Chapter 5!! States of Consciousness

What is consciousness?

The awareness of and alertness to external events and internal experiences.

What are the levels of consciousness?

Higher-level consciousness, lower-level consciousness, altered states of consciousness, subconscious awareness, and unconscious.

What characterizes higher-level consciousness?

Focused, alert awareness, such as during studying.

What is lower-level consciousness?

Automatic processing that includes little attention, like daydreaming or typing without paying attention.

What are altered states of consciousness?

States produced by external or internal stimuli, such as intoxication or fatigue.

Define subconscious awareness.

Awareness of the external world but not alertness to it, as seen in sleep and dreams.

What does Freud's concept of the unconscious entail?

The belief that we store inappropriate desires well below our awareness.

What is a circadian rhythm?

A roughly 24-hour cycle that our bodies follow along with the sun.

What happens to cortisol levels throughout the day?

Cortisol decreases during the day and increases just before waking up.

What is the role of melatonin in sleep?

Melatonin slowly increases throughout the day, peaking at sunset.

What are the theories as to why we sleep?

Safety, conserving energy, restoration, and brain plasticity.

How many sleep cycles do we typically have in a night?

Roughly four to five 90-minute sleep cycles.

What are the different levels of sleep as shown by EEG?

Alert (beta waves), relaxed (alpha waves), light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep.

What characterizes REM sleep?

Rapid Eye Movement, brain activity similar to light sleep, and most of the body is paralyzed.

What does Freud say about dreams?

We dream to act out unconscious wishes and desires.

What is manifest content in dreams?

What happened in the dream.

What is latent content in dreams?

What the dream symbolizes about your unconscious desires.

What is the cognitive approach to dreaming?

We actively consolidate our memories during dreams.

What does the activation-synthesis theory suggest?

Our eyes move rapidly during REM to keep the fluid in our eyes good, and our brain interprets light as dreams.