Question

During lecture, a student is awake, but in a quiet resting state with his eyes closed. His EEG pattern is likely dominated by ______________ waves?

1) Alpha
2) Beta
3) Theta
4) Delta

Answer 1

An awake student in a resting state with closed eyes likely has an EEG pattern dominated by alpha waves.

Step-by-step explanation:

During a lecture, a student who is awake but in a quiet resting state with his eyes closed is likely to have an EEG pattern dominated by alpha waves. These waves are characteristic of the early part of NREM stage 1 sleep, which has fairly low amplitude and a frequency of 8-12 Hz. They represent a very relaxed state that is similar to wakefulness, but the brain activity is more synchronized and less variable than beta waves, which are typical when a person is fully awake and attentive. Theta waves (option 3) occur later in stage 1 sleep and have a lower frequency and higher amplitude than alpha waves.