What is consciousness?
The general state of being aware of and responsive to events in the environment, as well as one's own mental processes.
What does consciousness also refer to?
Inner awareness and includes your awareness of your feelings(sentience) and of your thoughts and memories.
Dualism
the notion that mind and body are seperable
Materialism
the view that mental life has a physiological basis rooted in the brain
Altered state of consciousness
a person who is in a state of consciousness that is dramatically different fro ordinary awareness and responsiveness
Standard state of consciousness
alert and awake
metacognition
some people are more able than others to think about and regulate their own thinking
Sentience
subjective experience and awareness
access
the ability to report on the content and product of rational thought, to take deliberated, reasoned actions based on memory, rational ideas, and past experiences.
self knowledge
the ability of individuals to recognize that their experiences are uniquely their own and to be aware that they are experiencing as they are doing it.
circadian rhythms
internally generated patterns of body functions, including hormone levels, sleep and wakefulness, blood pressure, and body temperature, which vary over approximately a 24 hour cycle and occur even in the absence of normal cues about whether it is day or n
Light helps synchronize the biological clock through signals that go to the
suprachiasmatic nucleus
Suprchiasmatic nucleus
a structure in the anterior hypothalamus just above where the two optic nerves meet and cross in the brain
Electroencephalogram
graphical record of brain-wave activity obtained through electrodes placed on the scalp and forehead
EEG waves vary in two ways:
Frequency and amplitude, frequency is the number of waves per second, and amplitude is the height of waves.
Rapid eye movement(REM) sleep
stage of sleep characterized by high-frequency low-amplitude brain wave activity, rapid eye movements, more vivid dreams, and postural muscle paralysis.
Non-rapid eye movement(NREM) sleep
four distinct stages of sleep during which no rapid eye movements occur
Delta waves
low-frequency high amplitude
paradoxical sleep
small movement, but cannot sit up, stand or walk during sleep
Sleep debt
too little sleep to perform optimally
ventrolateral preoptic area
the "sleep on" switch that may be located in the front region of the hypothalamus; cells in this area of the brains of sleeping rats seem to fire or not fire, depending on the stage of sleep
narcolepsy
a slep disorder characterized by sudden, uncontrollable episodes of sleep
Sleep apnea
a life-threatening sleep disorder in which airflow into the lungs stops for at lest 15 seconds, causing the sleeper to choke and then awaken briefly
Insomnia
problems in getting to sleep or remaining asleep
night terrors
a sleep disorder in which a person experiences a high degree of arousal and symptoms of panic that occur within 60-90 minutes after he or she falls asleep
dream
a state of consciousness that occurs during sleep, usually accompanied by vivid visual, tactile, or auditory imagery.
Lucid dream
the dreamer is aware of themselves dreaming
Manifest content
the overt story line, characters, and setting of a dream, the obvious, clearly discernible events of the dream
Latent content
the deeper meaning of a dream, usually involving symbolism, hidden meaning, and repressed or obscure ideas and wishes.
Collective unconscious
a storehouse of primitive ideas and images inherited from our ancestors.
biofeedback
a process through which people receive info about the status of a physical funtionadn use this feedback to lear to alter that function
hypnotic induction
the process used to hypnotize people
hypnosis
a state of consciousness during which a person's sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behaviors change because of suggestions made to the person.
posthypnotic suggestion
a suggestion that a participant in hypnosis should perform a particular action after the hypnotic session has ended, is not as strong as people imagine.
Meditation
the use of a variety of techniques, including concentration, restriction of incoming stimuli, and attention to breathing and muscle tension, to produce a state of consciousness characterized by a sense of detachment and deep relaxation.
mindfulness meditation
a person trying to empty the mind and just be still
concentrative meditation
concentrates on a visual image or mantra(a word or phrase repeated over and over)
drug
any chemical substance that, in small amounts, alters biological or mental processes or both
psychoactive drug
a drug that affects biochemical reactions in the nervous system, thereby altering behavior, though, or perceptions and thus consciousness
tolerance
the condition in which higher and higher doses of a drug are required to produce the same effect
dependence
the condition that occurs when a drug becomes part of the body's functioning in such a ay that the user suffers withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued.
withdrawal symptoms
the reactions expereicened when a person with a drug dependence stops using the drug
blood brain barrier
a mechanism that prevents certain molecules from entering the brain but allow others to cross
sedative-hypnotic
any of a class of drugs that relax and calm a user and, in higher doses, induce sleep; also know as a sedative or depressant
sedatives
another term for sedative hypnotics
depressants
another term for sedative hypnotics used because these drugs depress many body responses
addiction
combination of tolerance and dependance
opiates
sedative hypnotic drugs that are derived from the opium poppy and include opium, morphine, and heroin
stimulant
a drug that increases alertness, reduces fatigue, and elevates mood
psychedelic drug
consciousness altering drug that affects moods, thoughts, memory, judgement, and perception and that is consumed for the purpose of producing those results
substance abuse
overuse of and reliance on a drug in order to deal with everyday life