Page 217 - Understanding Psychology

Summary and Vocabulary
Chapter Vocabulary
consciousness (p. 183) REM sleep (p. 186) circadian rhythm (p. 186) insomnia (p. 187)
sleep apnea (p. 187)
narcolepsy (p. 188)
nightmares (p. 188)
night terrors (p. 188)
sleepwalking (p. 188)
hypnosis (p. 191)
posthypnotic suggestion (p. 193)
biofeedback (p. 194) meditation (p. 195) psychoactive drugs (p. 197) marijuana (p. 198) hallucinations (p. 199) hallucinogens (p. 200) LSD (p. 200)
Everything you think and feel is part of your conscious experi- ence. An altered state of consciousness involves a change in men- tal processes, not just a quantitative shift (such as feeling more or less alert).
Sleep and Dreams
MainIdea:Sleep—an essential state of con- sciousness—involves stages and periods of dreaming.
s Someresearchersbelievethatsleepisrestorative. Others believe sleep is a type of hibernation, nec- essary to conserve energy. Still others believe sleep clears the mind of useless information.
s Thereareseveralstagesofsleep—fromStageI, the lightest level of sleep, to Stage IV, the deepest level of sleep. REM sleep is an active type of sleep characterized by rapid eye movement.
s Sometimespeoplehaveproblemsfallingasleepor during sleep. Sleep disorders include insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, nightmares, night terrors, and sleepwalking.
s Thementalactivitythattakesplaceduringsleepis called dreaming.
Main Idea: Hypnosis, biofeedback, and medi- tation are altered states of consciousness that can occur when we
s Hypnosis is a form of altered consciousness in which people become highly suggestible to changes in behavior and thought.
s Biofeedback has been used to teach people to control a wide variety of physiological responses.
s Studies have suggested that the regular practice of meditation is physically relaxing and can also lead to changes in behavior. Others argue that medita- tion is indistinguishable from regularly scheduled relaxation.
are awake.
Hypnosis, Biofeedback, and Meditation
Main Idea: Psycho- active drugs interact with the central ner- vous system to alter consciousness.
s The effects of marijuana, a psychoactive drug, vary from person to person.
s Hallucinogens, whose main effect is to produce hallucinations, have been used for their effects on consciousness since earliest human history.
s LSD, a synthetic substance, is the most potent and most extensively studied hallucinogen.
s Alcohol is a depressant that serves to inhibit the brain’s normal functions.
s Drug abusers are people who regularly use illegal drugs or excessively use legal drugs.
Drugs and Consciousness
Chapter 7 / Altered States of Consciousness 203