Mastering the World of Psychology Chapter 4

consciousness

everything of which we are aware at any given time-our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions of the external environment

altered states of consciousness

change in awareness produced by sleep, medication, hypnosis, or drugs

circadian rhythms

within each 24-hour period, the regular fluctuation from high to low points of certain bodily functions and behaviors

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

a pair of tiny structures in the brain's hypothalamus that control the timing of circadian rhythms; a biological clock

subjective night

the time during a 24-hour period when the biological clock is telling a person to go to sleep

restorative theory of sleep

the theory that the function of sleep is to restore body and mind

circadian theory of sleep

the theory that the function of sleep evolved to keep humans out of harm's way during the night; also known as the evolutionary or adaptive theory

sleep cycle

a period of sleep lasting about 90 minutes and including one or more stages of NREM sleep, followed by REM sleep

NREM (non-REM) sleep

four sleep stages characterized y slow, regular respiration and heart rate, little body movement, and blood pressure and brain activity that are at their 24-hour low points

alpha waves

the brain wave pattern associated with deep relaxation

beta waves

the brain wave pattern associated with mental activity

sleep spindles

sleep stage 2 brain waves that feature short periods of calm interrupted by brief flashes of intense activity

slow-wave sleep

deep sleep; associated with stage 3 and stage 4 sleep

stage 4 sleep

the deepest stage of NREM sleep, characterized by an EEG pattern of more than 50% delta waves

REM (rapid eye movement) sleep

a type of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements, paralysis, fast and irregular heart and respiration rates, increased brain-wave activity and vivid dreams

REM rebound

the increased amount of REM sleep that occurs after REM deprivation

parasomnias

sleep disturbances in which behaviors and physiological states that normally take place only in the waking state occur while a person is sleeping

why weren't people using the unconscious study?

Behaviorism

dyssomnias

sleep disorders in which the timing, quality of sleep is impaired

narcolepsy

an incurable sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and uncontrollable attacks of REM sleep

sleep apnea

a sleep disorder characterized by periods during sleep when breathing stops and the individual must awaked briefly in order to breathe

insomnia

a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep, by waking too early, or by sleep that is light, restless, or of poor quality

REM dream

a type of dream occurring almost continuously during each REM period and having a story-like quality; typically more vivid, visual, and emotional than NREM dreams

NREM

a type of dream occurring during NREM sleep that is typically less frequent and less memorable than REM dreams are

lucid dream

a dream that an individual is aware of dreaming and whose content the individual is often able to influence while the dream is in progress

manifest content

Freud's term for the content of a dream as recalled by the dreamer

latent content

Freud's term for the underlying meaning of a dream

cognitive theory of dreaming

the view that dreaming in thinking while asleep

activation-synthesis hypothesis of dreaming

the hypothesis that dreams are the brain's attempt to make sense of the random firing of brain cells during REM sleep

evolutionary theory of dreaming

the view that vivid REM dreams enable people to rehearse the skills needed to fend off threats and predators

meditation

a group of techniques that involve focusing attention on an object, a word, one's breathing, or one's body movements in an effort to block out all distractions, to enhance well-being, and to achieve an altered state of consciousness

hypnosis

a procedure through which one person, the hypnotist, uses the power of suggestion to induce changes in thoughts, feelings, sensations, perceptions, or behavior in another person, the subject

sociocognitive theory of hypnosis

a theory suggesting that the behavior of a hypnotized person is a function of that person's expectations about how subjects behave under hypnosis

neodissociation theory of hypnosis

a theory proposing that hypnosis induces a split, or dissociation, between two aspects of the control of consciousness: the planning function and the monitoring function

theory of dissociated control

the theory that hypnosis weakens the control that the executive function exerts over other subsystems of consciousness

psychoactive drug

any substance that alters mood, perception, or thought; called a controlled substance if approved for medical use

substance abuse

continued use of a substance after several episodes in which use of the substance has negatively affected an individual's work, education, and social relationships

physical drug dependence

a compulsive pattern of drug use in which the user develops a drug tolerance coupled with unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug use is discontinued

drug tolerance

a condition in which the use becomes progressively less affected by the drug and must take increasingly larger doses to maintain the same effect or high

withdrawal symptoms

the physical and psychological symptoms that occur when a regularly used drug is discontinued and that terminate when the drug is taken again

psychological drug dependence

a craving or irresistible urge for a drug's pleasurable effects

stimulants

a category of drugs that speed up activity in the central nervous system, suppress appetite, and can cause a person to feel more awake, alert, and energetic; also called "uppers"

depressants

a category of drugs that decrease activity in the central nervous system, slow down bodily functions, and reduce sensitivity to outside stimulation; also called "downers"

narcotics

a class of depressant drugs derived from the opium poppy that produce both pain relieving and calming effects

hallucinogens

a category of drugs that can alter and distort perceptions of time and space, alter mood, produce feelings of unreality, and cause hallucinations; also called psychedelics.