| Term | Definition |
|---|
| consciousness | our awareness of ourselves and our environment. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 271) |
| biological rhythms | periodic physiological fluctuations. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 274) |
| circadian [ser-KAY-dee-an] rhythm | the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 275) |
| REM sleep | rapid eye movement sleep, a recurring sleep stage during 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. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 276) |
| alpha waves | the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 277) |
| delta waves | the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 277) |
| hallucinations | false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 277) |
| sleep | periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness—as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation. (Adapted from Dement, 1999.) (Myers Psychology 8e p. 277) |
| insomnia | recurring problems in falling or staying asleep. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 283) |
| narcolepsy | a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 284) |
| night terrors | a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during Stage 4 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 284) |
| sleep apnea | a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 284) |
| dream | a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person's mind. Dreams are notable for their hallucinatory imagery, discontinuities, and incongruities, and for the dreamer's delusional acceptance of the content and later difficulties remembering it. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 285) |
| manifest content | according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from its latent, or hidden, content). (Myers Psychology 8e p. 286) |
| latent content | according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content). Freud believed that a dream's latent content functions as a safety valve. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 287) |
| REM rebound | the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation (created by repeated awakenings during REM sleep). (Myers Psychology 8e p. 288) |
| hypnosis | a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 290) |
| 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. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 292) |
| dissociation | a split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 293) |
| psychoactive drug | a chemical substance that alters perceptions and mood. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 296) |
| addiction | compulsive drug craving and use. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 297) |
| physical dependence | a physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 297) |
| psychological dependence | a psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emotions. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 297) |
| tolerance | the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug's effect. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 297) |
| withdrawal | the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 297) |
| depressants | drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 298) |
| Amphetamines | drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 300) |
| barbiturates | drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 300) |
| methamphetamine | a powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, with speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes; over time, appears to reduce baseline dopamine levels. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 300) |
| opiates | opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 300) |
| stimulants | drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, and Ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 300) |
| ecstasy (MDMA) | a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and longer-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 302) |
| hallucinogens | psychedelic ("mind-manifesting") drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 302) |
| LSD | a powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid (lysergic acid diethylamide). (Myers Psychology 8e p. 302) |
| THC | the major active ingredient in marijuana; triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 303) |
| 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. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 309) |
| dualism | the presumption that mind and body are two distinct entities that interact. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 310) |
| monism | the presumption that mind and body are different aspects of the same thing. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 310) |
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