PS101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Slow-Wave Sleep, Sleep Spindle, Sleep Disorder
Document Summary
Consciousness awareness of oneself and the environment. We all experience dozens of fairly ups and downs in physiological functioning, called biological rhythms: defn: a periodic, more or less regular fluctuation in a biological system; may or may not have psychological implications. Ex. hormone levels, urine volume, blood pressure, responsiveness of brain cells to stimulation: synchronized with external events. Ex. changes in clock time, temperature, and daylight called entrainment: many continue to occur in the absence of external time cues, they are endogenous. Many biological rhythms occur approximately every 24 hours called circadian rhythms: defn: from peak to peak; latin circa dies meaning about a day, best known is the sleep-wake cycle. Exist in plants, animals, insects, and humans. Reflect the adaptation of organisms to the many changes associated with the earth rotating on its axis. To identify endogenous rhythms, scientists must isolate volunteers from all cues to time.
