Chapter 14 Flashcards
first-night phenomenon
the disturbance of sleep observed during the first night in a sleep laboratory
K complex
a single large negative wave (upward deflection)
sleep spindle
a single large positive wave (downward deflection)
delta waves
the largest and slowest EEG waves
initial stage 1 EEG
the period of the stage 1 EEG that occurs at the onset of sleep; it is not associated with REM
emergent stage 1 EEG
all periods of stage 1 sleep EEG except initial stage 1; each is associated with REMs
REM sleep
the stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements, loss of core muscle tone, and emergent stage 1 EEG
NREM sleep
non-REM sleep; all stages of sleep that aren’t REM sleep
slow-wave sleep
stages 3 and 4 of sleep, which are characterized by the largest and slowest EEG waves
somnambulism
sleep walking
activation-synthesis theory
the theory that dream content reflects the cerebral cortex’s inherent tendency to make sense of, and give form to, the random signals it receives from the brain stem during REM sleep
recuperation theories of sleep
theories based on the premise that being awake disturbs the body’s homeostasis and the function of sleep is to restore it
adaptation theories of sleep
theories of sleep based on the premis that sleep evolved to protect organisms from predation and accidents and to conserve their energy, rather than to fulfill some particular physiological need
executive function
a collection of cognitive abilities (e.g., planning, insightful thinking, and reference memory) that appear to depend on the prefrontal cortex
microsleeps
brief periods of sleep that occur in sleep-deprived subjects while they remain sitting or standing
carousel apparatus
an apparatus used to study the effects of sleep deprivation in laboratory rats
yoked control
the rat in the control condition when doing sleep deprivation tests with a carousel apparatus
default theory
theory that says it is difficult to stay continuously in NREM sleep, so the brain periodically switches to either wakefulness or REM sleep
circadian rhythms
diurnal (daily) cycles of body functions
nocturnal animals
animals that sleep for much of the day and stay awake at night
entrain
control the timing of
zeitgebers
environmental cues, such as the light-dark cycle, that entrain circadian rhythms
free-running rhythms
circadian rhtthms that do not depend on environmental cues to keep them on a regular schedule
free-running period
the duration of one cycle of a free-running rhythm