Psychology Chapter 6 Terms

Front 1

Activation-synthesis theory

Back 1

A theory that says that dreams do not send any particular function-they are merely a byproduct of REM neural activity

Front 2

Agonist

Back 2

A drug that increases the activity of a neurotransmitter

Front 3

Alpha waves

Back 3

Waves that signify that you're feeling relaxed and drowsy (brain waves slow down)

Front 4

Antagonist

Back 4

A drug that inhibits or decreases the action of a neurotransmitter

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Automatic (unconscious) processing

Back 5

Processing that can be performed without conscious awareness or effort

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Beta waves

Back 6

Brain waves that signify when your brain is awake and alert

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Blindsight

Back 7

People with agnosia are not blind, but those with a rare condition called ____ are blind in part of their visual field yet in special tests respond to stimuli in that field despite reporting that they can't see those stimuli

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Blood-brain barrier

Back 8

A special lining of tightly packed cells that lets vital nutrients pass through so neurons can function

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Circadian rhythms

Back 9

Daily biological cycles

Front 10

Cognitive-process dream theories

Back 10

Theories that focus on the process of how we dream and propose that dreaming and waking thought are produced by the same mental systems in the brain

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Compensatory responses

Back 11

Reactions to that of the drug

Front 12

Consciousness

Back 12

Our moment-to-moment awareness of ourselves and our environment

Front 13

Controlled (conscious) processing

Back 13

The conscious use of attention and effort

Front 14

Delta waves

Back 14

Very slow (.5 to 2 cps) and large brain waves

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Depressants

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Drugs that decrease nervous system activity

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Dissociation theories (of hypnosis)

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Theories that view hypnosis as an altered state involving a division of consciousness

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Divided attention

Back 17

The capacity to attend to and perform more than one activity at the same time

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Evolutionary/circadian sleep models

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Models that emphasize that sleep's main purpose is to increase a species' chances of survival in relation to its environmental demands

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Hallucinogens

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Powerful and mind-altering drugs that produce hallucinations

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Hypnosis

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A procedure in which one person is guided by another to respond to suggestions for changes in subjective experience, alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought, or behavior

Front 21

Hypnotic susceptibility scales

Back 21

Scales that contain a standard series of pass-fail suggestions that are read to a subject after a hypnotic induction

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Insomnia

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Chronic difficulty in falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing restful sleep

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Melatonin

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A hormone that has a relaxing effect on the body

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Memory consolidation

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A gradual process by which the brain transfers information into long-term memory

Front 25

Narcolepsy

Back 25

A sleep disorder that involves extreme daytime sleepiness and sudden, uncontrollable sleep attacks that may last from less than a minute to an hour

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Night terrors

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Frightening dreams that arouse the sleeper to a near-panic state

Front 27

Opiates

Back 27

Opium, and drugs derived from it, such as morphine, codeine, and heroin

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Priming

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Exposure to a stimulus influences how you subsequently respond to that same or another stimulus

Front 29

Problem-solving dream models

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Because dreams are not constrained by reality they can help us find creative solutions to our problems and ongoing concerns

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REM sleep

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A sleep stage characterized by rapid eye movements, high arousal, and frequent dreaming

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REM-sleep behavior disorder (RBD)

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A sleep disorder in which the loss of muscle tone that causes normal REM-sleep paralysis is absent

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Restoration model

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Sleep recharges our run-down bodies and allows us to recover from physical and mental fatigue

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Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

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A cyclic tendency to become psychologically depressed during certain seasons of the year

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Selective attention

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The process that focuses awareness on some stimuli to the exclusion of others

Front 35

Sleep apnea

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To repeatedly stop and restart breathing during sleep

Front 36

Slow-wave sleep

Back 36

Another name for stage 3 and stage 4 sleep

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Social-cognitive theories (of hypnosis)

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Theories that propose that hypnotic experiences result from expectations of people who are motivated to take on the role of being hypnotized

Front 38

Stimulants

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Drugs that increase neural firing and arouse the nervous system

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Substance dependence

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A maladaptive pattern of substance use that causes a person significant distress or substantially impairs that person's life

Front 40

Suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN)

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What circadian rhythms are regulated by

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THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)

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Marijuana's major active ingredient

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Tolerance

Back 42

Decreasing responsivity to a drug

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Visual agnosia

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An inability to visually recognize objects

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Wish fulfillment

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The gratification of our unconscious desires and needs

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Withdrawal

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Occurrence of compensatory responses after discontinued drug use