Chapter 4 - States of Consciousness Flashcards
arousal
physiological state of being engaged with the environment
higher-level awareness
controlled processing, actively focused, most alert state of consciousness (ex: doing a math or science problem, preparing for a debate, taking an at-bat in a baseball game)
lower-level awareness
automatic processing that requires little attention, daydreaming (ex: gazing at a sunset, typing on a keyboard)
subconscious awareness
can occur when people are awake, as well as when they are sleeping and dreaming (ex: sleeping and dreaming)
altered state
produced by drugs, trauma, fatigue, possibly hypnosis, and sensory deprivation (ex: feeling the effects of having taken alcohol or drugs)
no awareness
Freud’s belief that some unconscious thoughts are too laden with anxiety and other negative emotions for consciousness to admit them (ex: being knocked out)
reticular activating system
brain stem, medulla, and thalamus determines wakefulness
reticular formation
arousal
theory of mind
understanding that other people think and have private experiences
biological rhythm
an internal cycle of biological activity including:
* fluctation of body temperature
* an individual’s menstrual cycle
* levels of alertness
circadian rhythm
biological rhythm that occurs over approximately 24 hours
* generated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
* the sleep-wake cycle, one of our main circadian rhythms is linked to our environments natural light-dark cycle
* annual or seasonal, biological clocks, take in light through retina
hypothalamus maintains ________
homeostasis
jet lag
symptoms resulting from the mismatch between our internal circadian cycles and our environment
* fatigue, sluggishness, irritability, and insomnia
sleep regulation
the brain’s control of switching between sleep and wakefulness as well as coordinating this cycle with the outside world
stage 1
transitional phase occurring between wakefulness and sleep, rates of respiration and heartbeat slow down, overall muscle tension and core body temperature decrease, alpha waves
stage 2
the body goes into deep relaxation, theta waves, characterized by the appearance of both sleep spindles and k-complexes
stage 3 and 4
delta waves, deepest stage of sleep, respiration and heart rate slow down further
REM (rapid eye movement)
paralysis of voluntary muscles, dreams, brain waves are similar to those seen during wakefulness, happens in stage 1
sleep spindles
rapid burst of high frequency brainwaves
k-complexes
very high amplitude pattern of brain activity
brainwaves
alpha - relatively low frequency, relatively high amplitude, synchronized
theta - low frequency, low amplitude
delta - low frequency, high amplitude, desynchronized
sleep debt
result of insufficient sleep on a chronic basis
sleep rebound
a sleep-deprived individual will tend to take a shorter time to fall asleep
why do we sleep?
adaptive function - restoring resources
cognitive function - memory formation
benefits of sleep - maintaining a healthy weight, lowering stress level, improving mood
hypnosis
extreme focus on the self that involves suggested changes of behavior and experience - divided state of consciousness, one component follows commands and other is a hidden observer
meditation
focused attention, open monitoring
