Exam 4 (Ch 10-12) Flashcards
(95 cards)
In which condition does the brain show a low, steady rate of activity and no response to any stimulus?
Coma
In which condition does someone show only limited responsiveness, such as increased heart rate in response to pain?
vegetative state
People watched a dot moving rapidly around a clock and spontaneously decided when to flex their wrist, remembering and later reporting the location of the dot at the time of the conscious decision. Researchers also measured the time activity increased in the premotor cortex, and the time of the wrist movement. What was the order of events in time?
brain activity, then conscious decision, then a
People watched a clock-like device and made a spontaneous decision of when to flex a wrist, remembering the time of decision and reporting it later. What was the key result?
Brain activity preparing the movement began before the decision.
People watched a dot moving around a clock and spontaneously decided when to flex their wrist, remembering and later reporting the location of the dot at the time of the conscious decision. Researchers also measured the time activity increased in the premotor cortex, and the time of the wrist movement. Why were the results theoretically important?
They suggest that conscious thought does not control our actions.
Which of the following best describes the relationship between light-dark cycles (from the rising and setting sun) and circadian rhythms?
Circadian rhythms are generated by the body, but reset by light-dark cycles
In an environment in which temperature, light, and other conditions remain constant 24 hours a day, most people
still awaken and go to sleep on a nearly 24-hour schedule.
When people go without sleep for several days in a row, how does their sleepiness change?
They feel sleepy at night, less sleepy in the day, and sleepier again the next night.
When people go without sleep for three days, what happens to their alertness?
It declines every night, but partially recovers the next morning.
On average, how do the circadian rhythms of younger and older adults compare?
Older adults are more likely to have their most alert time early in the day.
For most people the experience of jet lag is most severe if they travel across time zones
from west to east
Which of the following would be good advice to a company that was setting up three work shifts for its workers?
Provide very bright lights during the night shift.
Our tendency to feel wakeful and sleepy on a 24-hour basis depends mainly on
a cycle generated by a mechanism in the brain.
What role, if any, does sunlight play in circadian rhythms?
It resets the rhythm.
If a person practices a difficult new motor task before going to sleep
the brain areas that were active during learning become active during sleep.
What is one way in which memory improves during sleep?
Inappropriate synapses are weakened during sleep.
REM sleep is referred to as paradoxical sleep. What is paradoxical about paradoxical sleep?
The brain is active, but the muscles are relaxed.
REM sleep is synonymous with
paradoxical sleep
During REM sleep,
dreaming is likely to occur.
Investigators distinguish among stages 1, 2, 3, and 4 of sleep by observing
brain waves
What do high amplitude, long, slow waves on an EEG indicate?
synchrony among neurons and overall low brain activity
What problem do people with sleep apnea experience?
They often stop breathing while they are asleep.
People suffering from narcolepsy:
get sleepy in the middle of the day.
What does it mean if you wake up and find yourself temporarily unable to move?
Part of your brain is awake and another part is asleep.
