Consciousness 1 - Sleep

Question 1

What is consciousness?

Answer 1

the awareness of internal/external stimuli

Question 2

What are the four properties of consciousness?

Answer 2

intentional - always doing something
unity - takes info from all senses
selective - chooses what info to include
transient - has a tendency to change

Question 3

What biological systems are involved in regulating our states of consciousness?

Answer 3

• endocrine system releases hormones through blood
• hypothalamus communicates with both nervous system and endocrine

Question 4

What biological systems are involved in sleep?

Answer 4

suprachiasmatic nucleus - receives light, sends to pineal gland to release melatonin
circadian rhythms - sleep/wake cycle

Question 5

What is the function of sleep?

Answer 5

brings us back into physiological balance
- restores resources, healthy functioning, memory and learning

Question 6

What is sleep rebound?

Answer 6

lack of sleep causes person to oversleep

Question 7

What is sleep debt?

Answer 7

chronically under-sleeping has negative effects

Question 8

What are the EEG patterns and functions associated with the first stage of sleep?

Answer 8

• alpha waves
• easy to wake someone
• near the end, alpha waves become synchronized and become theta waves

Question 9

What are the EEG patterns and functions associated with the second stage of sleep?

Answer 9

• theta waves
• sleep spindles that are associated with learning/memory
• K-complexes: should I wake up?

Question 10

What are the EEG patterns and functions associated with the third stage of sleep?

Answer 10

• delta waves
• if alpha, poor sleep quality

Question 11

What are the EEG patterns and functions associated with the fourth stage of sleep?

Answer 11

• REM sleep: high brain activity and frequency
• learning and memory (has been contested)

Question 12

When and why do we dream?

Answer 12

• 80% of dreaming is during REM, some in stage 3
• dreams are our subconscious response to the external world