February 11 2013 Depressants substances that decrease or slow down CNS activity GABA neurotransmitters Alcohol most widely used depressant produces relaxation slowed behavior reduced inhibition increases risk of accidents damage to the liver and brain and causes birth defects Sedatives prescription drugs produces feelings of euphoria pain relief and relaxation narcotics and includes all drugs from opium to chemicals similar to opium produces relaxation and sleep slows heart rate tranquilizes the mind Opioids Stimulants substances that activate the nervous system active drug in tobacco increases heart rate respiration rate and feelings of 90 of North American adults on a daily basis increases heart rate alertness produced from the coca plant makes dopamine and serotonin more available Caffeine insomnia nervousness and loss of coordination Nicotine arousal Cocaine in synapses increases heart rate and produces a rush of euphoria depression paranoia lack of inhibition and psychosis produce long lasting excitation of the sympathetic nervous system and elevate mood Meth Dexadream Speed Ecstasy hallucinogen decrease in cognitive functioning and low mood produces feelings of euphoria warmth and connectedness with others the love drug mix of methamphetamine like stimulant and a mild synthetically produced compounds highly addictive can lead to Amphetamines Hallucinogens substances that create distorted perceptions of reality Marijuana are produced naturally in the body and are used to treat conditions comes from the cannabis sativa plant triggers hunger creates euphoria and alters perception and produces hallucinogens at extremely high dosage THC Endocannabinoids associated with nausea and chronic pain Cancer AIDS Pain LSD enhances perception of colors produces hallucinations and may cause synesthesia increases dopamine and serotonin levels Psilocybin experiences alter adult personalities and increasing openness called acid derived from the grain fungus ergot alters visual perceptions ingredient found in shrooms similar effects to LSD can produce spiritual February 13 2013 Memory the ability to store and use information case of H M Three stage model of memory memory lasts classification of memories based on how long the Sensory memory holds information in its original sensory form for a very brief period of time lasts from half a second to 2 3 seconds Iconic memory Echoic memory brief visual record left on the retina short term retention of sounds Short term memory holds a limited amount of information before it is transferred to long term storage or forgotten important in problem solving reading and planning what we are going to say also referred as working memory stays for 2 30 seconds the process of breaking down a list of items to be remembered into a smaller Limited to between 5 and 9 digits letters or chunks of information Chunking set of meaningful units system Attending focusing and switching attention regulated by a master attentional control Storing info about the stimulus Visuospatial sketchpad Rehearsal Phonological loops Episodic buffer for specific events for sounds and language for images and spatial relations process of repeatedly practicing material so that it enters long term memory Serial position effect the tendency to have better recall for items in a list according to their position in that list Mary Whiton Calkins 1898 Primary effect Recency effect better recall for items at the beginning better recall for items at the end Explanation Beginning quickly rehearsed and transferred to long term memory Middle pushed out because of additional items End Long term memory stores a vast amount of information for as little as 30 seconds or as long as a lifetime includes names of your first pets knowledge how to read Two types Implicit memory kind of memory made up of knowledge based on previous experience how to ride a bike how to add and subtract kind of memory made up of implicit knowledge for almost any Procedural memory behavior or physical skill we have learned Priming kind of implicit memory that arises when recall is improved by earlier exposure to the same or similar stimuli multiple choice test recite a list of words measured how long it took them to get up out of their chair and leave Explicit memory knowledge that consists of the conscious recall of facts and events where you left your keys what you did on your 21st birthday Semantic Memory Episodic Memory memory of facts and general knowledge memory of experiences we have had Long term memory Encoding the process by which the brain attends to takes in and integrates new information little effort or conscious attention careful attention and conscious effort the more deeply people encode information the better Automatic processing Effortful processing Levels of processing they will remember it Structural Phonemic Semantic shallow are letters capitalized middle sounds like something deepest meaning of the word Consolidation the process of establishing stabilizing or solidifying a memory resistant to distraction interference and decay Storage the retention of memory over time Hierarchies mental frameworks that develop from our experiences with particular people a way of organizing related pieces of information from the most specific feature they have in common to the most general grouping of relativeness Schemas objects or events different perceptions and experiences become associated by their degree of closeness or relatedness different nodes a chain of associations between related concepts link between Associative networks Retrieval the recovery of information stored in memory ease depends on previous stage Three types of Long Term Memory Systems Implicit Emotional Explicit 1 Each begins with input from sensations that are processed into output by cortical sensory association areas 2 Output then goes to different brain regions depending on type of memory system involved Cerebellum Striatum how to ride a bike Amygdala emotion Hippocampus facts Emotions enhance the vividness of memory and make the memory more likely to stick but they do not improve our accuracy Emotional memories actually tend to be less accurate than unemotional memories People also tend to recall the positive events more so than the negative when reflecting on their life Sleep helps aid in memory recall Flashbulb memories detailed especially vivid memories of very specific highly charged events what you were doing on 9 11