Introduction to Psychology: Consciousness and Sleep

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on consciousness and sleep.

Consciousness

Different levels of awareness of one’s thoughts and feelings.

Controlled processes

Activities that require full awareness, alertness, and concentration to reach a goal.

Automatic processes

Activities that require little awareness and take minimal attention.

Daydreaming

An activity requiring a low level of awareness, often occurring during automatic processes.

Altered states

States of awareness produced by procedures such as meditation, drugs, hypnosis, or sleep deprivation.

Circadian rhythm

A biological clock programmed to regulate physiological responses in a 24-hour period.

Suprachiasmatic nucleus

A biological clock that regulates circadian rhythms, including the sleep-wake cycle.

REM Sleep

A stage of sleep characterized by high frequency brain waves, arousal, and dreaming.

Insomnia

Difficulties in either going to sleep or staying asleep through the night.

Sleep apnea

A condition where a person stops breathing for short periods during sleep.

Narcolepsy

A condition marked by excessive sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks.

Altered state theory

Hypnosis puts a person into an altered state of consciousness disconnected from reality.

Psychoactive Drugs

Drugs that affect the nervous system and alter consciousness and awareness.

Addiction

A behavioral pattern of drug abuse characterized by compulsive desire to use the drug.

Tolerance

A phenomenon where the original dose of a drug no longer produces the desired effect.

Withdrawal symptoms

Painful symptoms that occur after a drug-dependent person stops using the drug.

Stimulants

Drugs like cocaine and caffeine that increase nervous system activity.

Opiates

Drugs that produce pain relief and euphoria, including opium and heroin.

Hallucinogen

A drug that can produce sensory and cognitive experiences that are not real.

Alcohol

A depressant that reduces the activity of the central nervous system.