Consciousness - AP Psychology

Sleep can be divided into REM and NREM sleep. Stages 1 to 4 are characterized by non-rapid eye movement (i.e. NREM) sleep. Stage 5 is characterized by rapid eye movement (i.e. REM). Beta waves occur during normal wakefulness and are not associated with sleep. As the body begins to fall asleep and enters stage 1, alpha waves become present. During stage 2 theta waves and sleep spindles emerge. During stages 3 and 4, delta waves are present.

"Night terrors usually have a story or plot to them" is the correct answer. This is the only answer that is not true. Nightmares usually have a story or a plot to them, not night terrors.

"Stage 4" has the slowest brain waves. This is because it's the deepest stage of sleep. The brain, if awoken in this stage, would take a long time to be able to perform certain actions because those brain waves have to be "sped up" to be able to engage in conscious action.

During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the random movement of the eyes is not voluntary because the person is soundly sleeping. REM sleep is essential for humans to feel well-rested and thrive during waking hours.

Hypnosis, meditation, and recreational drugs are all methods to induce an altered state of consiousness. These do not occur naturally, and require proactive involvement by the subject. There are, however, altered states of conciousness that occur completely naturally, such as sleep, daydreaming, or even altered states that can be caused by sleep deprivation.

The effects of hypnosis have the potential to last long after the session is over.

All individuals react differently to hypnosis and the effects are difficult to predict. Though it can reduce inhibitions, hypnosis cannot force a subject to do something they normally would not. Also, hypnosis is not a reliable method of extracting repressed memories, and there is no evidence to suggest it will allow one to remember past lives.

REM sleep (REM stands for "rapid eye movement") is the stage of sleep in which we dream. As the name suggests, our eyes move rapidly in different directions while in this stage. The other 4 stages of sleep are called "non-REM" sleep.

REM is arguably the most important stage of sleep, and it is the last stage of our sleep cycle until it repeats all over again. Due to the heightened activity in our brains, we may have more intense dreams during this period. Also during this time, our heart rate and breathing quickens, and our body restores itself.

A delta wave is a wave with a high amplitude (height on graph) and has a frequency of 0-4 Hz (fairly slow). Delta waves are helpful to note on a scan because they can help characterize how deeply a person is sleeping; in certain disorders (such as alcoholism) delta waves are disrupted by other wave forms, showing that a person is not getting the type of rest required by the body.

Melatonin is released by the pineal gland in response to circadian rhythms and other environmental clues, like darkness. It causes drowsiness and helps induce sleep.

Night terrors are characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified. Stage 4 is our deepest sleep stage, so it is difficult for those with night terrors to escape their terror by waking up (unlike nightmares).

Delta waves occur during deep sleep (stage 4) and are associated with dreaming. In contrast, alpha waves are relatively slow brain waves that occur during a relaxed, awake state.

The average amount of sleep an adult gets is 8 hours. Everyone is different, however; where some adults function off of 6 hours, others need at least 9 hours or more to feel healthy and awake.

Circadian rythm is responsible for the cycles of our blood pressure, metabolism, and body temperature. It contributes to our levels of energy throughout the day and is responsible for our descension in sleepiness as night falls.

After stage 1, which lasts about 5-10 minutes, is stage 2 during which we slowly enter deep sleep. This stage is still considered light sleep, corresponds to a drop in body temperature. We can still be woken up fairly easily. Stage 3 is when we enter heavier, deep sleep.

Rapid-eye movement (REM) is the stage during which most dreaming occurs. It is the last stage in the cycle of sleep and gets longer and more frequent the longer you sleep.

There are three primary theories of hypnosis.

Non-state, also known as "role theory," claims that hypnosis does not alter one's state of mind. Instead, the person undergoing hypnosis is acting out a particular role for a therapeutic benefit.

State theory asserts that a person does not have any agency in the matter of hypnosis. Rather, they are completely submerged in a different state of mind.

The third theory is dissocation, in which a person involuntarily decides to split their own consciousness.

There is no definitive proof to back up any of these claims, though hypnosis remains a popular way to treat a variety of disorders.

"Highly-suggestible" is the term for people who are more easily hypnotized.

There are many purposeful ways to induce an altered state of consciousness, but some accidental or pathological ones include infections, sleep deprivation, or psychosis. Some others are fasting, epilepsy, or traumatic experiences. An altered state of consciousness due to any of these is often an indicator of either a mental or physical health issue and should be addressed right away.