AOS 4 UNIT 1

• consciousness


  our awareness of objects and events in the external world + of our sensations, mental experiences and own existence at any given moment
• normal waking consciousness (NWC)

  SOC experienced when you are awake and aware of thoughts, feelings and perceptions from internal events and surrounding environments
• altered state of consciousness (ASC)


  any SOC thats distinctly different from NWC natural/induced
• naturally occurring 


  normal part of life that occurs in the course of everyday activities without the need for aid
• induced 


  can be intentionally achieved by use of some aid or unintentionally due to an accident, disease or disorder
• psychological construct 


  a concept constructed to describe specific science activity thats believed to occur or exist but CANNOT be directly observed
• NREM (non rapid eye movement) sleep

  stage 1, 2, 3, 4 are determined by brainwave patterns, sleep becomes progressively deeper quiet sleep= brain activity slows down purpose is to help recover from fatigue, repairs body tissue, allows for growth
• REM (rapid eye movement) sleep


  active, paradoxical sleep, brainwaves exhibit beta rapid jerky eye movements + muscle atonia purpose is to consolidate memories + help with maturation of nervous system
• electroencephalograph (EEG)


  detects, amplifies, records electrical activity of the brain can be detected through the skull from attaching small electrodes
• electrooculargraph (EOG)


  detects amplifies records electrical activity of the muscles surrounding the eyes measuring movement and positions of the eyes
• electromyograph (EMG)


  detects amplifies records electrical activity of the muscles, as they progressively relax the deeper we move into sleep
• sleep diaries 


  self reported record of an individuals sleep and waking time activities, done over several week period
• video monitoring 


  externally observable responses on infrared video cameras which operate silently to allow footage to be taped without disturbing patient
• hypnogram


   a form of polysomnography, it is a graph that represents the stages of sleep as a function of time
• sleep


  naturally occurring altered state of consciousness
• circadian rhythms 


  biological processes that roughly follow a 24 hour cycle controlled by our internal "body clock"
• superchiasmic nucleus (SCN)


  master body clock in the hypothalamus that regulates body activities to a daily schedule of wakefulness and sleep located next to the optic nerve, it receives info about light from eyes
• zeitgeber 


  environmental cue that can synchronise + regulate the bodies circadian rhythm
• melatonin 


  hormone that induces drowsiness and decreases cell activity
• ultradian cycle


  biological process that follows cycle of less than 24 hours (NREM +REM)