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• Stream of Consciousness 


  The term used by William James to describe the mind as a continuous flow of changing sensations, images, thoughts and feelings.
• consciousness

  an individuals awareness of external events and internal sensations under a condition of arousal including awareness of the self and thoughts about one’s experiences.
• Reticular Activating System

  A network of structure, including the brain stem, medulla and the thalamus that determines arousal, one aspect of consciousness.
• Higher Level Consciousness 


  involves controlled processing in which individuals actively focus their efforts on attaining a goal; it is the most alert state of consciousness.

  • For example, doing a math or science problem, taking an at-bat at a baseball game, preparing for a debate
• Lower level Consciousness

  includes automatic processing that requires little attention, as well as daydreaming.

  • Punching in a phone number, typing on a keyboard as an expert, gazing at a sunset.
• Altered States of Consciousness

  can be produced by drugs, trauma, fatigue, possibly hypnosis and sensory deprivation

  • Feeling effects of taking alcohol or psychedelic drugs, undergoing hypnosis to quit smoking or lose weight.
• Subconscious Awareness

  can occur when people are awake, as well as when they are sleeping and dreaming

  • Sleeping and Dreaming
• No awareness


  Freud’s belief that some unconscious thoughts are too laden with anxiety and other negative emotions for consciousness to admit them

  • having unconscious thoughts; being knocked out by blow, or being anesthetized
• Controlled Process

  The most alert states of human consciousness, people actively focus their efforts towards a goal.
• Executive Function

  refers to higher order complex, cognitive processes, including thinking planning, and problem-solving.
• Automatic Processes

  States of consciousness that require little attention, and do not interfere with other ongoing activities. They require less conscious effort than controlled processes.
• Sleep

  A natural state of rest for the body and mind that involves the reversible loss of consciousness. It takes up about one third of our lifetime.
• Biological Rhythms

  periodic physiological fluctuations in the body, such as the rise and fall of hormones, and accelerated/decelerated cycles of brain activity 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 & dark, the body’s way of monitoring the change from day to night. Output from this allows the hypothalamus to regulate daily rhythms such as temperature & hunger.
• Stage W (W=wake)

  Beta & Alpha waves are exhibited. Beta waves reflect concentration & alertness, are the highest in frequency and lowest in amplitude. They are more desynchronized which means they don’t form consistent patterns. The Alpha waves are for when we are relaxed but still awake, relaxed, drowsy, and more synchronous.
• Stage N1 (non-rem1) Sleep

  when people are just falling asleep. “N” = nonrapid eye movement, these don’t occur during these stages, it is characterized by drowsy sleep and people may experience sudden muscle movement called myoclonic jerks. Theta waves are experienced, they are even slower in frequency. This is when you feel like falling and your head jerks.
• Stage N2 (Non-rem2) Sleep

  Muscle activity decreases & person is no longer consciously aware of the environment.Theta waves are continued, but sleep spindles form, which are brief high frequency bursts of neurons during simultaneously. They are important to memory consolidation & play a role in the communication between the hippocampus & the neocortex. People often report not having slept at all during N1 & N2, they’re very light stages of sleep.
• Stage N3 (non rem3) sleep

  Characterized by delta waves, the slowest & highest amplitude brain waves during sleep. Delta sleep is our deepest sleep, also known as slow wave sleep. People are usually confused & disoriented during this stage. Bedwetting and Sleep talking occur most in children during this stage.
• Stage R (Rem Sleep) 


  A stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movement when most vivid dreams occur. It is characterized by theta waves, similar to wake fullness.
• Insomnia


  The inability to sleep, can involve a problem in waking too early, falling asleep, waking during the night. It’s more common in women & those that are thin, depressed, & stressed.
• Sleep walking 


  occurs during the deepest stages of sleep, takes place during N3, more likely to occur in sleep deprived people and alcoholics.
• Sleep talk


  sleep driving, sleep eating
• Nightmare


  frightening dream that awakes one from REM sleep. Stress induces more nightmares.
• Night terrors

  sudden arousal from sleep & fear
• narcolepsy


  involves a sudden, overpowering urge to sleep. People immediately fall into REM sleep instead of slowing into the patterns. Involves problems with the hippocampus & amygdala.
• sleep apnea

  individuals stop breathing because the windpipe fails to open or because brain processes involved in respiration fail to work properly. It can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack.
• manifest continent 


  According to Freud, the surface content of a dream, containing dream symbols that disguise the dream’s true meaning.
• latent content


  According to Freud, a dream’s hidden content; it‘s unconscious and true meaning.
• cognitive theory of dreaming

  theory proposing that one can understand dreaming by applying the same cognitive concepts used in studying the waking mind.
• activation synthesis theory


  theory that dreaming occurs when the cerebral correct synthesuses neural signals generated from activity in the lower part of the brain and that dreams result from the brain’s attempts to find logic in random brain activity that occurs during sleep.
• psychoactive drugs 


  drugs that act on the nervous system to alter consciousness, modify perception, and change moods.
• tolerance


  the need to take increasing amounts of a drug to get the same effect.
• physical dependence 


  The physiological need for a drug that causes unpleasant withdrawal symptoms such as physical pain & a craving for the drug when it is discontinued.
• psychological dependence 


  The strong desire to repeat the use of a drug for emotional reasons, such as feeling of well-being and reduction of stress.
• addiction 


  A physical or psychological dependence, or both, on a drug. It means the person’s body requires a drug to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
• substance use disorder 


  A psychological disorder in which a person’s use in a psychoactive drug (such as opiates or alcohol), affects their health, ability to work, and engage in social relationships.
• depressants 


  psychoactive drugs that slow down mental & physical activity. The most popular are alcohol, barbiturates, tranquilizers, and opiates.
• stimulants

  psychoactive drugs that increase the central nervous system’s activity. Most used are caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, and cocaine.
• hallucinogens 


  psychoactive drugs that modify a person’s perceptual experiences and produce visual images that aren’t real. common ones are Marijuana & LSD.