States of Consciousness Review Guide

consciousness

our awareness of ourselves and our environment

biological rhythms

periodic physiological fluctuations

circadian rhythm

the biological clock. it involved regular body rhythms (ex: temperature & sleep) that occur on a 24-hour cycle

stage 1 of sleep

alpha waves; hypnagogic hallucinations; sleep talking; myoclonic jerk; slowdown of biological function (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, respiration) & a decrease in temperature

stage 2 of sleep

waves are slower (see some theta waves); sleep spindles; K-complexes; sleep talking; biological functions continue to slow

stage ¾ of sleep

deep sleep. all delta waves; bed wetting and sleepwalking are most likely. biological functions are at their lowest.

after stage 4, the sleeper moves back to stages 3, stage 2, and then into REM sleep

REM sleep

rapid eye movement; dreaming; erections in males; paralysis. also called “paradoxical sleep” because while the person is totally asleep, their biological function and brain waves appear more like a person who is awake

a full sleep-cycle takes about 90 minutes

as the cycle continues throughout the night, stage 4 sleep gets shorter and REM sleep gets longer

sleep waves

beta —> alpha —> theta —> delta

sleep theories

1. possibly certain chemicals depleted during the day are restored during sleep

2. pituitary gland is more active during deep sleep. so, sleep may be involved in the growth process (babies and young people spend more time in deep sleep than older people

3. evolutionary view: sleeping when it was dark kept us safe

Freudian theory

dreams help disguise unconscious conflicts and motives (sex itself is never dreamed of but rather is symbolized by the up and down motion of walking, flying, riding, dancing, etc)

manifest content

according to Freud, the remembered storyline of a dream

latent content

according to Freud, the underlying “meaning” of a dream

phallic symbols

represent male sexuality ex. tall buildings, poles, guns, swords, rockets

sex itself is never dreamed of but rather is symbolized by the up and down motion of walking, flying, riding, dancing, etc

yonic symbols

represent female sexuality ex. rooms, houses, tunnels, ships, boxes

sex itself is never dreamed of but rather is symbolized by the up and down motion of walking, flying, riding, dancing, etc

activation-synthesis theory

dreams spring from the mind’s relentless effort to make sense of random visual bursts of electrical activity which originate in the brainstem and are given their emotional tone as they pass through the limbic system

information processing theory

the parts of the brain active when we learn something are similarly active later when we sleep and dream

cognitive development theory

periodic stimulation during dreaming helps form neural connections. especially important in infants

physiological function theory

neural activity during REM sleep provides periodic stimulation of the brain. dreams are purely physical neural firings - no meaning behind them

REM rebound

if we don’t get enough sleep, the tendency for REM sleep increases following a period of REM deprivation

eric fromm

1. dreams solve problems for us (we come up with solutions to daily problems in the dream experience)

2. dreams give you experience or practice at doing something new or anxiety provoking

   1. example: dreams about taking a test, having an interview, attending a funeral, etc.

   2. repeating dreams - a problem you keep trying to solve. you will continue to have this dream until the problem is solved

insomnia

recurring problems in falling or staying alseep

narcolepsy

disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. the sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep at inopportnune time

sleep apnea

disorder characterized by temporary cessation of breathing during sleep and momentary awakenings throughout the night

night terror

disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified. unlike nightmares, these occur during deep stage sleep and are typically not remembered

somnambulism (sleepwalking)

person gets up and walks while they are in deep sleep