all systems slowing down
300

You like listening to classical music while you're reading. Why is it that your brain is able to process the music and the words in the book at the same time? What are the different components of working memory that are at play?

Phonological loop- allows you to process music
Visual-spatial sketchpad- allows you to process what you're reading
Central executive- allows you to integrate information

300

Why might it be more difficult for you to remember what you were doing on Tuesday three weeks ago compare to what you were doing the day the world shut down for COVID 19?

Flashbulb memories- you form vivid and long-lasting memories about a surprising or shocking event because you associate your memory with that event.

400

What is the difference between effortful processing and automatic processing?

What are examples of each of these?

Effortful (or controlled) processing- requires conscious use of attention (e.g., learning how to ride a bicycle; studying for your psych 101 exam)

Automatic processing: Performing tasks with little or no concious awareness (e.g., riding a bike while talking after you've learned how)

400

Why is REM sleep important?

Bonus (+ 400 points)- which stage of sleep comes before REM sleep?

Bonus (+400)- What parts of the brain are active during REM sleep and how does this differ from when you are awake?

Memory consolidation, emotional processing, etc

Bonus 1: stage 2

Bonus 2: NO motor activity during REM, and LOWER activity during the prefrontal cortex

400

Which hallucinogen decreases GABA activity and increases dopamine?

Marijuana

400

What is meant by "neurons that fire together, wire together"

The more you do something (more HPC activity), the stronger the synaptic connections get and the better you get at remembering the thing

400

ou recently got a new phone number, but every time you try to tell someone your number, you accidentally give them your old one. Your memory of the old number is interfering with your ability to recall the new number. This is an example of what kind of interference?

You recently started learning French after studying Spanish for years. Now, when you try to speak Spanish, you keep accidentally using French words instead. The new French vocabulary is interfering with your ability to recall Spanish words. This is an example of what kind of interference



Proactive interference
Retroactive interference 

500

Imagine you find yourself feeling unusually tense and irritable when a close friend mentions making new friends at work. You aren't quite sure why this bothers you, as you trust them and feel secure in your friendship.

According to freud's levels theory, which level might this anxiety about your friend be related to, and what might be the fear behind your friend making different friends at work?

Unconscious- maybe you have a fear of abandonment or jealousy that you aren't consciously aware of 

500

In which stage of sleep do you see sleep spindles

Stage 2

500

Sometimes marijuana strains can have stimulating effects. These strains may have higher levels of what substance

CBD

500

What are the 3 types of long term memory

- Implicit memory, procedural memory, and automatic memory