Psych 101 chapter 3

consciousness

combo of ur subjective experience of external world and ur internal mental activity, both result from brain activity

conscious

level of consciousness that reflects awareness of external world/inner mental activity

unconscious

reflects lack of awareness of external world/inner mental activity

normal waking state of consciousness

reflects a clear awareness of external world/inner mental activity

altered state of consciousness

deviates from normal waking state of consciousness, could reflect either more vivid awareness of less clear awareness of external world/inner mental activity

attention

focusing of mental resources on specific info to become consciously aware of that info

inattentional blindness

failing to see an obvious, unexpected object cuz ur attention is focused elsewhere

circadian rhythm

regulation of biological cycles into regular, daily patters, sleep/wake cycles, body temp and hormone levels

suphrachiasmatic nucleus

cluster of neurons in hypothalamus that acts as body’s master clock, uses light cues to regulate circadian rhythms and melatonin release

pineal gland

endocrine gland in brain that releases melatonin in response to darkness, helping regulate sleep wake cycles

melatonin

hormone that aids regulation of circadian rhythms, bright light reduces production and darkness increases production

stage N1 sleep

person is drifting off, EEGs show slower theta waves, conscious awareness of both external world/inner mental activity starts to decrease

stage N2 sleep

person is truly asleep, EEGs show K-complexes (large waves) and sleep spindles (occasional bursts of activity), much less conscious awareness of both external world/inner mental activity

stage N3 sleep (slow wave sleep)

person is substantially less conscious and is hard to awaken, EEGs reveal large regular delta waves

stage R (rem) sleep

person experiences rapid eye movements, dreaming, paralysis of motor systems; EEGs show beta wave activity, also associated with awake conscious mind