Understanding Psychology Chapter 7: Exploring Dreams, Sleep Disorders, and Consciousness (Lewis)

consciousness

a state of awareness, including a person's feelings, sensations, ideas, and perceptions.

REM sleep

a state of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements, a high level of brain activity, a deep relaxation of the muscles, and dreaming

circadian rhythm

the rhythm of activity and inactivity lasting approximately one day

insomnia

the failure to get enough sleep at night in order to feel rested the next day

narcolepsy

a condition characterized by suddenly falling asleep or feeling very sleepy during the day

night terrors

sleep disruptions that occur during Stage IV of sleep, involving screaming, panic, or confusion

sleepwalking

walking or carrying out behaviors while asleep

hypnosis

a state of consciousness resulting from a narrowed focus of attention and characterized by heightened suggestibility

posthypnotic suggestion

a suggestion made during hypnosis that influences the participants behavior afterward

biofeedback

the process of learning to control bodily states with the help of machines monitoring the states to be controlled

meditation

systematic relaxation: the focusing of attention to clear one's mind and produce relaxation. Sometimes the same effects are achieved simply by relaxing

hallucinations

perceptions that have no direct external cause, can be caused by drugs, fatigue and heightend emotions

Stage I sleep

Theta waves, brain waves grow irregular, the lightest sleep

Stage IV sleep

delta waves, the deepest sleep of all

sleep apnea

a sleep disorder in which a person has trouble breathing

nightmares

frightening dreams

Sigmund Freud

believed dreams contain clues to unconscious thoughts and desires

dreaming

happens during REM sleep

daydreaming

helps improve our creativity by generating thought processes

Hypnotic analgesia

the reduction of pain after hypnosis

transcendental meditation

developed from a Buddhist tradition that focuses on the present moment

unconscious

according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware.

Preconscious

contains material just beneath the surface of awareness that can easily be retrieved

nonconscious

body processes controlled by your mind that we are not usually aware of, such as breathing or hair growth

construct

theoretical definition of a concept; not directly observable

altered state of consciousness

state in which there is a shift in the quality or pattern of mental activity as compared to waking consciousness

Sleepwalking

walking or carrying out behaviors while asleep

jet lag

a disruption of circadian rhythms due to crossing time zones

attention

focusing awareness on a narrowed range of stimuli or events

William James

defined 4 perspectives of consciousness