Chapter 7 Flashcards
Biological Rhythms
Periodic psychological fluctuations
Consciousness
Our awareness of ourselves and our environment
Circadian Rhythm
The biological clock; regularly body rhythms that occur on a 24 hour cycle (jet lag may disrupt this)
REM Sleep
Rapid Eye Movement sleep, a recurring stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur (AKA paradoxical sleep)
Alpha Waves
The relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state
Sleep
Periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness
Hallucinations
False sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus
Delta Waves
The large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep
Insomnia
Recurring problems in falling or staying asleep
Narcolepsy
A sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks (may lapse directly into REM sleep)
Sleep Apnea
A sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep
Night Terrors
A sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified (Occur during Stage 4 Sleep)
Dream
A sequence of images, emotions and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind
Manifest Content
The remembered storyline of a dream
Latent Content
The underlying meaning of a dream
Information Processing
Dreams may help sift and sort your day’s problems
Activation Sythesis
Suggests that the brain engages in a lot of random neural activity (dreams make sense of this activity)
Cognitive Development
Some researchers argue that we dream as a part of the brain maturation and cognitive development
REM Rebound
The tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation (created by repeated awakenings during REM sleep)
Hypnosis
A social interaction in which one person suggests to another person that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts or behaviors will spontaneously occur
Posthypnotic Suggestion
A suggestion made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no long hypnotized
Dissociation
A split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others
Psychoactive Drug
A chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods
Tolerance
The diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger doses before experiencing the drug’s effect
Withdrawl
The dido fort taped distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug
Physical Dependence
A psychological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued
Psychological Dependence
A psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emotions
Addiction
Compulsive drug craving and use
Depressants
Drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions
Barbiturates
Drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgement
Opiates
Opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroine; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety
Stimulants
Drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine and the mor powerful amphetamines cocaine and ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions
Amphetamines
Drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes
Methamphetamines
A powerful, addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system,mouth speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes; overtime, appears to reduce baseline dopamine
Ecstasy (MDMA)
A synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and long-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition
Hallucinogens
Psychedelic (mind-manifesting) drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input
LSD
A powerful hallucinogen drug; also known as acid
THC
The major active ingredient in marijuana, triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations
Near-Death Experience
An altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death (such as through cardiac arrest) often similar to drug-induces hallucinations
Dualism
The presumption that mind and body are two distinct entities that interact
Monism
The presumption that mind and body are separate aspects of the same thing
