Psychology Unit 4: States of Consciousness Exam | 51 Questions And Answers Solved 100% Correct!!

Consciousness - - our awareness of ourselves and our environment. - consciousness is not an on/off switch; we are not conscious or unconscious but rather there are different levels and states of consciousness Levels of consciousness - - that consciousness consists of different levels or layers is well established but not all researchers agree about what the specific levels are - conscious, nonconscious, preconscious, subconscious, unconscious Biological Rhythms - - periodic physiological fluctuations - Include 1. Annual cycles 2. 28 day cycles 3. 24 hour cycles 4. 90 minute cycles Circadian rhythm - -the biological clock, regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefuleness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle Sleep - - a state of consciousness in which we are less aware of ourselves and our environment than we are when we are in our normal awake state - periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness- as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation Sleep Cycles - - a typical pattern of sleep. Researchers using EEG machines record how active our brains are during sleep - we cycle through different stages of sleep during the night. Our brain waves slow down and our level of awareness lessens as we cycle down from sleep onset through stages 1-4.- after a period of time in deep stage 3 and 4 sleep, our brain waves start to speed up, and we go back through stages 3 and 2. As we reach stage 1, our brain produces a period of intense activity, our eyes dart back and forth, and many of our muscles may twitch repeatedly (REM sleep) Sleep Stages - - Sleep onset- the stage between wakefulness and sleep. We might experience mild hallucinations (such as falling and rising) during this stage - Stages 1 and 2- stage in which the brain produces theta waves, which are relatively high-frquency, lowamplitude waves - Stages 3 and 4, sometimes called delta sleep- stage where the body's chemical supplies are replenished. The slower the wave, the deeper the sleep and the less aware we are of our environment. People who are deprived of delta sleep will be more susceptible to illness and will feel physically tired. - Stages 1-4 are called non-REM sleep - After a period of time in deep stage 3 and 4 sleep, our brain waves start to speed up, and we go back through stages 3 and 2. As we reach stage 1, our brain produces a period of intense activity, our eyes dart back and forth, and many of our muscles may twitch repeatedly. This is REM-rapid eye movementsleep REM sleep - - rapid eye movement sleep, a recurring sleep stage during which vivd dreams commonly occur. Also called as paradoxial sleep because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active (as active as they are when we are awake) - Dreams usually occur in REM sleep - the more stress we experience during the day, the longer our period of REM sleep will be - as we age, our total need for sleep declines as does the amount of time we spend in REM sleep Alpha waves - - the relatively slow brain waves of a relxed, awake state Hallucinations - false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus Delta waves - - the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep