consciousness
our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment
cognitive neuroscience
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)
selective attention
the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
inattentional blindness
failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
change blindness
failing to notice changes in the environment; a form of inattentional blindness
dual processing
the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
blindsight
a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it
parallel processing
processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain's natural mode of information processing for many functions
sequential processing
processing one aspect of a problem at a time; generally used to process new information or to solve difficult problems
sleep
a periodic, natural loss of consciousness- as distinct from unconsciousness resulting for a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation
circadian rhythm
our biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24 hour cycle
REM Sleep
rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches)) but other body systems are active
alpha waves
the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state
hallucinations
false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus
delta waves
the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep
suprachiasmatic nucleus
a pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm. In response to light, the SCN causes the pineal gland to adjust melatonin production, thus modifying our feelings of sleepiness
insomnia
recurring problems in falling or staying asleep
narcolepsy
a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times
sleep apnea
a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings
night terrors
a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during NREM-3 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are rarely remembered
dream
a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person's mind
manifest content
according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from its latent, or hidden, content)
latent content
according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content)
REM rebound
the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation