 | Term | Definition |
| |
consciousness |
our awareness of ourselves and our environment |
| |
biological rhythms |
periodic physiological fluctuations |
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circadian rhythm |
biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle |
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REM sleep |
rapid eye movement sleep, recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur |
| |
alpha waves |
relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state |
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sleep |
periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness- as distinct from unconsciouness resulting from acoma, general anesthesia, or hibernation |
| |
hallucinations |
false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus |
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delta waves |
large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep |
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insomnia |
recurring problems in falling or staying asleep |
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narcolepsy |
sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks |
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sleep apnea |
sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings |
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night terrors |
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 |
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dream |
sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person's mind |
| |
manifest content |
according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream |
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latent content |
according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (like snake = death) |
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REM rebound |
tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation |
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hypnosis |
social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggest to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur |
| |
posthypnotic suggestion |
suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized |
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dissociation |
split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others |
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psychoactive drug |
chemical substance that alters perceptions and mood |
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tolerance |
diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the use to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug's effect |
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withdrawal |
discomfort and distress that following discontinuing the use of an addictive drug |
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physical dependence |
physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued |
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psychological dependence |
psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emtions |
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addiction |
compulsive drug craving and use |
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depressants |
drugs (such as barbiturates, alcohol, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions |
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barbiturates |
drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system |
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opiates |
opium and its derivatives, depressing neural activity and lessoning pain |
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stimulants |
drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, and ecstasy) that speed up body functions |
| |
amphetamines |
drugs that stimulate neural activity and changes mood |
| |
methamphetamine |
stimulates central nervous system that reduces baseline dopamine levels |
| |
ecstacy |
mild hallucinogen |
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hallucinogens |
psychedlic drugs, such as LSD |
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LSD |
powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid |
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THC |
major active ingredient in marijuana |
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near-death experience |
an altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death (such as through cardiac arrest) |
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dualism |
presumption that mind and body are two distinct entities that interact |
| |
monism |
presumption that mind and body are different aspects of the same thing |
