Exploring Psychology - Chapter 3: Consciousness and the Two-Track Mind

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from lecture materials on consciousness, attention, sleep stages, sleep disorders, and psychoactive substances.

Consciousness

The awareness of everything going on inside and outside of oneself.

Conscious Mind

The processing track of the mind that functions sequentially, handling information one track at a time.

Unconscious Mind

The processing track of the mind that operates simultaneously across multiple parallel tracks.

Cognitive Neuroscience

An interdisciplinary field that explores and maps conscious cortex function and suggests that consciousness arises from synchronized brain activity.

fMRI Neural Decoding

A neuroimaging approach used to map mental tasks—such as tennis imagery versus spatial navigation imagery—to decode brain activity in non-responsive patients.

Selective Attention

The focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus while the unconscious mind processes remaining stimuli.

Cocktail Party Effect

A phenomenon of selective attention involving the ability to focus auditory attention on a single voice among a noisy environment.

Inattentional Blindness

A type of selective inattention characterized by failing to see visible objects when attention is directed elsewhere.

Change Blindness

A type of selective inattention characterized by failing to notice changes in the surrounding environment.

Blindsight

A condition in which a person with visual impairment can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing or seeing it.

Driving Distraction Effect

The reduction of brain activity allocated to driving by an average of $37\%$ when conversation occurs.

Circadian Rhythm

The natural, internal $24\text{-hour}$ bodily rhythm that regulates wakefulness and sleep.

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

A pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that functions as an internal clock signaling the body to wake up or fall asleep.

Beta Waves

Smaller and faster brain waves characteristic of being wide awake and mentally active.

Alpha Waves

Relatively slow and large brain waves characteristic of a relaxed or drowsy awake state.

Theta Waves

Larger and slower brain waves that signal entry into light sleep.

Delta Waves

The largest and slowest brain waves, characteristic of the deepest stage of sleep.

Sleep Waveforms (EEG)

Electroencephalogram tracings illustrating distinct brain wave patterns associated with waking beta, waking alpha, NREM-1, NREM-2, NREM-3, and REM sleep stages.

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep

A recurring sleep stage characterized by rapid eye movement under eyelids, bodily immobility, $90\%$ of dreaming, and an EEG pattern similar to wakefulness (paradoxical sleep).

REM Rebound

The tendency for REM sleep duration to increase following a period of REM sleep deprivation.

Somnambulism

A sleep disorder commonly referred to as sleepwalking that involves moving or performing actions while asleep.

Sleep Apnea

A sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings.

Insomnia

A sleep disorder characterized by persistent difficulty in falling or staying asleep.

Narcolepsy

A sleep disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable sleep attacks.

Manifest Content

According to Sigmund Freud, the remembered storyline and surface imagery of a dream.

Latent Content

According to Sigmund Freud, the underlying, hidden, or symbolic psychological meaning of a dream.

Psychoactive Drugs

Chemical substances that alter thinking, perception, mood, and memory.

Physical Dependence

A biological state of drug necessity marked by tolerance, physical withdrawal symptoms, dopamine involvement, and negative reinforcement.

Psychological Dependence

The cognitive or emotional feeling that a drug is needed to satisfy psychological needs, driven by positive reinforcement.

Substance Use Disorder Severity Indicators

Diagnostic threshold criteria categorized as mild ($2$ to $3$ indicators), moderate ($4$ to $5$ indicators), or severe ($6$ or more indicators).

Stimulants

A category of psychoactive drugs that increase the activity of the nervous system, including amphetamines, cocaine, crack, nicotine, and caffeine.

Depressants

A category of psychoactive drugs that decrease the functioning of the nervous system, including barbiturates, benzodiazepines, alcohol, and opioids.

Ethanol

The active psychoactive element in alcohol that stops GABA from inhibiting dopamine, impairing judgment, inhibition, speech, memory, and motor skills.

Alcohol Use Disorder Brain Scan

Comparative MRI scans demonstrating brain tissue shrinkage in individuals with alcohol use disorder compared to control subjects.

Narcotics

A class of opium-related depressant drugs that suppress pain perception and mimic natural endorphins, including opium, morphine, heroin, and methadone.

Hallucinogens

A category of psychoactive drugs that alter perception, cause false sensory messages, and distort reality, including LSD, PCP, MDMA, and marijuana.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

The active psychoactive chemical found in cannabis (hemp plant) that produces hallucinogenic, depressant, and stimulant effects.