Chapter 4: Consciousness: Sleep, Dreams, Hypnosis, and Drugs Flashcards
consciousness
a person’s awareness of everything that is going on around him or her at any given moment.
waking consciousness
the state in which thoughts, feelings, and sensations are clear, organized, and the person feels alert
altered state of consciousness
the state in which there is a shift in the quality or pattern of mental activity as compared to waking consciousness
circadium rhythm
a cycle of bodily rhythm that occurs over a 24-hour period
hypothalamus
tiny section of the brain that influences the glandular system
* suprachiasmatic nucleus – deep within the hypothalamus; the internal clock that tells people when to wake up and when to fall asleep
microsleeps
brief sidesteps into sleep lasting only a few seconds
sleep deprivation
any significant loss of sleep, resulting in problems in concentration and irritability
adaptive theory
theory of sleep proposing that animals and humans evolved sleep patterns to avoid predators by sleeping when predators are 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
electroencephalograph (EEG)
(brain wave patterns)
allows scientists to see the brain wave activity as a person passes through the various stages of sleep **and to determine what type of sleep the person has entered **
rapid eye movement (REM)
(stages of sleep)
stage of sleep in which the eyes move rapidly under the eyelids and the person is typically experiencing a dream
* paradoxical sleep (high level of brain activity)
NREM (non-REM) sleep
(stages of sleep)
any of the stages of sleep that do not include REM
stages of NREM (non-REM) sleep
stage 1 - light sleep
* may experience hypnagogic images (vivid visual events) and hypnic jerk (knees, legs, or whole body jerks)
stage 2 - sleep spindless
* brief bursts of activity only lasting a second or two
stage 3 and 4 - delta waves pronounced
* deep sleep – when 50%+ of waves are delta waves
REM rebound
increased amounts of REM sleep after being deprived of REM sleep on earlier nights
REM behavior disorder
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
sleepwalking (somnambulism)
occurring during deep sleep, an episode of moving around or walking around in one’s sleep
night terrors
relatively rare disorder in which the person experiences extreme fear and screams or runs around during deep sleep without waking fully
nightmares
bad dreams occurring during REM sleep
insomnia
the inability to get to sleep, stay asleep, or get a good quality of sleep.
sleep apnea
disorder in which the person stops breathing for nearly half a minute or more
narcolepsy
sleep disorder in which a person falls immediately into REM sleep during the day without warning
* cataplexy - sudden loss of muscle tone
freud
(dreams)
dreams as wish fufillment
* manifest content - the actual dream itself
* latent content - the true, hidden meaning of a dream
activation-synthesis hypothesis
(dreams)
explanation that states that dreams are created by the higher centers of the cortex to explain the activation by the brain stem of cortical cells during REM sleep periods
activation-information-mode model (AIM)
(dreams)
revised version of the activation-synthesis explanation of dreams in which information that is accessed during waking hours can have an influence on the synthesis of dreams
hypnosis
state of consciousness in which the person is especially susceptible to suggestion
4 elements of hypnosis
- The hypnotist tells the person to focus on what is being said.
- The person is told to relax and feel tired.
- The hypnotist tells the person to “let go” and accept suggestions easily.
- The person is told to use vivid imagination.
hypnosis as dissociation (theory)
hypnosis works only in a person’s immediate consciousness, while a hidden “observer” remained aware of all that was going on
social-cognitive theory of hypnosis
theory that assumes that people who are hypnotized are not in an altered state but are merely playing the role expected of them in the situation
psychoactive drugs
drugs that alter thinking, perception, and memory
tolerance
more and more of the drug is needed to achieve the same effect
withdrawal
physical symptoms that can include nausea, pain, tremors, crankiness, and high blood pressure, resulting from a lack of an addictive drug in the body systems
psychological dependence
the feeling that a drug is needed to continue a feeling of emotional or psychological well-being
stimulants
drugs that increase the functioning of the nervous system
amphetamines
(stimulant)
drugs that are synthesized (made in labs) rather than found in nature
cocaine
(stimulant)
natural drug
* produces euphoria, energy, power, and pleasure
nicotine
(stimulant)
active ingredient in tobacco
caffeine
(stimulant)
the stimulant found in coffee, tea, most sodas, chocolate, and even many over-the-counter drugs
depressants
drugs that decrease the functioning of the nervous system
barbituates
(depressants)
depressant drugs that have a sedative effect
benzodiazepines
(depressants)
drugs that lower anxiety and reduce stress
alcohol
the chemical resulting from fermentation or distillation of various kinds of vegetable matter
* often confused as a stimulant but actually a depressant on CNS
narcotics
a class of opium-related drugs that suppress the sensation of pain by binding to and stimulating the nervous system’s natural receptor sites for endorphins
opium
(narcotics)
substance derived from the opium poppy from which all narcotic drugs are derived.
morphine
narcotic drug derived from opium, used to treat severe pain
(narcotics)
heroin
(narcotics)
narcotic drug derived from opium that is extremely addictive
psychogenic drugs
drugs including hallucinogens and marijuana that produce hallucinations or increased feelings of relaxation and intoxication
hallucinogens
drugs that cause false sensory messages, altering the perception of reality
lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
powerful synthetic hallucinogen
PCP
synthesized drug now used as an animal tranquilizer that can cause stimulant, depressant, narcotic, or hallucinogenic effects
MDMA (ecstasy or X)
designer drug that can have both stimulant and hallucinatory effects
stimulatory hallucinogenics
drugs that produce a mixture of psychomotor stimulant and hallucinogenic effects
mescaline
natural hallucinogen derived from the peyote cactus buttons
marijuana (pot or weed)
mild hallucinogen derived from the leaves and flowers of a particular type of hemp plant
