Chapter 6: Conscious Flashcards
activation-synthesis model
theory that dreams result from the brain’s attempts to synthesize or organize random internally generated signals and give them meaning.
adaptive theory of sleep
theory that organisms sleep for the purpose of self-preservation, to keep away from predators that are more active at night.
addiction
psychological or physical compulsion to take a drug, resulting from regular ingestion and leading to maladaptive patterns of behaviour and changes in physical response.
alcoholism
long-term pattern of alcohol addiction.
circadian rhythm
pattern of sleep-wake cycles that in human beings roughly corresponds to periods of daylight and night.
consciousness
our immediate awareness of our internal and external states.
depressants
class of drugs that slow the activity of the central nervous system.
dissociation
a splitting of consciousness into two dimensions.
flashbacks
recurrence of the sensory and emotional changes after the LSD has left the body.
hallucinogens
substances that dramatically change one’s state of awareness, causing powerful changes in sensory perception.
hypnagogic state
a pre-sleep period often characterized by vivid sensory phenomena.
hypnosis
a seemingly altered state of consciousness during which individuals can be directed to act or experience the world in unusual ways.
information-processing theory
hypothesis that dreams are the mind’s attempt to sort out and organize the day’s experiences and to fix them in memory.
insomnia
sleep disorder characterized by a regular inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.
lucid dreams
dreams in which sleepers fully recognize that they are dreaming, and occasionally actively guide the outcome of the dream.
meditation
technique designed to turn one’s consciousness away from the outer world toward one’s inner cues and awareness.
narcolepsy
sleep disorder marked by uncontrollable urge to fall asleep.
non-REM sleep (NREM)
Stages 1 through 4 of normal sleep pattern.
opioids
class of drugs derived from the sap of the opium poppy.
preconsciousness
level of awareness in which information can become readily available to consciousness if necessary.
psychoactive drugs
chemicals that affect awareness, behaviour, sensation, perception, or mood.
rapid eye movement sleep (REM)
stage of sleep associated with rapid and jagged brainwave patterns, increased heart rate, rapid and irregular breathing, rapid eye movements, and dreaming.
restorative theory of sleep
theory that we sleep to allow the brain and body to restore certain depleted chemical resources and eliminate chemical wastes that have accumulated during the waking day.