PSYCH 111: Introduction to Psychology: Week 8: Chapter 4 Quizzes: States of Consciousness

Correct Answer:

B. Three stages, identified by characteristic brain wave patterns

Explanation:

Non-REM (NREM) sleep consists of three stages, each with distinct brain wave activity. Stage 1 involves light sleep with theta waves. Stage 2 introduces sleep spindles and K-complexes, signaling deeper relaxation. Stage 3, also called slow-wave sleep, is dominated by delta waves and is critical for physical restoration and memory consolidation. These stages contrast with REM sleep, which has brain activity similar to wakefulness.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Two stages, based on eye movement and muscle tone

NREM sleep is not divided into two stages, and classification is based on brain wave activity, not eye or muscle activity.

C. Four stages, categorized by hormone secretion levels

Earlier models included four stages, but current classification recognizes three. Hormone secretion is influenced by sleep but does not define stages.

D. Five stages, marked by alternating cycles of dreaming and wakefulness

Sleep cycles alternate between NREM and REM, but NREM specifically has three stages, not five.

Correct Answer:

B. A euphoric high with intense elation and pleasure, especially through injection or smoking

Explanation:

Stimulants such as cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamine increase levels of dopamine in the brain’s reward pathways. This surge produces a euphoric high, feelings of intense pleasure, and heightened energy, particularly when drugs are injected or smoked, as these methods deliver rapid and powerful effects. These reinforcing experiences contribute to the addictive potential of stimulants, as users repeatedly seek the same pleasurable state.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Increased relaxation and sedation leading to sleep

This describes depressants such as barbiturates or benzodiazepines, not stimulants.

C. Reduced sensory awareness and detachment from reality

This describes dissociative drugs like ketamine or PCP, not stimulants.

D. Long-lasting hallucinations and distorted perceptions of time

This describes hallucinogens such as LSD or psilocybin, not stimulant drugs.

Correct Answer:

A. Muscle paralysis during REM sleep fails, leading to physical acting out of dreams

Explanation:

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia in which the normal atonia, or muscle paralysis, of REM sleep does not occur. As a result, individuals physically act out their dreams, which may include movements such as kicking, punching, or even getting out of bed. This condition can be dangerous to both the sleeper and their bed partner. RBD is strongly linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and highlights the critical role of REM atonia in protecting the body during dreaming.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

B. Breathing repeatedly stops and starts during REM sleep cycles

This describes sleep apnea, not RBD.

C. The transition into REM sleep is skipped, reducing dream activity

This is inaccurate because RBD does not prevent REM sleep; it prevents the paralysis associated with it.

D. Sleep paralysis continues into wakefulness, preventing voluntary movement

This describes sleep paralysis, a different disorder that occurs at sleep–wake transitions, not during REM itself.

Correct Answer:

B. States of heightened arousal or stress that can suddenly induce sleep attacks

Explanation:

Narcoleptic episodes frequently occur during times of strong emotional arousal or stress, such as laughter, anger, or excitement. These situations can trigger sudden sleep attacks and episodes of cataplexy, in which muscle tone is lost and voluntary movement may be temporarily paralyzed. This connection between emotional states and narcoleptic symptoms underscores the neurological disruption in regulating sleep–wake boundaries in individuals with narcolepsy.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Periods of complete relaxation and deep sleep onset

Relaxation may help sleep onset in general, but narcoleptic episodes are not triggered by calm states; they occur during heightened arousal.

C. Lack of REM sleep due to prolonged insomnia and sleep deprivation

Narcolepsy is not caused by insomnia; it is a neurological disorder independent of sleep loss.

D. External environmental stimuli such as loud noises during the night

Loud noises may disturb sleep, but they do not trigger narcoleptic episodes, which occur during wakefulness.

Correct Answer:

A. Alter negative thought patterns and behaviors that interfere with sleep

Explanation:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective non-pharmacological treatments for insomnia. It focuses on identifying and changing negative beliefs and thought patterns about sleep, as well as modifying behaviors that disrupt healthy sleep habits. Techniques may include relaxation training, stimulus control, sleep restriction, and restructuring maladaptive thoughts. By addressing both cognition and behavior, CBT helps restore natural sleep patterns without the long-term risks of medication dependence.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

B. Stimulate the brainstem to reduce REM sleep and shorten sleep cycles

CBT does not target the brainstem or attempt to reduce REM sleep; instead, it addresses psychological and behavioral factors.

C. Replace deep sleep with lighter stages to minimize awakening

The goal of CBT is to improve the quality of sleep, not to replace deep sleep with lighter stages.

D. Eliminate the need for sleep by conditioning the body to function without rest

No therapy can eliminate the body’s biological requirement for sleep; CBT improves natural sleep rather than removing it.

Correct Answer:

B. Parasomnia

Explanation:

Parasomnias are a category of sleep disorders characterized by abnormal movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, or dreams during sleep. Common examples include sleepwalking, night terrors, sleep talking, and REM sleep behavior disorder. These disturbances occur while the brain transitions between different stages of sleep and can be disruptive to both the sleeper and others. Parasomnias highlight the complexity of the brain’s regulation of motor activity during sleep.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Insomnia

Insomnia involves difficulty falling or staying asleep, not unwanted motor activity.

C. Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is defined by pauses in breathing during sleep, not disruptive motor activity.

D. Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is marked by sudden, uncontrollable episodes of sleep during wakefulness, not by disruptive behaviors during sleep.

Correct Answer:

B. Predatory risks that increase in darkness, promoting survival

Explanation:

Evolutionary psychology argues that sleep patterns were shaped by natural selection. In early human history, nighttime carried greater risks from predators and environmental dangers. By sleeping during the dark hours, humans reduced their exposure to threats and conserved energy for safer, more productive daytime activities. This adaptive response links the biological function of sleep to survival and reproductive success.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. The body’s need to conserve glucose for daytime activities

Energy conservation is a benefit of sleep, but the evolutionary perspective highlights predator avoidance as the stronger survival factor.

C. The brain’s need to rehearse daily events during REM sleep

REM may help with memory consolidation, but this reflects a cognitive function, not the evolutionary survival basis of sleep patterns.

D. Seasonal changes in food availability across environments

Food availability influences migration and behavior but is not considered the core driver of the evolution of sleep patterns.

Correct Answer:

B. Rapid eye movements with brain waves resembling wakefulness

Explanation:

REM sleep is a unique phase marked by darting eye movements beneath closed eyelids and brain wave activity that closely mirrors an awake state. Despite this active neural pattern, the body experiences muscle atonia, preventing movement while dreaming. This stage is strongly associated with vivid dreams, emotional processing, and memory consolidation. Its paradoxical nature—an alert brain in an immobile body—makes REM sleep distinct from all other stages.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

A. Slow delta waves and minimal brain activity similar to deep sleep

Delta waves define Stage 3 slow-wave sleep, not REM. REM is highly active neurologically.

C. Continuous theta waves and reduced responsiveness to external stimuli

Theta waves are more typical of light sleep stages, not REM. REM involves complex, wake-like activity.

D. Alpha rhythms that dominate during relaxed wakefulness

Alpha waves occur during drowsy wakefulness or Stage 1 sleep, not REM sleep.

The Correct Answer is:

a. A woman’s menstrual cycle

Biological rhythms are internal, recurring cycles that regulate various bodily processes. A woman’s menstrual cycle is a classic example, as it follows a predictable cyclical pattern of hormonal and physiological changes over approximately 28 days. These rhythms are controlled by internal biological clocks, such as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), and help synchronize body functions like sleep, hormone release, and reproduction with natural environmental cycles.

Why the other options are incorrect:

b. A sudden spike in blood pressure after exercise

This is incorrect because a spike in blood pressure is a short-term response to physical activity, not a recurring biological rhythm. Biological rhythms are predictable and cyclical, unlike temporary physiological changes.

c. A temporary change in breathing rate

This is incorrect because changes in breathing rate occur moment-to-moment depending on activity levels or emotional states, but they are not cyclically recurring patterns controlled by an internal biological clock.

d. A brief feeling of hunger after skipping breakfast

This is incorrect because hunger sensations are responses to energy needs and food intake patterns, not predictable internal rhythms. Biological rhythms occur independently of immediate behavioral choices like skipping meals.