Question 1

If muscles are in a state of near-paralysis during REM sleep, then how is sleepwalking possible?

Accepted Answer

Sleepwalking typically occurs during stages of non-REM sleep, particularly during the deep, slow-wave stages of sleep, not during REM sleep when the body is in a state of near-paralysis.

Question 2

Roy tells his friends Helen and Joe about a dream he recently had, in which trains were zooming into tunnels and rockets were firing. Helen tells Roy that his dream is only a meaningless, random byproduct of REM sleep, while Joe tells Roy that his dream is a way of satisfying his unconscious urges. Helen is taking the ____ perspective, while Joe is taking the ____ perspective on dreaming.

Accepted Answer

Helen's explanation aligns with the activation-synthesis theory, which suggests dreams are random byproducts of REM sleep, while Joe's explanation aligns with the wish fulfillment theory, associated with Freud's idea that dreams satisfy unconscious urges.

Question 3

The night before the Psych 100 midterm, Mehmet had a dream where he saw himself being chased by his Psych 100 instructor. He believes that this was some random byproduct of his REM sleep. Mehmet probably believes in the ____ theory of dreams.

Accepted Answer

The activation-synthesis theory suggests that during REM sleep, the brainstem bombards the cerebral cortex with random neural activity, which the cortex then tries to make sense of by synthesizing a story or scenario. This theory suggests that dreams are not meaningful in themselves but are simply the brain's attempt to make sense of random neural activity. Mehmet's dream about being chased by his Psych 100 instructor is an example of this.

Question 4

Jonathan has a terrible dream in which he's being strangled by the tentacles of an octopus. When he wakes up, Jonathan remembers the frightening dream very well and immediately writes about it in his sleep journal. Jonathan appears to be experiencing ____.

Accepted Answer

Jonathan's experience of a frightening dream, which he remembers vividly upon waking up, is characteristic of a nightmare. Sleep apnea involves interruptions in breathing during sleep, REM behavior disorder involves physically acting out one's dreams, and sleep terror disorder involves sudden episodes of intense fear and panic during sleep.

Question 5

Which condition, if left untreated, would you be most likely to detect in one of your instructors if your only contact with your instructor was during class?

Accepted Answer

Narcolepsy can lead to symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden loss of muscle tone (cataplexy), which could be noticeable during class interactions. Other conditions listed primarily affect individuals during sleep, making them less likely to be observed in a classroom setting.

Question 6

Homer is awakened suddenly because Marge, his wife, is choking him! Marge explains that she was dreaming about defending herself from the Princess of Bad Taste: Scary Spice. Homer is not angry; rather he is concerned that Marge may be suffering from ____.

Accepted Answer

Marge's actions suggest REM behavior disorder, a condition where individuals act out their dreams due to a failure in the mechanism that normally paralyzes the body during REM sleep.

Question 7

Jocelyn, an excellent hypnotic subject, has been instructed under hypnosis to relive her birthday party when she turned six years old. Jocelyn will most likely ____.

Accepted Answer

Jocelyn, being an excellent hypnotic subject, will most likely be able to relive her sixth birthday party and describe the events as if she were currently experiencing them. This is because hypnosis is able to create a state of heightened imagination and suggestibility, allowing the subject to vividly relive past events or imagine new ones.

Question 8

Freud, who believed that dreams are "the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious mind," would probably have disagreed with the activation-synthesis hypothesis because ____.

Accepted Answer

Freud's theories focused on the psychological interpretation of dreams, emphasizing their symbolic content and their ability to reveal unconscious desires and conflicts. The activation-synthesis hypothesis, on the other hand, focuses on the physiological processes of the brain during REM sleep and suggests that dreams are the result of random neural activity that the brain attempts to make sense of by creating a narrative. Freud would have disagreed with this biological approach, as he viewed dreams as having a symbolic and psychological meaning.

Question 9

Jed feels tired all day long and cannot focus very well at work. At a sleep institute, he is told that he actually stops breathing many times throughout the night. Jed has ____.

Accepted Answer

Jed's symptoms are consistent with sleep apnea, which is characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep leading to disrupted sleep and daytime fatigue.

Question 10

Marsha lets out blood-curdling screams in the middle of the night, sits up in bed, and is seemingly inconsolable by her parents. In the morning, she doesn't remember having behaved this way. Marsha is most likely suffering from ____.

Accepted Answer

Marsha's behavior is typical of sleep terror disorder, which is characterized by sudden and intense panic episodes during sleep, often accompanied by screaming, sweating, and other signs of fear or distress. Unlike nightmares, which occur during REM sleep and are often remembered, sleep terrors typically occur during non-REM sleep and are not recalled by the person experiencing them. Sleepwalking and REM behavior disorder are also characterized by abnormal behavior during sleep, but they do not typically involve such intense panic or fear.

Question 11

Fred, Barney, George, and Bart are ten years old, and each suffers from a different sleep disorder. Fred occasionally shifts suddenly during the day from a normal waking state into several minutes of sleep, during which time he has very little muscle tone and is effectively immobile. Barney walks in his sleep (but does nothing else), while George sometimes moves to act out his dreams. Bart has nightmares (but not sleep terror disorder). Who is least likely to be in the REM stage of sleep when he exhibits his symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Barney only walks in his sleep, which occurs during non-REM sleep. The other three disorders (Fred's sleep attacks, George's dream enactment, and Bart's nightmares) are all associated with REM sleep.

Question 12

Jacob is dreaming. If this is all the information that you have, you mightassume that Jacob ____.

Accepted Answer

Dreams are most commonly associated with REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, so it is probable that Jacob is in REM sleep if he is dreaming.

Question 13

Dr. Huanca hypnotizes Travaughn and then tells him that from now on, whenever he feels the urge to smoke a cigarette, he will get up and get a glass of water instead. This instruction is an example of ____.

Accepted Answer

The instruction given to Travaughn by Dr. Huanca is an example of posthypnotic suggestion, which is a therapeutic technique used in hypnosis to give patients suggestions for behaviors they can follow after they emerge from their hypnotic state. In this instance, Travaughn has been given a suggestion to substitute smoking with drinking water.

Question 14

People who experience posttraumatic stress disorder are at high risk of experiencing ____, which occur(s)during REM sleep and may be treatable with imagery therapy.

Accepted Answer

People with PTSD often experience nightmares related to their traumatic experiences during REM sleep. These nightmares can be treated with imagery therapy, which helps individuals confront and process their trauma in a safe and controlled environment. Sleep terror disorder, sleepwalking, and insomnia are not specifically associated with PTSD.

Question 15

Desiree is having a dream in which she is being chased by four cartoon characters, who are waving large knives at her. "I've got to wake up; this is only a dream," Desiree tells herself while she is in the middle of this dream. Desiree is experiencing ____.

Accepted Answer

Desiree is experiencing a lucid dream, which is a dream where the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming and can sometimes even control the dream. She tells herself that she needs to wake up, indicating that she is aware it is a dream. REM behavior disorder involves physically acting out dreams, sleep terror disorder involves sudden screams and intense fear during sleep, and wish fulfillment is a Freudian concept related to unconscious desires being expressed in dreams.

Question 16

"I've got a joke for all of you," Rallo announces to a group of friends. "How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?" Before he can reveal the answer, Rallo suddenly falls asleep. Rallo must be suffering from ____.

Accepted Answer

The sudden onset of sleep suggests narcolepsy, which is a sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden attacks of sleep.

Question 17

Nikita suffers from a condition in which she is constantly awakened because she stops breathing when she sleeps. Nikita probably suffers from ____.

Accepted Answer

The symptoms described indicate that Nikita suffers from sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep. This can result in disrupted sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, and other health complications.

Question 18

Which theory postulates that dreams are meaningless random byproducts of REM sleep?

Accepted Answer

The activation-synthesis theory postulates that dreams are meaningless random byproducts of REM sleep. This theory suggests that the brainstem sends random signals to the cortex during REM sleep, and the cortex tries to make sense of these signals by synthesizing them into a story or dream.

Question 19

While dreaming that she is riding a bicycle, Millie actually moves around in bed making arm and leg motions similar to those of a cyclist. Apparently, Millie suffers from ____.

Accepted Answer

Millie's arm and leg movements during sleep indicate a type of sleep disorder known as REM behavior disorder, in which the normal paralysis of the body during REM sleep is absent, allowing the sleeper to act out their dreams physically. Jet lag and sleep apnea do not involve physical movement during sleep, and while some movement during an active dream can be considered normal, the description of Millie's actions suggests a more extreme level of behavior.

Question 20

Bart awakes screaming, shaking, and sweating, and his heart is beating rapidly. Homer and Marge, being good parents, has Bart hooked up to an electroencephalograph. Checking Bart's EEG, they note that Bart was in stage 4 sleep just before he awoke. From this information, they feel confident in saying that Bart had just experienced ____.

Accepted Answer

Bart's symptoms of waking screaming, shaking, sweating, and rapid heart rate are consistent with sleep terror disorder. Additionally, the fact that he was in stage 4 sleep, also known as deep sleep, is typical for someone experiencing this disorder. Nightmares, on the other hand, typically occur during REM sleep. Lucid dreams refer to dreams in which the dreamer is aware they are dreaming and can sometimes control the dream. Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by interruptions in breathing while sleeping, and would not likely cause the symptoms that Bart experienced upon waking.

Quiz 9: Consciousness