Barron's AP Psychology Ch5 States of Consciousness

consciousness

level of awareness about ourselves and our environment

mere-exposure effect

we prefer stimuli we have seen before over novel stimuli, even if we don't consciously remember the old stimuli

priming

responding more quickly and accurately to questions that have been seen before, even without remembering seeing them

blind sight

blind people can accurately describe paths of moving objects or grasp objects they say they cannot see

conscious level

information about yourself and environment you are currently aware of

nonconscious level

body processes controlled by your mind that we are not usually aware of (heartbeat, respiration, digestion, etc.)

preconscious level

information about yourself or your environment you are not currently thinking about but you could be

subconscious level

information we are not consciously aware of but we know must exist due to behavior

unconscious level

events and feelings that are unacceptable to our conscious mind are repressed in this level of consciousness

sleep

state of consciousness in which we are less aware of ourselves and our environment than we are in our normal awake state

circadian rhythm

daily patterns of metabolic and thought processes

EEG

machines that record how active our brains our during sleep and describe different stages of sleep

sleep onset

stage between wakefulness and sleep

alpha waves

produced when we are drowsy but awake

theta waves

produced in stage 1 and 2, get progressively slower and higher in amplitude

sleep spindles

short bursts of rapid brain waves in stage 2

delta sleep

stages 3 and 4, replenishes the bodes chemical supplies, releases growth hormones, and fortifies immune system

delta waves

the slower these waves, the deeper the sleep

REM

intense activity as we reach stage 1 again, where dreams occur, linked to memory

insomnia

persistent problems getting to sleep or staying asleep at night

narcolepsy

periods of intense sleepiness, falling asleep in unpredictable and inappropriate times

sleep apnea

causes person to stop breathing for short periods of time during the night

night terrors

a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during Stage 4 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered

somnambulism

sleep walking (stage 4)

manifest content

literal content of dreams

latent content

unconscious meaning of dreams

activation synthesis theory

dreams are biological phenomena, the brain's interpretations of what's happening physiologically during REM sleep

information processing theory

brain deals with daily stress and information during REM dreams

posthypnotic amnesia

forgetting events occurring during hypnosis

posthypnotic suggestion

suggestion that a hypnotized person behaves in a certain way after being brought out of hypnosis

role theory

hypnosis is not an alternate state of consciousness

some people are more easily hypnotized than others

people act out roles

hypnotic suggestibility

some people are more easily hypnotized than others

state theory

we become more or less aware of our environments

Earnest Hilgard

researcher who rested the dissociation theory of hypnosis

dissociation theory

hypnosis causes us to divide our consciousness voluntarily

one level responds to the suggestions of the hypnotist while the other retains awareness of reality

psychoactive drugs

chemicals that change the chemistry of the brain and induce an altered state of consciousness

blood-brain barrier

thicker walls surrounding the brain's blood vessels that protects the brain from harmful chemicals

agonists

drugs that mimic neurotransmitters

antagonists

drugs that block neurotransmitters

withdrawal symptoms

symptoms occurring when one becomes dependent on a drug and tries to stop

tolerance

physiological change that produces a need for more of the same drug in order to achieve the same effect

stimulants

drugs that speed up body processes

stimulant

cocaine

depressants

drugs that slow down body processes

depressant

alcohol

depressant

barbiturate

depressant

anxiolytics

hallucinogens

drugs that change perceptions of reality

hallucinogen

LSD

hallucinogen

peyote

hallucinogen

psilocybin mushroom

hallucinogen

marijuana

reverse tolerance

second dose may be less than the first but cause the same or greater effects

opiates

derived from poppy plants, powerful painkillers and mood elevators, agonists for endorphins

opiate

morphine

opiate

heroin

opiate

codein

opiate

methadone