PSY 121 Exam 4
consciousness - Answer-a person's awareness of everything that is going on around him or her at any
given moment, which is used to organize behavior
waking consciousness - Answer-state in which thoughts, feelings, and sensations are clear and
organized, and the person feels alert
altered state of consciousness - Answer-state in which there is a shift in the quality or pattern of mental
activity as compared to waking consciousness
circadian rhythm - Answer-a cycle of bodily rhythm that occurs over a 24-hour period
rapid eye movement (REM) - Answer-stage of sleep in which the eyes move rapidly under the eyelids
and the person is typically experiencing a dream
non-REM (NREM) sleep - Answer-any of the stages of sleep that do not include REM
alpha waves - Answer-brain waves that indicate a state of relaxation or light sleep
theta waves - Answer-brain waves indicating the early stages of sleep
,delta waves - Answer-long, slow waves that indicate the deepest stage of sleep
REM paralysis - Answer-the inability of the voluntary muscles to move during REM sleep
REM behavior disorder - Answer-a rare disorder in which the mechanism that blocks the movement of
the voluntary muscles fails, allowing the person to thrash around and even get up and act out
nightmares
REM rebound - Answer-increased amounts of REM sleep after being deprived of REM sleep on earlier
nights
nightmares - Answer-bad dreams occurring during REM sleep
sleepwalking (somnambulism) - Answer-occurring during deep sleep, an episode of moving around or
walking around in one's sleep
night terrors - Answer-relatively rare disorder in which the person experiences extreme fear and
screams or runs around during deep sleep without waking fully
insomnia - Answer-the inability to get to sleep, stay asleep, or get a good quality of sleep
sleep apnea - Answer-disorder in which the person stops breathing for nearly half a minute or more
narcolepsy - Answer-sleep disorder in which a person falls immediately into REM sleep during the day
without warning
thinking (cognition) - Answer-mental activity that goes on in the brain when a person is organizing and
attempting to understand information and communicating information to others
, mental images - Answer-mental representations that stand for objects or events and have a picture-like
quality
concepts - Answer-ideas that represent a class or category of objects, events, or activities
superordinate concept - Answer-the most general form of a type of concept, such as "animal" or "fruit"
basic-level type - Answer-an example of a type of concept around which other similar concepts are
organized, such as "dog," "cat," or "pear"
subordinate concept - Answer-the most specific category of a concept, such as one's pet dog or a pear
in one's hand
formal concepts - Answer-concepts that are defined by specific rules or features
natural concepts - Answer-concepts people form as a result of their experiences in the real world
prototype - Answer-an example of a concept that loosely matches the defining characteristics of a
concept
problem solving - Answer-process of cognition that occurs when a goal must be reached by thinking and
behaving in certain ways
trial and error (mechanical solution) - Answer-problem-solving method in which one possible solution
after another is tried until a successful one is found
algorithms - Answer-very specific, step-by-step procedures for solving certain types of problems
consciousness - Answer-a person's awareness of everything that is going on around him or her at any
given moment, which is used to organize behavior
waking consciousness - Answer-state in which thoughts, feelings, and sensations are clear and
organized, and the person feels alert
altered state of consciousness - Answer-state in which there is a shift in the quality or pattern of mental
activity as compared to waking consciousness
circadian rhythm - Answer-a cycle of bodily rhythm that occurs over a 24-hour period
rapid eye movement (REM) - Answer-stage of sleep in which the eyes move rapidly under the eyelids
and the person is typically experiencing a dream
non-REM (NREM) sleep - Answer-any of the stages of sleep that do not include REM
alpha waves - Answer-brain waves that indicate a state of relaxation or light sleep
theta waves - Answer-brain waves indicating the early stages of sleep
,delta waves - Answer-long, slow waves that indicate the deepest stage of sleep
REM paralysis - Answer-the inability of the voluntary muscles to move during REM sleep
REM behavior disorder - Answer-a rare disorder in which the mechanism that blocks the movement of
the voluntary muscles fails, allowing the person to thrash around and even get up and act out
nightmares
REM rebound - Answer-increased amounts of REM sleep after being deprived of REM sleep on earlier
nights
nightmares - Answer-bad dreams occurring during REM sleep
sleepwalking (somnambulism) - Answer-occurring during deep sleep, an episode of moving around or
walking around in one's sleep
night terrors - Answer-relatively rare disorder in which the person experiences extreme fear and
screams or runs around during deep sleep without waking fully
insomnia - Answer-the inability to get to sleep, stay asleep, or get a good quality of sleep
sleep apnea - Answer-disorder in which the person stops breathing for nearly half a minute or more
narcolepsy - Answer-sleep disorder in which a person falls immediately into REM sleep during the day
without warning
thinking (cognition) - Answer-mental activity that goes on in the brain when a person is organizing and
attempting to understand information and communicating information to others
, mental images - Answer-mental representations that stand for objects or events and have a picture-like
quality
concepts - Answer-ideas that represent a class or category of objects, events, or activities
superordinate concept - Answer-the most general form of a type of concept, such as "animal" or "fruit"
basic-level type - Answer-an example of a type of concept around which other similar concepts are
organized, such as "dog," "cat," or "pear"
subordinate concept - Answer-the most specific category of a concept, such as one's pet dog or a pear
in one's hand
formal concepts - Answer-concepts that are defined by specific rules or features
natural concepts - Answer-concepts people form as a result of their experiences in the real world
prototype - Answer-an example of a concept that loosely matches the defining characteristics of a
concept
problem solving - Answer-process of cognition that occurs when a goal must be reached by thinking and
behaving in certain ways
trial and error (mechanical solution) - Answer-problem-solving method in which one possible solution
after another is tried until a successful one is found
algorithms - Answer-very specific, step-by-step procedures for solving certain types of problems
