chapter 6 Flashcards
a neurotrasmitter that often creates an excitatory effect in the rbain
acetylcholine
a hypothesis about dreaming that suggests that dreams do not serve a purpose, but rather are the consequence of other processes that occur during sleep
activation-synthesis hypothesis
occurs when attentional priorities are set by the top down goals of an individual
active attention
a neurotransmitter that often creates an inhibitory effect in the brain
adenosine
brain waves that appear on an EEG when a person is relaxed
alpha waves
the process of selecting information from the internal and external environements to prioritize for processing
attention
occurs when attention is diverted because of the salience of a stimulus
attention capture
refers to fast, effortless processing of information without conscious thought
automatically
a group of drugs that cause sedation and induce sleep, historically prescribed for anxiety disorders
barbiturates
a group of drugs primarily used for treating anxiety. These drugs are known for being fast acting and also highly addictive
benzodiazepines
brain waves that appear on an EEG when a person is alert and actively processing information. They also appear during REM sleep. (RAPID EYE MOVEMENT SLEEP)
beta waves
internal clocks that prepare the body for daily, seasonal, and annual rhythms.
biological clocks
most commonly associated with narcolepsy, it is the experience of muscle weakness or muscular paralysis during the waking hours.
cataplexy
daily body clocks that tell the body when to sleep and wake
circadian rhythms
describes a situation associated with selective attention. At a party, a person can be engaged in a conversation and suppress/ignore all the information going on around them and attend to the conversation.
cocktail party effect
a form of insomnia that occurs when cues that are usually associated with falling asleep, like your bed, instead cause feelings of anxiety surrounding the inability to fall asleep.
conditioned insomnia
the subjective experiences of your internal and external world.
conscious content
brain waves that appear on an EEG when a person is deeply asleep. These waves occur during stages 3-4 (also known as slow wave sleep)
delta waves
occurs when an individual requires a drug to maintain normal functioning. Should the individual refrain from taking the drug, they will experience symptoms associated with withdrawal.
dependence
an attention task where one stream of information is presented to one ear, and a different message is played in the other ear. The participant is asked to attend to only one message. Later the participant is asked information about the unattended message.
dichotic listening
occurs when a person engaged in two or more tasks at once
divided attention
a neurotransmitter that has been implicated in the rewarding effects of some drugs
dopamine
the increased ability to tolerate a specific drug. This occurs after repeated ingestion of the substance. When this occurs, a larger dose of the drug is required to achieve the desired effects.
drug tolerance
a device that measures the sum of electrical activation across the surface of the cortex
EEG- electroencephalogram
a device used to measure muscle tension around the jaw
electromyogram
a device used to measure eye movements
electrooculogram
a hypothesis about dreaming that suggests that dreams have biological significance
evolutionary hypothesis of dreams
a rare genetic disorder affecting the thalamus, that causes individuals to die from lack of sleep
fatal familial insomnia
a change attention task used to study intentional change detection and inattentional blindness
flicker task
a neurotrasmitter that often created inhibitory effects in the nervous system
GABA
a neurotrasmitter that often created excitatory effects in the nervous system
glutamate
refers to the idea that the two hemispheres in your brain (right and left) have different function
hemispheric specilaization
a symptom of several different conditions and generally refers to excessive need for sleep or sleepiness in the daytime hours
hypersomnia
a graphic depiction of a person’s progress though the stages of sleep over the course of a night
hypnogram
vivid sensory hallucinations that occur right before waking
hypnopompic hallucinations
also known as child onset insomnia. It is a nerurological conditions resulting in the inability to sleep
idiopathic insomnia
refers to the tendency to miss changes to some kinds of information when your attention is engaged elsewhere
inattentional blindness
the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep
insomnia
an attention task that required the participant to actively search for a change made to the stimulus
intentional change detection
the phenomenon that occurs when you travel to a different time zone, and your body is out of sync with the time cues from the external world
jet lag
a pattern of neural excitation followed by neural inhibition occurring during stage 2 sleep
K-complexes
a rare genetic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by several symptoms, most notably a sudden and extreme need to sleep
narcolepsy
generally considered a disorder of slow wave sleep (SWS). these experiences consit of frantic, panicked screaming but often little or no memory of what caused the episode once the individual is roused
night terrors
occurs when attentional priorities are set by bottom up information from the environemnt
passive
directly influence the sensory systems and our interpretation of reality
psychedelic drugs
a state of sleep where narrative-based dreaming occurs. During this stage, EEG recordings become highly irregular, and the sleeping person’s eyes will move from side to side rapidly.
REM (rapid eye movement)
REM sleep atonia is the experience of temporary paralysis that occurs during REM sleep
REM sleep atonia
a neurodegenerative disorder that results in the inability of the brain to effectively paralyze the body during sleep
REM sleep behavior disorder
cues from the environment that set the biological clocks
zeitgebers
symptoms of distress, restlessness, and irritability associated with reduction or discontinuation of an addictive substance or behavior
withdrawal
brain waves that appear on an EEG when a person is in the earliest stages of sleep
theta waves
an experience where the senses seem to merge
synesthesia
the structure in the brain, next to the optic chiasm, that sets the circadian clock
suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
a sensory stimulus that is processed, but does not reach the threshold for conscious perception
subliminal stimulus
visual images that are presented too quickly for the brain to perceive in conscious awarness
subvisual awarness
refers to the idea that some stimuli in the environment capture attention by virtue of their physical properties
stimulus salience
auditory messages that are played too quietly or in such a way that the brain cannot consciously be aware of the content
subaudible messages
drug that increases the activity of the nervous system
stimulants
refer to the different levels of arousal and attention an individual can experience
states of consciousness
a type of surgery that cuts the connections between the two hemispheres of the brain
split brain
a medical condition where the patient stops breathing during the night/ Carbon dioxide builds up in the bloodstream, as a result the patient wakes up
sleep apnea
a series of behavioral practices that promote the ability to fall and stay asleep
sleep hygiene
brief bursts of activity that occur 2-5 times per minute during non-REM sleep
sleep spindles
a broader name for sleep occuring in stage 3-4. During this stage recordings on EEG show delta waves
slow wave sleep (SWS)
also known as sleepwalking, it is a disorder of slow wave sleep (SWS). During these episodes, people are not acting out dreams but rather are able to execute complicated behaviors, such as walking, cooking, and driving while unconscious.
somnambulism
a neurotrasmitter that is often implicated in mood, but also the organization of sensory informatoin.
serotonin
a form of attention that occurs when a person attends to some information while ignorning other information
selective attention
