Sleep as a psychological construct(6A) Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is consciousness?
Our awareness of internal and external stimuli.
The level of awareness an individual has of their thoughts, feelings, perceptions and existence.
What is a psychological construct?
An agreed upon description and understanding of psychological phenomena that cannot be overtly measured or observed.
__________OR __________
a concept that is used to describe an activity or pattern of activity that does not exist or occur in a physical sense and cannot be measured directly.
What are the two states of conciousness?
Normal waking consciousness (NWC)
Altered state of consciousness (ASC)
What is normal waking consciousness (NWC)?
A state of consciousness in which an individual is awake and aware.
What is an altered state of consciousness (ASC)?
A state of consciousness that is distinctly different from normal waking consciousness sin terms of quality of experience and levels of awareness.
What is a naturally occurring altered state of consciousness?
A type of altered state of consciousness that occurs without intervention. Includes sleep and daydreaming.
What is an induced altered state of consciousness?
A type of altered state of consciousness that occurs due to a purposeful action or aid. Such as taking drugs or meditating.
What is the consciousness continuum?
A visual representation of the different states of consciousness.
Coma - anaesthetised - sleep - alcohol induced - meditation - drowsy - day dreaming - - - relaxed state - focused attention
What is sleep?
A regular and naturally occurring altered state of consciousness that involves a loss of awareness and disengagement with internal and external stimuli.
What is Rapid Eye Movement (REM)?
A type of sleep characterised by rapid eye movement, high levels of brain activity and low levels of physical activity.
What are some characteristics of REM sleep?
- brain activity resembles wakefulness
- heart rate and breathing rate increases
- voluntary muscles are seemingly paralysed and twitch only intermittently
- the most vivid and memorable dreams occur during REM
What percent of the sleep episode does REM sleep take up?
About 20%
At what time during the sleep episode does REM take place?
At the end of each
What is NREM (non rapid eye movement) sleep?
Characterised by a progressive decline in physiological activity. Consists of three different stages.
What percent of the sleep cycle does NREM take up?
About 80%
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