Bernstein et al., Psychology, 6/e Keyterms

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Psychology, Sixth Edition
Douglas A. Bernstein - University of South Florida and University of Southampton
Louis A. Penner - University of South Florida
Alison Clarke-Stewart - University of California, Irvine
Edward J. Roy - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Keyterms
Chapter 9: Consciousness

Consciousness is the awareness of both external stimuli and your own mental activity. (see introductory section)
Example: At this moment, you are aware of the words printed on this page. You may also be aware of noises around you, such as a radio playing or a jet flying overhead.
The conscious level of consciousness holds the thoughts and mental processes that you are aware of from moment to moment. (see Levels of Consciousness)
Example: You are conscious of the words you are reading at this moment.
The nonconscious level of activity includes physiological processes that you are not conscious of. Training in techniques such as biofeedback can make you conscious of them indirectly. (see Levels of Consciousness)
Example: Your brain is sensing the amount of sugar in your blood, but you cannot consciously experience this activity, even if you try to attend to it.
The preconscious level of activity stores sensations, memories, inferences, and assumptions that are not at the conscious level but that can be easily brought into consciousness. (see Levels of Consciousness)
Example: Before reading this sentence, you probably did not feel your socks or your underwear on your skin. But now that you are attending to them, you can feel these physical sensations. They were at the preconscious level but were easily brought into consciousness, in this case by a shift in attention.
The unconscious level or subconscious level of mental activity includes mental processes that are important but normally inaccessible. (see Levels of Consciousness)
Example: In studies of priming, people could not remember having seen certain words on a study list, but could solve anagrams of those words faster than words they had not seen. The influence of having studied the words was subconscious and inaccessible.
State of consciousness refers to the characteristics of consciousness at any particular moment. (see States of Consciousness)
Altered states of consciousness occur when changes in the stream of consciousness are noticeably different from normal waking experience. (see States of Consciousness)
Slow-wave sleep is a term for the first four stages of sleep, when breathing is slow, heartbeat is regular, and blood pressure is reduced. Each stage of slow-wave sleep is differentiated by a change in the EEG. For example, K-complexes and sleep spindles appear in stages 2 and 3, and delta waves occur in stage 4 more than 50 percent of the time. (see Stages of Sleep)
REMEMBER: These four stages are called quiet sleep because, in comparison to REM sleep, body and brain activity are relatively calm and quiet.
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is characterized by EEG and physiological measures (heart rate, respiration, blood pressure) that are similar to those that occur when the person is awake. During REM sleep, the eyes move rapidly back and forth, and muscle tone decreases to the point of near-paralysis. (see Stages of Sleep)
Insomnia is the inability to fall or stay asleep. People with insomnia report feeling tired during the day. (see Sleep Disorders)
REMEMBER: The Latin word in means "no," "not," or "without." Somnus means "sleep." Therefore, insomnia means "without sleep."
Narcolepsy is a disorder in which people fall directly into REM sleep from an active, waking state. They experience all the physiological changes that occur during REM sleep, including reduced muscle tone. (see Sleep Disorders)
Sleep apnea is a disorder in which people stop breathing momentarily while sleeping, up to hundreds of times per night. Apnea episodes wake the sleepers, and thus people suffering from this disorder feel unrested in the morning and tired throughout the day. (see Sleep Disorders)
In sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), a sleeping baby stops breathing but does not awaken and therefore suffocates. (see Sleep Disorders)
Nightmares are frightening dreams that occur during REM sleep. (see Sleep Disorders)
Night terrors, which occur during stage 4 sleep, are frightening dreams that bring on intense fear after waking. These fearful episodes may last for as long as half an hour. (see Sleep Disorders)
Sleepwalking, which occurs during non-REM sleep and is most common during childhood, is walking while asleep. Awakening a sleepwalker is not dangerous. (see Sleep Disorders)
REM behavior disorder is similar to sleepwalking, but it occurs during REM sleep. The normal paralysis that accompanies REM sleep is absent, thus allowing a person to act out dreams. This can be especially dangerous when the dreams are of a violent nature. (see Sleep Disorders)
Jet lag is a disruption of the sleep-wake cycle. Physiologically, the body is ready to wake up or sleep at an inappropriate time of day for a particular time zone. Jet lag is common among travelers arriving in time zones very different from their own, especially when traveling from west to east. (see Why Do People Sleep?)
Circadian rhythm is a term for the normal sleep-waking cycle that occurs during a twenty-four-hour period. These cycles are governed by an internal biological clock. (see Why Do People Sleep?)
Dreams are storylike sequences of images, sensations, and perceptions. (see Dreams and Dreaming)
Lucid dreaming is knowing during a dream that you are dreaming. (see Dreams and Dreaming)
REMEMBER: The word lucid means "clear" or "readily understood." Lucid dreamers clearly know while still asleep that they are dreaming.
Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness brought on by special techniques and characterized by susceptibility to suggestions made by the hypnotist. Some people are more susceptible to hypnosis than others are. Hypnotic effects can last for days through posthypnotic suggestions, instructions given during hypnosis. People who experience posthypnotic amnesia cannot recall what happened during hypnosis. (see Hypnosis)
The role theory of hypnosis states that people only play the "role" of being hypnotized, which includes complying with the hypnotist's directions. (see Explaining Hypnosis)
The state theory of hypnosis maintains that hypnosis is a special altered state of consciousness. Supporters of the state theory believe that real, significant changes in basic mental processes take place during hypnosis. (see Explaining Hypnosis)
Dissociation theory is a blend of role and state theory. It contends that hypnosis is a splitting of the central control of thought processes and behavior. The hypnotized person agrees to give some of the control to the hypnotist. (see Explaining Hypnosis)
Psychoactive drugs bring about psychological changes by affecting the physiological functioning of the brain. (see Psychoactive Drugs)
Example: LSD, a psychedelic, changes the perception of sensory information and drastically alters thought processes.
Psychopharmacology is the study of psychoactive drugs. (see Psychoactive Drugs)
The blood-brain barrier is part of the structure of the blood vessels that supply the brain. Many chemicals cannot permeate the barrier, and thus do not have access to brain tissue. (see Psychoactive Drugs)
Agonists are drugs that mimic the effects of a particular neurotransmitter by binding to its receptors. (see Psychoactive Drugs)
Example: Agonists for endorphins stimulate endorphin receptors, resulting in the same mood-elevating response that an endorphin would cause.
Antagonists prevent neurotransmitters from having an effect by blocking receptors' ability to accept specific neurotransmitters. (see Psychoactive Drugs)
Example: Naloxone, an endorphin antagonist, keeps endorphins from binding with receptors, thereby preventing a "high."
Substance abuse is the self-administration of drugs in ways that cause serious social, legal, or interpersonal problems. (see The Varying Effects of Drugs)
Psychological dependence is the process whereby a person needs to continue taking a drug, despite its adverse effects, in order to maintain a sense of well-being. (see The Varying Effects of Drugs)
Physical dependence, or addiction, is the process whereby the body has a physical need for a drug. Addicts who discontinue drug use typically experience very unpleasant, and often dangerous, withdrawal symptoms. (see The Varying Effects of Drugs)
Example: Carol's addiction to a barbiturate became evident when, after attempting to quit using the drug, she experienced restlessness, violent outbursts, convulsions, and hallucinations.
A withdrawal syndrome is what occurs when a drug to which a person is physically addicted is removed. Symptoms vary from drug to drug but usually include an intense craving for the drug and its effects. (see The Varying Effects of Drugs)
Tolerance, a by-product of addiction, is the process whereby repeated use of an addictive substance results in the body's requiring ever-increasing amounts of the drug to achieve the same psychological and physical effects. (see The Varying Effects of Drugs)
Example: After using cocaine daily for several weeks, Jesse began to need more and more of the drug to achieve the same "high" he had initially experienced.
Depressants, which include alcohol and barbiturates reduce activity in the central nervous system.
(see Depressants)
REMEMBER: Depressants create feelings of relaxation, drowsiness, and, sometimes, depression.
Stimulants increase behavioral and mental activity. They include amphetamines, cocaine, caffeine, nicotine, and MDMA. (see Stimulants)
Opiates, including opium, morphine, heroin, and codeine, produce sleep and pain relief. These substances are highly addictive, and overdoses can be fatal. (see Opiates)
REMEMBER: In Chapter 3 you learned that your brain produces a class of neurotransmitters called endorphins, which have effects similar to those of morphine.
Hallucinogens, such as LSD, ketamine, and marijuana, cause a loss of contact with reality and changes in thought, perception, and emotion. Because many of these changes are similar to symptoms of psychotic forms of mental illness, these drugs are also called psychedelics, meaning they mimic psychosis. (see Hallucinogens)





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