PSYCH101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Reticular Formation, Sleep Paralysis, Rapid Eye Movement Sleep

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH101
• Professor: Richard Ennis

Document Summary

Stages of sleep: stage 4 = rem sleep (rapid eye movement) Rem sleep: eugene aserinsky"s discovery (1953): dreams occurred during periods of wild brain activity and rapid eye movements (rem sleep, heart rate rises and breathing becomes rapid. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brainstem blocks the motor cortex"s messages and the muscles don"t move. This is sometimes known as paradoxical sleep ; the brain is active but the body is immobile: genitals are aroused (not aroused by dream content) and stay this way after rem is over. If frightening, then called a nightmare: everyone dreams. Theories of dreams: wish fulfillment (psycho-analytic theory, psychic safety valve ; express otherwise unacceptable feelings, dream about what you want or desire, when things go wrong you dream about them going right, living fantasy world through your dreams. Sleep and aging: schematic and neuronal structure is fixed not many more connections to make.