Psych Ch3 Flashcards
Consciousness
The combination of your subjective experience of the external world and your internal mental activity, both of which result from brain activity.
Conscious
A level of consciousness that reflects awareness of the external world and inner mental activity
Unconscious
A level of consciousness that reflects a lack of awareness of the external world and inner mental activity.
Normal waking state of consciousness
A state of consciousness that reflects a clear awareness of the external world and inner mental activity
Altered state of consciousness
A state that deviates from a normal waking state of consciousness. It may reflect either a more vivid awareness or a less clear awareness of the external world and inner mental activity.
Global workspace model
A psychological theory stating that consciousness is a product of activity in specific brain regions.
Attention
The focusing of mental resources on specific information to become consciously aware of that information
Inattentional blindness
A failure to be aware of visual information when one’s attention is directed elsewhere.
Subliminal perception
The processing of information by sensory systems without a person’s conscious awareness
Circadian rhythms
The regulation of biological cycles into regular, daily patterns.
Melatonin
A hormone that suds regulation of circadian rhythms; bright light reduces production and darkness increases production.
Stage N1 sleep
First stage of sleep in which a person is drifting off. EEGs show slower theta waves and conscious awareness of both the external world and inner mental activity starts to decline.
Stage N2 sleep
Second stage of sleep, in which a person is truly asleep. EEGs show k-complexes and sleep spindles, and there is much less conscious awareness of both external world and inner mental activity.
Stage N3 sleep
Third stage of sleep also known as slow-wave sleep, in which a person is substantially less conscious and is hard to awaken. EEGs reveal large regular delta waves.
Stage R or REM sleep
The a the of sleep in which a person experiences rapid eye movements dreaming and paralysis of motor systems. EEGs show beta wave activity, which is also associated with an awake conscious mind.
Dreams
Products of consciousness during sleep in which a person confuses images and fantasies with reality.
Activation synthesis theory
The idea that dreams are result of the brains attempts to make sense of random brain activity by combining the activity with stored memories.
Insomnia
A disorder characterized by a repeated inability to sleep
Sleep apnea
A disorder in which a person while asleep stops breathing because the throat closes, the condition results in frequent awakenings during the night.
Narcolepsy
A disorder in which a person experiences excessive sleepiness during normal waking hours sometimes going limp and collapsing
Hypnosis
A social interaction during which a person, responding to suggestions experiences changes in memory, perception and or voluntary action.
Sociocognitive theory of hypnosis
Theory that hypnotized people are not in an altered state of consciousness but they behave in a way that hypnotized people are expected to behave.
Dissociation theory of hypnosis
The idea that hypnotized people are in a trancelike state in which conscious awareness is separated or dissociated from other aspects of consciousness
Meditation
A practice in which intense contemplation leads to a deep sense of calmness that has been described as an altered state of consciousness.
