Sleep & Intelligence Vocab List

Consciousness

Awareness of ourselves and our environments.

Hypnosis

An induced altered state of consciousness that heightens a person's suggestibility without losing her or his sense of self or control.

Circadian Rhythms

24 hour cycle biological clock that regulates various bodily functions.

Jet Lag

A disruption to the circadian rhythm, causing tiredness and confusion because the body does not match the rhythms of local day and night.

Shift-work

A disruption to the circadian rhythm caused by work schedules that fall outside the normal 9am to 5pm pattern.

Melatonin

The 'sleep' hormone secreted in the bloodstream, increased by darkness to prepare the body for sleep.

EEG machine

A machine that monitors brain waves, indicating stages of sleep and checking for seizures.

Beta waves

Waves released while in an awakened state.

Alpha waves

Waves released that make you feel drowsy; you're still conscious but getting tired.

Theta waves

Waves released during light sleep.

Delta waves

Waves released during deep sleep.

Stage 1 sleep

The lightest sleep stage, producing theta waves, lasting 1-5 minutes.

Stage 2 sleep

Lasts around 20 minutes with continued theta wave production; the most time is spent in this stage.

Stage 3 sleep

Releases delta waves; the deepest level of sleep that restores body growth hormones and overall health.

Hypnagogic Sensations

Mind hallucinations, such as a feeling of falling or jerking.

REM sleep

Rapid Eye Movement sleep stage close to wakefulness where dreaming occurs, comprising 20% of sleep time.

Paradoxical sleep

Another name for REM sleep; characterized by darting eyes as dreaming commences.

REM rebound

Increased REM sleep following sleep deprivation, leading to more frequent and vivid dreams.

Activation-synthesis Theory

Biological explanation of dreaming as the brain's attempt to make sense of random electrical signals during REM sleep.

Consolidation Theory

The process that stabilizes temporary short-term memories into long-lasting long-term memories.

Insomnia

Persistent problems falling and staying asleep, affecting 1 in 5 adults, often stress-induced.

Narcolepsy

Characterized by excessive sleepiness with sudden sleep attacks at inappropriate times.

REM sleep behavior disorder

A condition where normal REM paralysis does not occur, causing individuals to act out their dreams.

Sleep apnea

A disorder where a person stops breathing during sleep for 10 seconds or longer.

Somnambulism

Sleepwalking that occurs during the first few hours of sleep, often linked to genetics or stress.

Psychoactive drugs

Chemicals that alter brain functions, classified into depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens.

Tolerance

The diminishing effect of a drug with regular use, requiring larger doses to achieve the same effect.

Addiction

Compulsive substance use that continues despite harmful consequences.

Withdrawal

The discomfort and distress following the discontinuation of an addictive drug or behavior.

Depressants

Drugs that calm neural activity and slow bodily functions.

Alcohol

A depressant that slows brain activity controlling judgment, increases harmful tendencies, and disrupts memory.

Opioids

Depressants that lower neural activity and temporarily reduce pain and anxiety.

Stimulants

Drugs that excite neural activity and speed up bodily functions.

Caffeine

A widely consumed stimulant and psychoactive substance.

Cocaine

An addictive stimulant that produces euphoria by depleting neurotransmitters in the brain.

Hallucinogens

Drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images without sensory input.

Marijuana

Contains THC; can be consumed or inhaled and produces a mix of effects that impair motor coordination and memory.

Heroin

A potent illegal opioid synthesized from morphine, classified as a high-risk substance due to potential for dependence.

Intelligence

The ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.

General Intelligence (G Factor)

Overall performance on mental ability tests; underlies all mental abilities and is measured by every task on an intelligence test.

Origins of intelligence tests

Began in the 1800s when France passed a law requiring all children to go to school.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

Mental age / chronological age x 100.

Mental Age

A measure of an individual's cognitive and emotional maturity.

Chronological Age

The exact amount of time that has passed from a person's birth date to the present moment.

Standardization

The process of defining meaningful scores relative to a pretested group to evaluate performance on an intelligence test.

Validity

The extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure.

Construct Validity

How much a test measures a concept or trait; for example, tests for self-esteem have constructive validity because they assess self-feelings.

Predictive Validity

The success with which a test predicts the criterion it is designed to predict.

Reliability

Refers to consistency; a person's score on a test at one point in time should be similar to the score obtained on a similar test later.

Test-retest reliability

A method to check reliability by having someone perform a test again to see if they achieve a similar score.

Split-half reliability

A technique where a test is split in half and both ends are compared to evaluate reliability.

Stereotype Threat

A self-confirming concern that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype, such as women on math tests.

Stereotype Lift

When confidence in one's group performing well improves performance, influenced by positive stereotypes.

Flynn Effect

The observed rise in average IQ scores in each successive generation.

Achievement Tests

Tests intended to reflect what you've learned (current performance).

Aptitude Test

Tests intended to predict your ability to learn a new skill.

Fixed Mindset

The belief that intelligence, abilities, and talents are unchangeable even with effort.

Growth Mindset

A belief that focuses on learning and growing rather than viewing abilities as fixed.

Psychometric

The measurement of psychological attributes such as intelligence, personality traits, attitudes, and abilities.

Fluid Intelligence

The ability to solve problems quickly and think abstractly, which decreases slowly with age.

Crystallized Intelligence

Accumulated knowledge over a lifetime, which typically increases with age.

Factor Analysis

A statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items on a test to uncover different dimensions of performance underlying a person's total score.

Systematic Issues with Intelligence Assessments

IQ scores tend to vary more within a group than between groups, and the large gap between rich and poor creates inequalities.