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Selective attention

The process of focusing on a particular object in the environment for a certain period of time while ignoring others, such as paying attention to a single conversation in a noisy room.

Alpha waves

Brainwaves that occur during relaxed, calm, and reflective states, typically present when a person is awake but relaxed, like during meditation.

Cocktail-party effect

The ability to focus on a single conversation in a noisy environment, such as hearing your name mentioned across a crowded room.

Sleep spindles

Short bursts of brain activity that occur during NREM sleep, associated with memory consolidation and learning, showing high-frequency brain wave patterns.

Hallucinogens

Psychoactive substances that alter perception, mood, and cognitive processes, examples include LSD and psilocybin mushrooms.

REM sleep

Rapid Eye Movement sleep, a stage of sleep characterized by rapid movements of the eyes, increased brain activity, and vivid dreaming.

Narcolepsy

A neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks, often accompanied by cataplexy.

Sleep apnea

A sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts, leading to poor sleep quality and excessive daytime fatigue.

Night terrors

Episodes of extreme fear during sleep, typically occurring in childhood, where the child may scream or thrash around, occurring during deep NREM sleep.

Insomnia

A common sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early.

Latent content

The underlying meaning of a dream as theorized by Freud, representing the hidden desires and thoughts of the dreamer.

Hypnosis

A state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility, often used therapeutically to modify behaviors or alleviate pain.

Psychoactive drugs

Substances that affect the brain's function, leading to alterations in perception, mood, and behavior; examples include caffeine, alcohol, and opioids.

Manifest content

The actual storyline or images present in a dream, as opposed to the latent content, which represents the hidden meanings.

Circadian rhythm

The body's internal clock, regulating the sleep-wake cycle roughly every 24 hours, influenced by environmental cues like light.

Paradoxical sleep

Another term for REM sleep, where the brain is highly active, but the body's muscles are relaxed to the point of paralysis.

Effects of psychoactive drugs

Changes in mood, perception, cognition, and behavior caused by substances that alter the brain's chemical process, for example, antidepressants improve mood by increasing serotonin levels.