Unit 2 Flashcards
(171 cards)
Stream of consciousness
Term used by William James for the mind as a continuous flow of changing sensations, images, thoughts, and feelings
Metacognition
Process by which we think about thinking
Consciousness
Awareness of external events and internal sensations under a condition of arousal
Arousal
Being engaged with one’s environment
Theory of mind
Individual’s understanding that they and others think, feel, perceive, and have private experience
Controlled process
The most alert states of human consciousness during which individuals actively focus their efforts towards a goal; managed by the prefrontal cortex
Selective attention
Concentrating on a specific aspect of experience while ignoring others
Executive function
Higher order complex cognitive process, including thinking, planning, and problem solving
Automatic process
States of consciousness that require little attention and do not interfere with other ongoing activities
Daydreaming
Between active consciousness and dreaming while asleep wandering thoughts, fantasy, imagination, and rumination
Unconscious thought
According to Freud, a reservoir of unacceptable wishes, feeling, and thoughts that are beyond conscious awareness
Sleep
A natural state of rest for the body and mind that involves the reversible loss of consciousness
Biological rhythms
Periodic physiological fluctuations in the body that can influence behavior
Circadian rhythms
Daily behavioral or physiological cycles that involve the sleep/wake cycle, body temperature, blood pressure, and blood sugar level
Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
A small brain structure that uses input from the retina to synchronize it’s own rhythm with the daily cycle of light and dark
Electroencephalography(EEG)
Measures electrical activity of the brain and has helped to identify four stages of sleep
Stage W (wakefulness)
Desynchronous beta waves reflect concentration and alertness
State N1 (non-REM1) sleep
When people are just falling asleep, characterized by the theta waves, slower than alpha waves
Stage N2 ( non-REM2) sleep
Theta waves continue, interspersed with sleep spindles
Stage N3(non-REM3) sleep
Characterized by delta waves, the slowest and highest amplitude brain waves during sleep; our deepest sleep
Stage R (REM) sleep
After going through stages N1 to N3
REM sleep
Characterized by rapid eye movement when most vivid dreams occur
GABA receptors
Help regulate the process of sleep
Insomnia
Inability to sleep