Open Stax Psychology Chapter 4

Consciousness

Awareness of internal and external stimuli

Sleep

State marked by relatively low levels of physical activity and reduced sensory awareness that is distinct from periods of rest that occur during wakefulness

Wakefulness

characterized by high levels of sensory awareness, thought, and behavior

Circadian Rhythm

biological rhythm that occurs over approximately 24 hours

Homeostatis

tendency to maintain a balance, or optimal level, within a biological system

Melatonin

hormone secreted by the endocrine gland that serves as an important regulator of the sleep-wake cycle

Sleep regulation

brain's control of switching between sleep and wakefulness as well as coordinating this cycle with the outside world

Jet lag

collection of symptons brought on by travel from one time zone to another that results from the mismatch between our intermal circadian rhythm and our environment

Insomnia

consistent difficulty in falling or staying asleep for at least three nights a week over a month's time

Sleep rebound

sleep-deprived individuals will experience longer sleep latencies durinig a subsequent opportunities for sleep

Evolutionary psychology

This theory of why we sleep, from a specific perpsective that focuses on how universal patterns of behavior and cognitive processes have evolved over time because of natural selection, is that sleep is essential to recharge expended resources and energy, or that we origninally slept as a way to stay out of the dark and way from predators.

Cognitive benefits

Sleep has been shown to increase capacities for creative thinking, language learning, and interferial judgements.

NREM sleep

period of sleep outside periods of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

REM sleep

period of sleep characterized by brain waves very similiar to those during wakefulness and by darting movements of the eyes under closed lids

Dreams

A series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep

Manifest content

storyline of events that occur during a dream, per Sigmund Freud's view of the function of dreams

Latent content

hidden meaning of a dream, per Sigmund Freud's view of the function of dreams

Lucid dream

People become aware that they are dreaming and can control the dream's event

Sleepwalking

Known as somnambulism, this is a sleep disorder in which the sleeper enages in relatively complex behaviors

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)

sleep disorder in which the muscle paralysis associated with the REM sleep phase does not occur; sleepers have high levels of physical activity during REM sleep, especially during disturbing dreams

Collective unconscious

theoretical respitory of information shared by all people across cultures, as described by Carl Jung

Restless leg syndrome

sleep disorder in which the sufferer has uncomfortable sensations in the legs when trying to fall asleep that are relieved by moving the legs

Night terror

sleep disorder in which the sleeper experiences a sense of panic and may scream or attempt to escape from the immediate environment

Sleep apnea

sleep disorder defined by episodes during which breathing stops during sleep

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

infant (one year old or younger) with no apparent medical condition suddenly dies during sleep

Narcolespy

sleep disorder in which the sufferer cannot resist falling to sleep at inopportune times

Hypnosis

state of extreme self-focus and attention in which minimal attention is given to external stimuli

Meditation

clearing the mind in order to achieve a state of relaxed awareness and focus