States of Consciousness

Question 1

Name two things that we can do in a state of consciousness, while remaining aware that we are doing them.

Answer 1

1. evaluate the environment
2. filter information from the environment through the mind

Question 2

While William James referred to consciousness as stream of thought, others, such as Robert Sternberg have deemed it a __________, created to help us adapt to the world and establish our personal identity.

Answer 2

mental reality

Question 3

Define:

attention

Answer 3

state of focused awareness

Question 4

What are the two important functions of consciousness?

Answer 4

1. monitoring ourselves, our environment, and our relationship with the environment
2. controlling role, planning responses to the information gathered about the environment

Question 5

What are the lower levels of consciousness?

Answer 5

1. preconscious level
2. subconscious level
3. unconscious level
4. nonconscious level

Question 6

What kind of information is stored in the preconscious level?

Answer 6

information that is available to consciousness, but is not always in consciousness

Preconscious information can be retrieved when needed; it is the storage site for many automatic behaviors.

Question 7

What information is stored at the subconscious level?

Answer 7

The subconscious stores information that we have been primed to but are not consciously aware of.

Question 8

According to some psychologists, where do we store memories or information that are too difficult to process consciously?

Answer 8

unconscious level

Question 9

Which level of consciousness is devoted to processes, such as hormone secretion, that are completely inaccesible to conscious awareness?

Answer 9

nonconscious level

Question 10

__________ describes the moving of anxiety-producing information from the conscious to subconscious; sometimes, however, this information is revealed through __________, in which we produce psychologically meaningful mistakes.

Answer 10

Repression; freudian slips

Question 11

Consciousness lies on a continuum, beginning at __________ and moving onto automatic processing.

Answer 11

controlled processing

Question 12

The __________ controls our homeostatic functioning, which is evident in processes such as temperature regulation.

Answer 12

hypothalamus

Question 13

Name three functionings that are controlled by the forebrain, reticular formation, and thalamus.

Answer 13

1. wakefulness
2. arousal
3. attention

Question 14

Name one mechanical task that could be characterized under automatic processing.

Answer 14

brushing your teeth

Question 15

In consciousness, what is sleep, and what is it necessary for?

Answer 15

Sleep is an altered state of consciousness that is important for restorative processes.

Question 16

What are two restorative functions of sleep?

Answer 16

1. protein synthesis
2. maintaining plasticity of neural connections for storing and retrieving memories (consolidation)

Question 17

What are four effects of sleep deprivation?

Answer 17

1. drowsiness
2. inability to concentrate
3. memory impairment
4. immune impairment

Question 18

According to sleep research, three to four days without sleep can begin to induce what three symptoms?

Answer 18

1. hallucinations
2. illusions
3. paranoia

Deprivation can also lead to other similar psychological disturbances.

Question 19

When are debilitating symptoms of sleep-deprivation alleviated?

Answer 19

as soon as the subject is allowed to sleep again

Question 20

What neurochemical is important in the role of sleep?

Answer 20

melatonin

Question 21

What is the difference between circadian rhythms and free-running rhythms?

Answer 21

Circadian rhythm is the 24-hour day-to-night pattern that our body’s physiological markers follow; free-running rhythm is the 25-hour rhythm that our bodies follow if all time cues (sunlight, clocks, etc.) are removed.

Question 22

What sort of disturbance is associated with the feelings of jet-lag?

Answer 22

Jet-lag results from disturbances to our circadian rhythms through external stimuli, like crossing time zones.

Question 23

What does an electroencephalogram (EEG) measure, and why is this important?

Answer 23

EEGs measure brain-wave patterns that provide information of our brain’s electrical activity in sleep cycles.

Question 24

What is a hypnagogic sleep state?

Answer 24

It is a semiwakeful state of dreamlike awareness with feelings of relaxation and failure to respond to stimuli.

Question 25

In an EEG, \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ are shown when we are awake and focused on a task; when we shift into a more relaxed state, we see \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, and when we begin to fall asleep, we see \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.

Answer 25

beta waves; alpha waves; theta waves

Question 26

In what sleep stage do sleep spindles appear?

Answer 26

stage 2

Question 27

K complexes are large, slow waves that tend to break up what?

Answer 27

sleep spindles

Question 28

At what stage of sleep are the skeletal muscles relaxing?

Answer 28

stage 2

Question 29

What waves are most common in stages 3 and 4 of sleep (although a greater proportion occur in stage 4)?

Answer 29

delta waves

Question 30

What is REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, and what is it typically associated with?

Answer 30

REM sleep is the last stage of sleep in which the eyes move vigorously; it is heavily associated with dreaming, although dreaming can occur in other stages as well.

Question 31

What brain waves are predominantly present during REM sleep?

Answer 31

theta and beta waves

Question 32

Why is REM sleep sometimes referred to as paradoxical sleep?

Answer 32

Our brain waves resemble those observed when we are awake, but we are asleep.

Question 33

Approximately how long is each sleep cycle?

Answer 33

90 minutes

Question 34

As the period of sleep progresses, what happens to stages 3 and 4, as compared with REM sleep?

Answer 34

Stages 3 and 4 diminish and eventually disappear as sleep progresses, while with REM stage gets longer

Question 35

Why is it that we remember dreams occurring towards the end of sleep moreso than those towards the beginning?

Answer 35

As sleep progresses and REM gets longer, dreams are longer (approximately one hour); due to their proximity to an awakened state and their length, it is much easier to remember them than the shorter, distant dreams of earlier sleep.

Question 36

What theory of dreaming, proposed by McCarley and Hobson, claims that during sleep, the brain generates neuronal stimulation that the dreamer attempts to make sense of through creation of a story line?

Answer 36

the activation-synthesis theory of dreams

Question 37

What is the ability to be aware of and direct dreams?

Answer 37

lucid dreaming

Question 38

What is REM rebound and who discovered it?

Answer 38

Discovered by William Dement, it is the idea that if we are deprived of REM sleep for one cycle and then allowed to sleep normally, our REM periods will increase.

Question 39

What is insomnia?

Answer 39

a lack of sleep (can be either an inability to fall asleep or an inability to maintain sleep)

Question 40

Which of the following is not a known, possible cause of insomnia: stress, stimulants (like caffeine), hunger, alcohol.

Answer 40

hunger

Question 41

What is the defining characteristic of Narcolepsy?

Answer 41

the inability to stay awake ## Footnote Narcoleptics experience irresistible urges to sleep at inappropriate times.

Question 42

Narcoleptic sleep is primarily what kind of sleep?

Answer 42

REM sleep

Question 43

What is sleep apnea?

Answer 43

disorder in which a person repeatedly stops breathing during sleep

Question 44

In adults, sleep apnea is associated with \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ and \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_; in infants, it is associated with \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.

Answer 44

obesity; alcohol consumption; SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)

Question 45

What is sleepwalking and in what stages does it occur?

Answer 45

characterized by walking (and perhaps also talking) during sleep; it occurs during stages 3 and 4 of sleep. ## Footnote Sleepwalking is also known as somnambulism.

Question 46

According to psychoanalytic theory, the story content of the dream, also known as the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, offers important information about the unconscius processes.

Answer 46

manifest content

Question 47

In contrast to the story of the dream, which offers insight into the symbols relating to the unconscious, the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ discloses the actual underlying meaning of the dream.

Answer 47

latent content

Question 48

According to the information-processing theory of dreaming, what do dreams provide?

Answer 48

This theory suggests that our minds have an opportunity to process daily stress through dreams, since we spend more time in REM sleep during times of stress.

Question 49

What three processes occur during dreams?

Answer 49

1. neural repair 2. consolidation of memories 3. protein synthesis

Question 50

What is an elaborate, anxiety or fear-producing dream sequence?

Answer 50

nightmare

Question 51

What is the main difference between nightmares and night terrors, which involve behaviors such as screaming and crying?

Answer 51

nightmares generally occur during REM sleep, while night terrors occur in much deeper sleep states (perhaps overlapping with somnambulism)

Question 52

What is the state of consciousness that is heavily associated with susceptibility to suggestion?

Answer 52

hypnosis

Question 53

Some researchers believe that hypnosis is the process of a person "playing the part" of someone under hypnosis, rather than an altered state of consciousness. What is this theory called?

Answer 53

role theory

Question 54

What does the state theory of hypnosis believe?

Answer 54

It suggests that, instead of fully altering states of consciousness, hypnosis allows people to focus more or less on certain parts of our consciousness, like pain awareness.

Question 55

What was Ernest Hilgard's theory on hypnosis?

Answer 55

He hypothesized a choice to dissociate from certain parts of consciousness during hypnosis, called the **dissociation theory**.

Question 56

What theory of hypnosis, related to the dissociation theory, postulates a dissociation of the mind into two parts: one obeys the hypnotist while the other observes?

Answer 56

theory of the hidden observer

Question 57

Which school of thought relies on hypnosis to extract memories that have been repressed?

Answer 57

psychoanalysis

Question 58

What is the phenomenon through which we forget what happened during hypnosis?

Answer 58

posthypnotic amnesia

Question 59

What is posthypnotic suggestion?

Answer 59

instructions given to people while they are hypnotized that are meant to be implemented after they awake

Question 60

What is defined by a set of techniques used to focus concentration away from thoughts and feelings to create calmness, tranquility, and inner peace?

Answer 60

meditation

Question 61

Chemicals that can pass through the blood-brain barrier into the brain to alter perception, thinking, behavior, and mood are known as \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.

Answer 61

psychoactive drugs

Question 62

What characterizes psychological dependence?

Answer 62

an intense desire to achieve the drugged state in spite of adverse effects

Question 63

When does physiological dependence develop?

Answer 63

when changes in brain chemistry from taking a drug necessitate taking the drug again to prevent withdrawal symptoms

Question 64

Although partly dependent on the environmental stimuli associated with taking the drug, \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ is characterized by decreased responsivity to a drug.

Answer 64

tolerance

Question 65

A desire to eat more while trying to quit smoking is an example of what?

Answer 65

a withdrawal symptom

Question 66

What do agonists do?

Answer 66

Agonists act like specific neurotransmitters, copying their functions.

Question 67

What does a chemical antagonist do?

Answer 67

It fits into the receptor site for a neurotransmitter so that the neurotransmitter itself is blocked.

Question 68

Which classification of drugs, including sedatives like barbiturates and alcohol, reduces the activity of the central nervous system?

Answer 68

depressants

Question 69

Which of the following is not a depressant: alcohol, nicotine, barbiturates, tranquilizers?

Answer 69

nicotine

Question 70

Which depressant drug is important due to its ability to reduce anxiety without inducing sleep?

Answer 70

tranquilizers

Question 71

Which depressant has its effects on the brain through decreasing dopamine levels?

Answer 71

alcohol

Question 72

Which class of drugs, used to treat hyperactivity and narcolepsy, activates motivational centers while reducing inhibitory centers of the central nervous system?

Answer 72

stimulants

Question 73

What common stimulant can lead to insomnia?

Answer 73

caffeine

Question 74

Name two behavioral effects of amphetamines.

Answer 74

1. euphoria 2. motor dysfunction (at high doses)

Question 75

Which stimulant increases heart rate and blood pressure, and elicits feelings of increased abilities (both mental and social)?

Answer 75

cocaine

Question 76

Although the physiological effects of this drug characterize it as a stimulant, it elicits both depressant behavioral effects (such as decreased appetite) and stimulant effects. What is this drug?

Answer 76

nicotine

Question 77

Name three effects of the narcotic class of drugs (which includes codeine, heroin, and morphine).

Answer 77

1. feelings of euphoria 2. pain relief 3. induces sleep

Question 78

What are three effects of the hallucinogenic class of drugs?

Answer 78

1. mood alteration 2. perception distortion 3. evoking sensory images in the absence of sensory input

Question 79

What are some characteristics of opiates?

Answer 79

* related to opium (derived from poppies) * endorphin agonists (kill pain and elevate mood) * most physically addictive type of drugs * examples include heroin, morphine, codeine