Source: Psychology 1100 Key Concepts and Terms
Tags: consciousness, stream of consciousness, executive function, REM sleep, hypnosis, addiction, theory of mind, stress, general adaptation syndrome, HPA axis, coping, emotion-focused coping, problem-focused coping, stages of change model, Ohio State PSY 1100
Difficulty: Intermediate Prerequisites: Biological psychology notes (brain structures, especially the hypothalamus and reticular formation). Familiarity with research methods helps with evaluating hypnosis research.
This unit covers two related areas. First, consciousness: what it is, how it varies (sleep, hypnosis, substance use), and how psychologists study something as subjective as awareness. Second, stress and coping: how the body responds to stressors, what happens when stress becomes chronic, and the strategies people use to manage it. These topics connect through the nervous system and brain structures you have already studied. The hypothalamus and HPA axis, for instance, appear in both the neuroscience unit and the stress material. Exam questions here tend to blend definitions with application, asking you to identify coping strategies in scenarios or explain what happens physiologically during the stress response.
Consciousness is your awareness of yourself and your surroundings, and it fluctuates throughout the day (waking, sleeping, altered states). The body's stress response follows a predictable pattern (alarm, resistance, exhaustion) driven by the HPA axis. People cope with stress either by tackling the problem directly or by managing their emotional reaction to it.
Consciousness
Our awareness of ourselves and our environment. In simple terms, consciousness is the running experience of being you, right now, including everything you notice and think about.
Stream of consciousness
A term coined by William James to describe the mind as a continuous flow of changing sensations, images, thoughts, and feelings. Think of it as a river of mental experience: it never stops, never repeats exactly, and shifts constantly.
Executive function
Conscious control of thoughts, emotions, and actions to accomplish goals or solve problems. In simple terms, executive function is the mental control centre that lets you plan, focus, switch tasks, and resist impulses.
REM sleep
A stage of sleep characterised by rapid eye movements and a high level of brain activity, associated with vivid dreaming. Think of it as the stage where your brain is nearly as active as when you are awake, but your voluntary muscles are largely paralysed.
Hypnosis
A state of consciousness in which the person is especially susceptible to suggestion. In simple terms, hypnosis is a focused, cooperative interaction in which the person responds to suggestions for changes in experience or behaviour.
Social cognitive behaviour view of hypnosis
The perspective that hypnosis is a normal state in which the hypnotised person behaves the way they believe a hypnotised person should behave. Think of it as: the person is not in a "trance" but is playing a social role shaped by their expectations of what hypnosis looks like.
Addiction
A physiological or psychological dependence on a drug. In simple terms, addiction means the person needs the substance to function normally and/or feels compelled to use it despite harm.
Theory of mind
An awareness that other people's behaviour may be influenced by beliefs, desires, and emotions that differ from one's own. Think of it as the ability to understand that someone else can think and feel differently from you. It develops in early childhood and is central to social interaction.
General adaptation syndrome (GAS)
Selye's concept that the body responds to stress in three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. In simple terms:
Alarm: the body mobilises resources (fight or flight response kicks in).
Resistance: the body tries to cope with the ongoing stressor, still on high alert but functioning.
Exhaustion: prolonged stress depletes the body's resources, increasing vulnerability to illness.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis)
The complex set of interactions among the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands that regulates various body processes and controls reactions to stressful events. Think of it as the body's stress-management chain of command: the hypothalamus signals the pituitary, which signals the adrenals, which release cortisol.
Emotion-focused coping
A type of coping in which people try to prevent having an emotional response to a stressor, managing how they feel rather than changing the situation. In simple terms, this is coping aimed at regulating your distress (e.g., talking to a friend, reframing the situation, using relaxation techniques).
Problem-focused coping
A type of coping in which people take direct steps to confront or minimise a stressor. Think of it as doing something about the problem itself (e.g., studying harder for a test, making a budget to deal with financial stress).
Stages of change model (Transtheoretical model)
A model describing behaviour change as a process with five stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. In simple terms, change does not happen all at once. People move from "not even thinking about it" to "actively maintaining the new behaviour," and they can cycle back through stages.
Stress management programme
An approach that teaches individuals how to appraise stressful events, develop skills for coping with stress, and put those skills into everyday use. Think of it as structured training in stress resilience, often combining cognitive reappraisal, relaxation, and problem-solving skills.
Consciousness exists on a continuum, from full alertness through drowsiness, sleep stages, and altered states (hypnosis, substance-induced states).
William James described consciousness as a "stream" to capture its fluid, continuous nature.
Executive function is the set of cognitive processes that manage consciousness: planning, inhibiting impulses, directing attention, and switching between tasks.
Sleep cycles through multiple stages, including NREM (non-rapid eye movement) stages and REM sleep.
REM sleep involves high brain activity, vivid dreaming, and temporary muscle paralysis (to prevent acting out dreams).
REM sleep is believed to play a role in memory consolidation and emotional processing.
The traditional view treats hypnosis as a distinct altered state of consciousness.
The social cognitive view argues that hypnotised individuals are not in a special state; they behave according to their expectations and the social demands of the situation.
Both views agree that hypnosis can produce real changes in perception and behaviour; they disagree about the mechanism.
Addiction involves physiological dependence (tolerance, withdrawal), psychological dependence (craving, compulsion), or both.
Substance use alters consciousness by affecting neurotransmitter systems in the brain.
Theory of mind develops around age 4-5 in most children (classic false-belief task).
It is essential for understanding deception, empathy, and social interaction.
Deficits in theory of mind are associated with autism spectrum conditions.
Selye's general adaptation syndrome describes a three-stage physiological response:
Alarm: sympathetic nervous system activates, adrenaline surges.
Resistance: the body attempts to adapt, cortisol remains elevated.
Exhaustion: resources are depleted, immune function drops, illness risk rises.
The HPA axis is the hormonal pathway driving much of this response: hypothalamus releases CRH, pituitary releases ACTH, adrenal glands release cortisol.
Chronic stress keeps the HPA axis activated, which wears the body down over time.
Problem-focused coping works best when the stressor is controllable (e.g., preparing for an exam, negotiating a deadline).
Emotion-focused coping is more useful when the stressor is outside your control (e.g., grieving a loss, managing anxiety about an uncertain outcome).
Most people use a combination of both, depending on the situation.
Precontemplation: no intention to change ("I don't have a problem").
Contemplation: awareness of the problem, considering change ("Maybe I should cut back").
Preparation: planning to take action soon ("I'll start next week").
Action: actively modifying behaviour ("I've stopped smoking for two weeks").
Maintenance: sustaining the new behaviour over time ("I haven't smoked in six months").
Relapse is common and treated as part of the process, not as failure.
The HPA axis and cortisol are directly relevant to understanding burnout: chronic work stress keeps cortisol elevated, which impairs immune function, sleep, and cognition. Problem-focused and emotion-focused coping map neatly onto everyday decisions, studying for a retake (problem-focused) versus calming yourself down after a bad result (emotion-focused). The stages of change model is widely used in clinical settings, from smoking cessation programmes to addiction treatment, because it helps practitioners meet clients where they are rather than expecting instant change.
Students often believe hypnosis puts people into an unconscious trance. The social cognitive view holds that hypnotised individuals remain aware and are responding to social expectations, not a special unconscious state.
Problem-focused coping is not always better than emotion-focused coping. The best strategy depends on whether the stressor is controllable. Trying to "fix" an uncontrollable stressor is often counterproductive.
The stages of change model is not a strict linear sequence. People frequently cycle back to earlier stages before achieving long-term maintenance.
The general adaptation syndrome describes a physiological pattern; it does not mean that everyone under stress becomes ill. Individual differences in coping, support, and biology all matter.
⚠️ Be able to name and describe all three stages of the general adaptation syndrome in order (alarm, resistance, exhaustion).
⚠️ Know the HPA axis pathway: hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal glands, cortisol.
⚠️ Expect a scenario question asking you to identify whether someone is using problem-focused or emotion-focused coping.
⚠️ Understand the social cognitive view of hypnosis and how it differs from the traditional "altered state" view.
⚠️ Know the five stages of the stages of change model in order.
⚠️ Be prepared to define theory of mind and give an example.
True or False: REM sleep is characterised by low brain activity and no dreaming.
Fill in the blank: The three stages of general adaptation syndrome are alarm, __________, and exhaustion.
True or False: Emotion-focused coping involves taking direct steps to solve the problem causing stress.
Fill in the blank: The HPA axis involves the hypothalamus, the __________ gland, and the adrenal glands.
True or False: In the stages of change model, relapse means the person has failed permanently.
(Answers: 1. False; 2. resistance; 3. False, that is problem-focused coping; 4. pituitary; 5. False, relapse is a normal part of the process.)
Q: Describe the three stages of the general adaptation syndrome and what happens physiologically in each.
A: Alarm: the body detects a stressor and activates the sympathetic nervous system (adrenaline, increased heart rate). Resistance: the body adapts and tries to cope, cortisol remains elevated, functioning appears normal but resources are being consumed. Exhaustion: prolonged stress depletes the body's reserves, immune function declines, and the person becomes vulnerable to illness.
Q: A student fails an exam and responds by creating a detailed study schedule for the next test. What type of coping is this?
A: Problem-focused coping. The student is taking direct action to address the source of stress.
Q: How does the social cognitive view explain hypnosis?
A: It holds that hypnosis is not a special altered state. The hypnotised person behaves according to their expectations and beliefs about how a hypnotised person should act. The effects are real, but the mechanism is social and cognitive rather than a trance state.
Q: What is the HPA axis and what role does it play in stress?
A: The HPA axis is the hormonal stress-response pathway. The hypothalamus releases CRH, prompting the pituitary to release ACTH, which signals the adrenal glands to release cortisol. Cortisol mobilises energy but, if chronically elevated, impairs immune function and overall health.
Q: List the five stages of the stages of change model.
A: Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance.
The HPA axis connects directly back to the biological psychology unit (hypothalamus, adrenal glands, neurotransmitters). Theory of mind links forward to developmental and social psychology. Consciousness topics like attention and executive function connect to the sensation and perception unit, where top-down processing requires conscious direction. Coping strategies also relate to the research methods unit: much of what we know about coping effectiveness comes from correlational and longitudinal studies with all the limitations those designs carry.
consciousness, stream of consciousness, William James, executive function, REM sleep, NREM sleep, sleep stages, dreaming, hypnosis, social cognitive view, altered states, addiction, tolerance, withdrawal, dependence, theory of mind, false-belief task, stress, general adaptation syndrome, GAS, Selye, alarm, resistance, exhaustion, HPA axis, hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal, cortisol, CRH, ACTH, emotion-focused coping, problem-focused coping, stages of change model, transtheoretical model, precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, stress management, PSY 1100, Ohio State psychology midterm