Chapter 4: States of Consciousness

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Chapter 4: States of Consciousness.

Consciousness

Awareness of internal and external stimuli; the experience of being aware.

Wakefulness

High levels of sensory alertness, thought, and behavior.

Sleep

A quiet, mysterious pause in daily life; a state of reduced awareness.

Daydreaming

A waking state of automatic thinking with thoughts drifting away from the task.

Altered states of consciousness

States different from normal waking consciousness (drugs, meditation, hypnosis).

Soft problem

The Easy problem: How consciousness arises (the mechanisms).

Hard problem

The Hard problem: Why there is subjective experience at all.

Dualism

Mind and body are separate entities.

Materialism

Mind is the product of the brain and body; mental states are brain states.

Conscious mind

The part of the mind we are aware of.

Preconscious

Things we could become aware of if we tried.

Unconscious

Things we are unaware of and cannot readily become aware of (Freud).

Iceberg (Freud)

Freud’s metaphor comparing the mind to an iceberg with a small conscious portion above water and a large unconscious portion below.

Circadian rhythm

Internal biological rhythm of about 24 hours; includes the sleep–wake cycle.

Sleep-wake cycle

A main circadian rhythm aligned with day–night cycles.

Hypothalamus

Brain region that maintains homeostasis and regulates biological rhythms.

Homeostasis

Maintenance of stable, optimal conditions in a biological system.

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)

Brain’s clock located in the hypothalamus; coordinates circadian rhythms.

Pineal gland

Gland that signals melatonin release to regulate sleep.

Melatonin

Hormone released in darkness that promotes sleep; suppressed by light.

Chronotype

Individual preference for activity and sleep times (e.g., morning lark vs night owl).

Jet lag

Fatigue and disorientation from a mismatch between internal rhythms and the environment.

Rotating shift work

Work schedules that change between early and late shifts, disrupting rhythms.

Bright light therapy

Exposure to bright light to realign circadian rhythms.

Sleep debt

Cumulative sleep deficiency from repeated short sleep.

Sleep deprivation

Chronic lack of sleep leading to cognitive and physical deficits.

Slow-wave sleep

Deep sleep (stages 3–4) characterized by delta waves.

REM sleep

Sleep stage with rapid eye movements, dreaming, and near‑paralysis of muscles.

Thalamus

Brain structure involved in relaying sensory information and sleep processes; prominent in slow‑wave sleep.

Pons

Brainstem region important for REM sleep generation and features of REM sleep.

Manifest content

The actual content of a dream (Freud).

Latent content

The hidden meaning behind a dream (Freud).

Lucid dream

Dream in which the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming.

Inattentional blindness

Failing to notice unexpected objects when attention is engaged elsewhere.

Insomnia

Difficulty falling or staying asleep; common sleep disorder.

CBT (cognitive‑behavioral therapy)

Therapy focusing on changing thoughts and behaviors to treat insomnia.

Sleepwalking

Somnambulism; movement during slow‑wave sleep.

Sleep apnea

Breathing stops during sleep, disrupting sleep and causing fatigue.

CPAP

Continuous positive airway pressure device used to treat sleep apnea.

Narcolepsy

Irresistible sleep attacks, often with other features such as sudden sleep episodes.