PSYC 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Sleep Paralysis, Brain Damage, Cataplexy
13 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
Consciousness is our awareness of ourselves and our environment: our experience of consciousness is constantly shifting, important process: selective attention = ability to pay attention to certain stimuli, shift attention. Sleep and wake cycle promoted by circadian rhythm: internal biological clock, genetic factors, external factors called zeitgebers (e. g. light and food), melatonin. Circadian rhythm disrupted by artificial light, light pollution, jet lag. Sleep = a normal state of unconsciousness characterized by reduced awareness of external stimuli: rem and non-rem sleep (aka deep sleep, 4 stages of deep sleep: Stage 1: light sleep where you drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily, eyes move slowly and muscle activity slows. Stage 2: eye movement stops and brain waves become slower. Stage 3: extremely slow brain waves called delta waves are mingled with smaller, faster waves. Stage 4: brain produces delta waves almost exclusively.
