Psychology - Chapter 6: The Aware Mind
Addiction
A compulsive physical or psychological dependence on a substance or activity that continues in spite of negative consequences.
Lucid Dreaming
A conscious awareness of dreaming accompanied by the ability to control the content of the dream.
Circadian Rhythm
A daily biological rhythm.
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
A disorder characterized by the involuntary movement of an extremity, usually one leg.
Hallucinogen
A drug that stimulates the experience of false perceptions.
Dreaming
A mental state that usually occurs during sleep that features visual imagery.
Major Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Pattern
A mood disorder in which depression occurs regularly at the same time each year, usually during the winter months; formerly known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Waking
A normal state of consciousness characterized by alertness and awareness of external stimuli.
Sleep
A normal state of consciousness characterized by reduced awareness of external stimuli.
Insomnia
A sleep disorder characterized by an inability to either initiate or maintain normal sleep.
Narcolepsy
A sleep disorder characterized by the intrusion of rapid eye movement phenomena into waking.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
A sleep disorder in which an otherwise healthy infant dies while asleep.
Sleep Apnea
A sleep disorder in which the person stops breathing while asleep.
Sleep Terror
A sleep disorder occurring in non-rapid eye movement sleep in which the sleeper wakes suddenly in great distress but without experiencing the imagery of a nightmare.
Consciousness
A state of awareness.
Alpha Wave
A waveform 9 to 12 cycles per second recorded by electroencephalogram that usually indicates relaxed waking.
Delta Wave
A waveform of 1 to 4 cycles per second recorded by electroencephalogram that usually indicates deep non-rapid eye movement sleep.
Beta Wave
A waveform of 15 to 30 cycles per second recorded by electroencephalogram that usually indicates alert waking.
Theta Wave
A waveform of 4 to 7 cycles per second recorded by electroencephalogram that is characteristic of lighter stages of non-rapid eye movement sleep.
Gamma Wave
A waveform of more than 30 cycles per second recorded by electroencephalogram that usually indicates attention to sensory input.
Hypnosis
An altered state of consciousness characterized by relaxation and increased suggestibility.
Biological Clock
An internal mechanism that provides an approximate schedule for various physical processes.
Stimulant
Any drug that increases the activity of the nervous system.
Psychoactive Drug
Any drug with the capability of altering a person's state of consciousness.
Withdrawal
Physical responses to the removal of some habitually administered drugs.
Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep
The component of sleep characterized by waveforms resembling waking, as measured by electroencephalogram, accompanied by rapid motion of the eyes, muscular paralysis, and sympathetic nervous system activation.
Non-Rapid Eye Movement (N-REM) Sleep
The components of sleep characterized by theta and delta wave activity, as recorded by electroencephalogram, and deep physical relaxation.
Tolerance
The need to administer greater quantities of a drug to achieve the same subjective effect.
Self-Awareness
The special understanding of the self as distinct from other stimuli.
