 | Term | Definition |
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Consciousness |
our awareness of various cognitive processes, such as sleeping, dreaming, concentrating, and making decisions; typically used to describe being alert |
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NREM sleep (non-REM) |
non-rapid-eye-movement stages of sleep that alternates with REM stages during the sleep cycle |
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Waking consciousness |
state while awake and reasonable alert; includes thoughts, feelings, and perceptions; is usually action-or plan-oriented and tuned in to the external environment |
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Dreams |
visual and auditory images created by the mind during sleep; often 2 hours a night are spent a night dreaming (not in a row); 4 to 5 vivid dreams during REM; life-like dreams occur during NREM sleep |
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Altered states of consciousness |
mental state that differs noticeably from normal waking consciousness; Examples: sleep, daydreaming, dreaming, meditation, hypnosis, influence of drugs and alcohol |
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Insomnia |
sleep disorder; difficulty falling asleep or remaining asleep throughout the night; affects as many as 35 million Americans; typically caused by stress and are temporary; treated with prescription meds or relaxation techniques; side affects include anxiety, memory loss, hallucinations, and violent behaviors |
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Daydreaming |
effortless shifts in attention away from the here-and-now into a private world of make-believe; urge comes in waves, surging every 90 min, peaks between 12-2 pm |
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Apnea |
sleep disorder; characterized by difficulty breathing, snoring, & exhaustion during the day because breathing stops during sleep and individual wakes to just under waking consciousness; individual also complain of depression, sexual dysfunction, difficulty concentrating, and headaches; affects 10-12 million Americans; in children-implicated in aggression, hyperactive, and conduct disorder; in adults-overweight |
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REM paradoxical sleep |
physically resembles waking consciousness in measures; characteristics: sleep paralysis, vivid and intense dreams, rapid eye movements; occurs about 4/5 times a night; infants spend more time in REM than any other age |
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Narcolepsy |
hereditary sleep disorder; characteristics: sudden falling asleep into REM, loss of muscle tone following moments of emotion (joke, anger, sex), hallucinations (are often aware) |
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Sensory deprivation |
McGill study; subjects placed in sensory deprivation tanks; learned the importance of sunlight on people |
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Substance dependence |
also known as addiction; pattern of drug use that leads to compulsive drug taking; experiencing tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, or other symptoms for at least one year |
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Meditation |
alternative method of concentration, relation, or focus; suppresses SNS; Effects: lower metabolic rate, reduces heart & respiratory rate, lowers BP, reduces stress & tension, implicated in spirituality & cessation of drug use, alpha brain waves; Includes: Zen, Sufism, Transcendentalism, biofeedback, mantra |
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Tolerance |
requirement of higher doses of drugs to produce the original effects or prevent withdrawal symptoms |
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Hypnosis |
altered state; mesmerism; trance-like state where a person who is open to suggestions; often used for: smoking cessation, weight loss, stress reduction |
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Withdrawal symptoms |
unpleasant physical or psychological effects following discontinued use of a drug, can include shakes or tremors, vomiting, blood pressure/heart rate changes |
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Psychoactive drugs |
chemical substances that change or alter people’s moods, perceptions, mental functioning, or behavior |
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Double-blind procedure |
procedure used in experiments where the control group & experimental group do not know if they are taking the real medication or placebo; NOR does the person administering the meds, hence the DOUBLE blind |
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Substance abuse |
pattern of drug use that diminishes a person’s ability to fulfill responsibilities at home, work, or school; self-destructive; beginning research is identifying “addicted brain” processes that implicate neurotransmitters, ex. dopamine |
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Placebo |
fake substance; “sugar pill”, used for comparison with active drugs in experiments |
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Depressants |
chemicals that slow down behavior or cognitive processes; includes alcohol, barbiturates, tranquilizers, and opiates; people take depressants to reduce tension, to forget troubles, or relieve feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, and boredom |
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Amphetamines |
stimulant; “pep pills”; synthetic, developed as a nasal spray to relieve asthma; resembles epinephrine; Effects: suppresses appetite; increase alertness, “rush” of euphoria if injected; Causes: sweats, tremors, anxiety, insomnia, personality changes, homicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation, psychosis; Includes: “diet pills”, uppers, ice, crystal, meth, crank, speed, fire, x |
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Alcohol |
#1 problem in America; depressant & most used psychoactive drug in Western hemisphere; Effects: depress CNS, impairs thinking/decision-making/motor skills/sexual functioning; Causes: coma, birth defects, liver disease, death; implicated in violent and accidental deaths and abuse; Demographics: 3X more males, highest in 18-29 yo age group, rose among teens in 1990s then dipped slightly; alcohol myopia and blackouts |
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Cocaine |
stimulant; “coke”, “snow”, “blow”, then “crack”; from cocoa leaves, first used as anesthetic and a ‘cure’ for alcohol/morphine addiction; blocks reabsorption of dopamine; Effects: euphoria, numbing, increased alertness; Causes: brain damage, birth defects, eats holes in nasal cavity & sinuses; Crack-reaches brain in 10 secs, lasts 1-20 min, followed by intense depression |
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Barbiturates |
depressants, known as tranks, tranquilizers, and downers; Includes: Amytal, Nembutal, & Seconal; Used to treat: insomnia, anxiety, epilepsy, arthritis, & bed-wetting; Effects: similar to alcohol-depresses CNS, loss of motor coordination, slurred speech, sleep; Causes: birth defects, confusion, sleep disruptions |
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Hallucinogens |
natural or synthetic drugs causing shifts in perception of real world or imaginary world that seems just as real; Includes: mescaline or peyote, LSD, marijuana, psilocybin (shrooms); Effects: loss of contact with reality (psychosis), illusions, hallucinations, distortions in time, psychotic reaction in some, flashbacks for some |
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Opiates |
psychoactive substances derived from the opium poppy that dulls the senses & induces feelings of euphoria, well-being, and relation; Includes: opium, heroin; resembles endorphins; Associated with: OD, spontaneous abortion, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, pulmonary problems; can be smoked or injected |
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LSD |
hallucinogen, psychedelic; “acid”; Lysergic Acid Diethylamide; synthesized; used for cancer patients as painkiller and “cure” for alcoholism in the 1950s; made famous b Timothy Leary (Harvard); Effects: intense, vivid colors, intense sesations, depersonalization or nightmarish activity; Causes: flashbacks, memory loss, paranoia, nightmares, aggression |
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Stimulants |
stimulates CNS & SNS; temporarily increases alertness, reduces fatigues, producing feelings of optimism and boundless energy, artificially stimulates fight-or-flight response; Includes: caffeine, nicotine, ecstasy (MDMA), meth, amphetamines, cocaine; Effects: increased alertness, excitation, euphoria, increased pulse rate & BP, sleeplessness |
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Marijuana |
hallucinogen; MJ, pot, weed, grass, THC, etc; most illegal used drug; from dried leaves/flowers of Cannabis Sativa; Effects: bloodshot eyes, dry mouth; coughing, droopy eyelids, dilated eyes, munchies, mood swings, relaxation, euphoria, hallucinations, slow motion time perception (temporal distortion), STM loss; Causes: learning & memory impairment, attention and focus issues, brain cell damage |
