Open Stax Psychology Chapter 4

Awareness of internal and external stimuli

Consciousness

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

Sleep

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

Wakefulness

biological rhythm that occurs over approximately 24 hours

Circadian Rhythm

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

Homeostatis

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

Melatonin

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

Sleep regulation

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

Jet lag

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

Insomnia

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

Sleep rebound

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.

Evolutionary psychology

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

Cognitive benefits

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

NREM sleep

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

REM sleep

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

Dreams

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

Manifest content

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

Latent content

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

Lucid dream

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

Sleepwalking

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

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)

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

Collective unconscious

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

Restless leg syndrome

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

Night terror

sleep disorder defined by episodes during which breathing stops during sleep

Sleep apnea

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

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

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

Narcolespy

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

Hypnosis

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

Meditation