chapter 7 psych vocab myers
Terms
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- consciousness:
- our awareness of ourselves and our environment.
- biological rhythms:
- periodic physiological fluctuations.
- REM sleep:
- rapid eye movement sleep, a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active.
- alpha waves:
- the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state.
- sleep:
- periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness—as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation. (Adapted from Dement, 1999.)
- 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.
- insomnia:
- recurring problems in falling or staying asleep.
- narcolepsy:
- a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times.
- sleep apnea:
- a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings.
- night terrors:
- a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during Stage 4 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered.
- dream:
- a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind. are notable for their hallucinatory imagery, discontinuities, and incongruities, and for the dreamer’s delusional acceptance of the content and later difficulties remembering it.
- manifest content:
- according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from its latent, or hidden, content).
- latent content:
- according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content). Freud believed that a dream’s latent content functions as a safety valve.
- REM rebound:
- the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation (created by repeated awakenings during REM sleep).
- hypnosis:
- a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur.
- posthypnotic suggestion:
- a suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized; used by some clinicians to help control undesired symptoms and behaviors.
- dissociation:
- a split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others.
- psychoactive drug:
- a chemical substance that alters perceptions and mood.
- tolerance:
- the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug’s effect.
- withdrawal:
- the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug.
- physical dependence:
- a physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued.
- psychological dependence:
- a psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emotions.
- addiction:
- compulsive drug craving and use.
- depressants:
- drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions.
- barbiturates:
- drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment.
- opiates:
- opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety.
- stimulants:
- drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, and Ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions.
- amphetamines:
- drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speededup body functions and associated energy and mood changes.
- methamphetamine:
- a powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, with speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes; over time, appears to reduce baseline dopamine levels.
- Ecstasy:
- a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and longer-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition.
- hallucinogens:
- psychedelic ("mind-manifesting") drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input.
- LSD:
- a powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid (lysergic acid diethylamide).
- THC:
- the major active ingredient in marijuana; triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations.
- dualism:
- the presumption that mind and body are two distinct entities that interact.
- monism:
- the presumption that mind and body are different aspects of the same thing.