PS101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Rapid Eye Movement Sleep, Caffeine, Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis
Document Summary
Consciousness: awareness of oneself and the environment. Biological rhythm: periodic, more or less regular fluctuation in a biological system; may or may not have psychological implications. Entrainment: synchronization of biological rhythms with external cues, such as fluctuations in daylight. Endogenous: generated from within rather than by external cues. Circadian rhythms: biological rhythm with a period of about 24 hours. Usually entrained to them, follow strict 24 hour schedule. Scn: located in hypothalamus, contains biological clock that governs circadian rhythms, neural pathways in eye transmit info to scn, respond to changes in light and dark, regulates fluctuating levels of hormones, like melatonin, melatonin. Hormone secreted by pineal gland, involved in regulation of circadian rhythms: during darkness melatonin rises, falls during brightness. Seasonal affective disorder: depression due to winter months, therapists use light as treatment, rhythms are out of sync, symptoms reduced when exposed to bright light after waking or to light that slowly became brighter.
