ap psych myers 1.5a-1.5c

consciousness

our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment

cognitive neuroscience

the study of brain activity linked with cognition (thinking, knowing, remembering, communicating)

dual processing

the principle that info is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

blindsight

a condition where a person can respond to visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it

parallel processing

processing multiple aspects of a stimulus or problem simultaneously

sequential processing

processing one aspect of a stimulus or problem at a time; used to process new info or solve difficult problems

sleep

a periodic, natural loss of consciousness, distinct from unconsciousness from coma, anesthesia, hibernation

circadian rhythm

our biological clock; regular body rhythms that occur on a 24 hour cycle

REM sleep

recurring sleep stage, during which vivid dreams commonly occur. muscles are typically relaxed, but other body systems are active.al

alpha waves

slow brain waves, relaxed awake state

NREM sleep

all sleep stages other than REM

hallucinations

false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of external visual stimulus

hypnagogic sensations

bizarre experiences while transitioning to sleep (falling, etc)

delta waves

large, slow brain waves, deep sleep

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm

insomnia

recurring problems in falling/staying asleep

narcolepsy

disorder with uncontrollable sleep attacks, often immediately lapsing into REMs

leep apnea

disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings

REM sleep behavior disorder

disorder where normal REM paralysis doesn’t occur, leads to acting dream out

dream

a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind

REM rebound

tendency for REM sleep to increase following deprivation