Mind wandering: refers to people's
experience of task-unrelated
thoughts
Consciousness and Brain Activity
EEG: is a device that monitors
the electical activity of the
brain over time by means of
recording electrodes attached
to the surface of the scalp
The sleep and waking cycle
Cycling through the Stages of Sleep
Stage1-4: Onset of sleep is gradual
Slow-wave: stages 3 and
4 during high amplitude
and low fequency
REM Sleep: Rapid eye movement. deep
stage of sleep. vivid dreams
The Neural and Evolutionary Bases of Sleep
Ascending reticular
activating system:
afferent fibres running
through the reticular
formation that influence
physiological arousal
Doing Without:
Sleep Restriction: substantially
less sleep than normal over a
period of time
Sleep Deprivation: deprived of REM sleep
Other sleep problems:
Narcolepsy: sudden and
irresistible onsets of sleep
during normal waking periods
Sleep apnea: frequen, reflexive grasping for air
that awakens a person and disrupts sleep
Nightmares: anxiety-arousing dreams that lead
to awakening, usually from REM sleep
Problems in the Night: Sleep Disorders
Insomnia: chronic problems in getting adequate sleep
The World of Dreams
Links between Dreams and Waking Life
Lucid dreams:
people can clearly
think about the
circumstances of
waking life and the
fact that they are
dreaming, yet they
remain sleep in the
midst of vivid
dream.
Theories of dreaming:
Manifest content
consists of the plot
of a dream at the
surface level. the
latnt content refers
to the hidden or
disguised meaning of
the events in the
plot
Hypnosis: Altered Consciousness or
Role Playing:
Hypnotic Induction and Susceptibility
Hypnosis is a systematic procedure
that typically produces a
heightened state of suggestibility
Hypnotic Phenomena:
Anesthesia, sensory
distributions,
disinhibition, and
posthypnotic
Theories of Hypnosis
Social-cognitive theory of Hypnosis:
Hypnosis as Role Playing and Hypnosis as
an Altered State of Consciousness
Meditation: Family of practices that train attention to heighten
awareness and bring mental processes under greater
voluntary control
Altering Consciousness with Drugs
Principle Abused Drugs and their Effects
Psychoactive drugs are chemical
substances that modify mental,
emotional, or behavioural
functioning
Types: Narcotics, Sedatives, stimulants,
hallucinogens, Cannabis, Alcohol, and
MDMA
Drug Dependence
Physical dependence: exists when a
person must continue to take a drug to
avoid withdrawal illness
Psychological dependence: when a person must
continue to take a drug to satisfy intense mental and
emotional craving for the drug
Drugs and Health
Overdose
Direct effects: Can cause serious health problems
Indirect: effects attitudes, intentions, and behaviour