states of consciousness

Question 1

alpha waves

Answer 1

the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state.

Question 2

circadian rhythm

Answer 2

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle.

Question 3

consciousness

Answer 3

our awareness of ourselves and our environment.

Question 4

delta waves

Answer 4

the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep.

Question 5

dissociation

Answer 5

a split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others.

Question 6

dreams

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

hallucinations

Answer 7

false sensory experiences, such as seeing some- thing in the absence of an external visual stimulus.

Question 8

hypnosis

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

insomnia

Answer 9

recurring problems in falling or staying asleep.

Question 10

latent content

Answer 10

according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content).

Question 11

manifest content

Answer 11

according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from its latent, or hidden, content).

Question 12

narcolepsy

Answer 12

a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at in- opportune times.

Question 13

near

Answer 13

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

Question 14

night terrors

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

NREM sleep

Answer 15

non rapid eye movement sleep; encompasses all sleep stages except for REM sleep.

Question 16

posthypnotic suggestion

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

REM rebound

Answer 17

the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation (created by repeated awakenings during REM sleep).

Question 18

REM sleep

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

sleep apnea

Answer 19

a sleep disorder characterized by temporary ces- sations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings.

Question 20

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

Answer 20

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.