Chapter 4 Consciousness Flashcards
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Consciousness
a person’s awareness of everything that is going on around him or her at any given time.
Waking consciousness
state in which thoughts, feelings, and sensations are clear and organized and the person feels alert
Altered state of consciousness
state in which there is a shift in the quality or pattern of mental activity as compared to waking consciousness.
Circadian rhythm
a cycle of bodily rhythm that occurs over a 24-hour period
Microsleeps
brief sidesteps into sleep lasting only a few seconds
Adaptive theory
theory of sleep proposing that animals and humans evolved sleep patterns to avoid predators by sleeping when they’re most active
Restorative theory
theory of sleep proposing that sleep is necessary to the physical health of the body and serves to replenish chemicals and repair cellular damage.
Sleep deprivation
any significant loss of sleep, resulting in problems in concentration and irritability.
Rapid eye movement sleep (REM)
stage of sleep in which the eyes move rapidly under the eyelids and the person is typically experiencing a dream. Voluntary muscles are inhibited so there little or no movement
Non-REM (NREM) sleep
any of the stages of sleep that do not include REM. Muscles not inhibited so person can move around. Goes from lighter stages to a deep restful stage.
Beta waves
smaller and faster brain waves, typically indicating mental activity.
Alpha waves
brain waves that indicate a state of relaxation or light sleep.
Theta waves
brain waves indicating the early stages of sleep.
Delta waves
long, slow brain waves that indicate the deepest stage of sleep.
Sleep paralysis
the inability of the voluntary muscles to move during REM sleep.
REM behavior disorder (RBD)
a rare disorder in which the mechanism that blocks the movement of the voluntary muscles fails, allowing the person to thrash around and even get up and act out nightmares.
REM rebound
increased amounts of REM sleep after being deprived of REM sleep on earlier nights.
Nightmares
bad dreams occuring during REM sleep.
Night terrors
relatively rare disorder in which the person experiences extreme fear and screams or runs around during deep sleep without waking fully.
Dissociation
divided state of conscious awareness
Psychoactive drugs
chemical substances that alter thinking, perception, and memory.