states of consciousness Flashcards
alpha waves
the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state.
circadian rhythm
the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle.
consciousness
our awareness of ourselves and our environment.
delta waves
the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep.
dissociation
a split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others.
dreams
a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind. Dreams are notable for their hal- lucinatory imagery, discontinuities, and incongruities, and for the dreamer’s delusional acceptance of the content and later difficulties remembering it.
hallucinations
false sensory experiences, such as seeing some- thing in the absence of an external visual stimulus.
hypnosis
a social interaction in which one person (the subject) responds to another person’s (the hypnotist’s) suggestion that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur.
insomnia
recurring problems in falling or staying asleep.
latent content
according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content).
manifest content
according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from its latent, or hidden, content).
narcolepsy
a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at in- opportune times.
near
near-death experience an altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death (such as through cardiac arrest); often similar to drug-induced hallucinations
night terrors
a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during NREM-3 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered.
NREM sleep
non rapid eye movement sleep; encompasses all sleep stages except for REM sleep.
posthypnotic suggestion
a suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized; used by some clinicians to help control undesired symptoms and behaviors.
REM rebound
the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation (created by repeated awakenings during REM sleep).
REM sleep
rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage dur- ing which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active.
sleep apnea
a sleep disorder characterized by temporary ces- sations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings.
suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
a pair of cell clusters in the hypo- thalamus that controls circadian rhythm. In response to light, the SCN causes the pineal gland to adjust melatonin production, thus modifying our feelings of sleepiness.
