Consciousness, Sleep, and Altered States

Practice flashcards covering the nature of consciousness, sleep cycles, sleep disorders, dreams, hypnosis, and drug categories.

How is consciousness defined?

Awareness of our own mental activity.

What is meant by the stream or flow of consciousness?

The content of our consciousness is always changing, and old information is displaced by new information.

What is selective attention?

The process of selecting what we pay attention to.

What brain wave pattern characterizes the alert state?

Beta waves.

What brain wave pattern is present during a relaxed state, and how long does it usually last?

Alpha waves; it usually lasts for 5-10 minutes.

What physiological changes occur during the relaxed state prior to sleep?

Slowed heart rate, relaxed muscles and tension, and lower body temperature.

What characterizes the altered state of daydreaming?

Drifting off into a world of fantasy while remaining awake, turning inward with reduced awareness of the world; commonly triggered by boredom or automatic processes.

What percentage of people have life-like daydreams, and what term describes someone who daydreams a lot?

4% of people; fantasy-prone personality.

What are the key features and brain waves of Stage 1 sleep?

Lasts about 5 minutes, involves slowed breathing, is easily awakened from, and is characterized by theta waves.

What are 'sleep spindles' and in which stage of sleep do they occur?

Bursts of brain activity that occur during Stage 2 sleep.

What brain wave pattern characterizes Stage 3-4 sleep?

Delta waves (deeper brain waves).

How long does it take to reach Stage 3-4 sleep, and how long does a person remain in it?

It takes 45 minutes to reach, and a person stays in this stage for 30 minutes.

During which sleep stage does walking and talking occur?

Stage 3-4 (specifically Stage 4).

What are the primary characteristics of Stage 5 sleep?

Rapid eye movement (REM sleep), brain waves similar to an alert/awake state, and it is the stage where dreaming occurs.

What pattern of progression do sleep stages follow after reaching deep sleep?

Sleep moves back up through the stages without re-entering Stage 1 (e.g., Stage 3, Stage 2, then Stage 5; cycling through 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 5).

How many sleep cycles typically occur per night, and how long is each cycle?

4 cycles per night, lasting 90 minutes each.

What are three reasons why humans sleep?

It protects us, conserves the body's energy (re-energizes), and restores energy.

What is insomnia, and how is it treated?

The most common sleep disorder involving recurring problems falling or staying asleep; treated with medication and environment/lifestyle changes.

What is narcolepsy?

An uncommon genetic disorder causing uncontrollable sleep attacks where an individual goes directly from an alert state into deep REM sleep.

What is sleep apnea, and what are its treatments?

A disorder where a person stops breathing for 15-60 seconds during sleep and gasps for air; treated with respiratory-stimulating medications or a CPAT(?) machine.

How do night terrors differ from nightmares regarding sleep stage and waking?

Night terrors involve suddenly waking from non-REM sleep (common in children aged 3-8) with easier return to sleep; nightmares involve waking from REM sleep with more difficulty returning to sleep.

What is somnambulism, and which sleep stage and brain waves are associated with it?

Sleepwalking; occurs during Stage 3-4 with delta waves.

What is hypersomnia, and what are its causes?

Consistently needing an excessive amount of sleep (12-16 hours a day) on a recurring basis; causes include depression and physical ailments.

According to Freud, what is the difference between manifest content and latent content in dreams?

Manifest content is what the dreamer comes up with, whereas latent content is what Freud interprets or uncovers.

What is lucid dreaming?

Being able to control one's dreams.

What is hypnosis, and what are four of its uses?

A temporary state of heightened suggestibility; used for entertainment, anesthesia (not feeling pain), an investigative tool, and therapeutics (post-hypnotic suggestion).

What is drug tolerance?

Needing more and more of a drug to produce the same effect as tolerance builds up.

How is drug addiction defined?

An extreme form of physical and psychological dependence.

What effect do depressants have on the body, and what are some examples?

They slow body functions down, including heart rate and blood pressure; examples include alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates.

What effect do stimulants have on the body, and what are some examples?

They speed up body functions; examples include caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, and amphetamines.

What effect do hallucinogens have, and what is an example?

They distort sensory and perceptual experiences (such as hearing things not present); an example is LSD.

How does marijuana behave across different dose sizes?

It shares characteristics of depressants in smaller doses and hallucinogens in larger doses, distorting perception.