Psych 200 States of Consciousness

States of Consciousness

1. Consciousness

2. What is Consciousness?

3. Examples of constructs associated with consciousness include: sensory awareness, selective attention, direct inner awareness, personal unity, and a waking state. The Many Meanings of Consciousness?

4. When we are aware of the environment, we are conscious of it. Vision allows us to see or be conscious of the snow. Hearing allows us to hear or be conscious of a concert. Consciousness as Sensory Awareness

5. Selective attention Focusing on one stimulus out of many stimuli. Learning which stimuli must be attended to and which can be safely ignored allows us to adapt to our environment. Sudden changes, unusual stimuli, Intense stimuli, and Repetitive stimuli. Selective Aspect of Attention

6. Direct Inner Awareness An individual’s awareness of personal thoughts, images, emotions, and memories. Levels of consciousness (Freud): Conscious We are aware of our thoughts and feelings. Preconscious We are not currently aware of thoughts and feelings but they readily available to us. Unconscious: We are unaware of our thoughts and feelings either through: Repression. Suppression Non-conscious bodily processes cannot be experienced through our sensory awareness or direct inner awareness.

7. As we get older, it is important for us to be individuals, different from other people. Our impressions, thoughts and feelings combine to make up our continuing self in a changing world. In this usage, consciousness is “self”. Personal Unity

8. Consciousness also applies to our waking state compared to sleep Distorted perceptions of reality called “altered states of consciousness”. Examples include: Hypnosis Meditation Biofeedback psychoactive drugs Waking State Effects of drugs on consciousness

9. Consciousness also applies to our waking state compared to sleep Distorted perceptions of reality called “altered states of consciousness”. Examples include: Hypnosis Meditation Biofeedback psychoactive drugs Waking State Effects of drugs on consciousness

10. Facts about sleep: One third of our adult lives are spent in sleep . Experts recommend 8 hours of sleep per night yet the typical adult in the U.S. gets less than 7 hours a night. The Circadian rhythm cycle regulates our sleep-wake patterns, and is connected with the earth’s 24hr rotation. Without environmental cues: the cycle increases to 25 hours, and we sleep about 10 of those hours. Sleep and Dreams

11. Figure 5.2 The Stages of Sleep. This figure illustrates typical EEG patterns for the stages of sleep. During REM sleep, EEG patterns resemble those of the lightest stage of sleep, stage 1 sleep. For this reason, REM sleep is often termed paradoxical sleep. As sleep progresses from stage 1 to stage 4, brain waves become slower and their amplitude increases. Dreams, including normal nightmares, are most vivid during REM sleep. More disturbing sleep terrors tend to occur during stage 4 sleep . Five Stages of Sleep

12. Sleep Cycles. This figure illustrates the alternation of REM and non-REM sleep for the typical sleeper. There are about 5 periods of REM sleep during an 8-hour night. Sleep is deeper earlier in the night, and REM sleep tends to become prolonged in the morning. Sleep and Dreams

13. Once we close our eyes, our brain waves slow down to 8-13 cycles/sec (alpha waves). Stage 1 Brain waves slow down further to 6-8 cycles/sec (theta waves). Hypnagogic state may occur (brief photograph like images). Stage 1 lasts 30-40 min. Stage 2: Brain waves slow to 4-7 cycles/sec Sleep spindles or brief bursts of brain activity 12-16 cycles/sec occur. Stages 3 and 4: Brain waves slow to 1-3 cycles/sec (delta waves) during stage 3, these same delta waves slow down to 0.5-2 cycles/sec in stage 4. Difficult to wake a person in stage 4 sleep. Five Stages of Sleep

14. We begin the journey back through the stages (from 4 to 1) until we enter REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Brain waves resemble rapid, low amplitude brain waves of Stage 1. Often called paradoxical sleep because EEG patterns look like an awake person’s waves. Difficult to awaken a person in REM. If you wake a person, 80% of the time he or she will report having been dreaming. Dreaming in NREM occurs but is less frequent (20%). Awakening from Sleep

15. There are still many questions about why we sleep. Lack of sleep for several nights leads to impairments in: Attention, learning, and memory. The amount of sleep we need is related to genetics, stress, and age. Sleep, Learning, and Memory Being REM deprived interferes with memory. Once REM deprived, person can catch-up REM sleep in later sleep periods. Functions of Sleep

16. Dreams involve imagery in the absence of external stimulation and usually occur during REM sleep. Theories on Dream Content Dreams involve activities or content from day. Freud theorized that dreams reflect unconscious wishes and urges. Activation synthesis model suggests that ACh and the pons stimulate responses that lead to dreaming. PET scans show that the brain’s frontal lobes are shut down during sleep. Memories are replayed and consolidated during sleep. Dreams are the by-products of brain testing. Dreams: What is the Stuff of Dreams?

17. Sleep Disorders - Insomnia Not being able to sleep. National Sleep Foundation (2000b) reports that as many as 58% of American adults are affected by insomnia in a given year. Females (61%) are more likely to report difficulties sleeping than are males (53%). Factors contributing to insomnia include: Stress Pain Children Partner’s snoring Pauses in partner’s breathing Individuals with insomnia may increase its severity by attempting to force sleep.

18. Sudden and irresistibly falling asleep. Affects 100,000 people in a given year. Appears to run in families. Typically lasts 15 minutes. May be accompanied by sleep paralysis Thought to be a disorder of REM sleep Stimulants and antidepressant drugs have helped some individuals. Sleep Disorders - Narcolepsy

19. People stop breathing numerous times per hour. Apnea is associated with obesity and chronic loud snoring. Apnea is related to: high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes. May be caused by anatomical deformities that clog air passages and problems in the breathing centers of the brain. Treatment includes: weight loss, Surgery, and continuous positive airway pressure . (CPAP) Sleep Disorders - Apnea CPAP machine to reduce apnea

20. Because deep sleep disorders (stage 3 or 4) are more common in children , they may reflect an immaturity of the nervous system. Sleep Terrors Bed Wetting Sleep Walking Sleep talking Deep Sleep Disorders

21. Psychological methods to deal with insomnia: Relax Challenge exaggerated fears Don’t ruminate in bed Establish a regular routine Try visualization Getting to Sleep without Drugs

22. Differ from other dreams because they occur while awake. We can guide and get “lost” in them. Some think they are a sign of a life that lacks enrichment or enjoyment, but can provide pleasure and allow for contemplation of future possibilities. Daydreams/Fantasies

23. Research suggests it is “normal” to fantasize about sex. Gender differences in sexual fantasies Males fantasize more frequently. Male fantasies are more forceful than females, generally . Sexual Fantasies

24. Tend to become common in adolescence Females experience them, but not as frequently as males. Aggressive Fantasies

25. Hypnosis An altered state of consciousness where people appear highly suggestible Began with Franz Mesmer (mesmerize) in the 18th century Mesmer proposed that the universe in connected by forms of magnetism. Today hypnosis is used to help people reduce anxiety or overcome fears. Also used to help people deal with pain, stress, enhance the functioning of the immune system losing weight, and prompting memories. Altering Consciousness Through Hypnosis

26. Hypnotic Suggestibility Knowledge of what is expected during trance. Prone to Fantasy Compartmentalize unwanted memories, Want to cooperate with the hypnotist. It is extremely unlikely that someone could be hypnotized against their will. People Who are Hypnotizable

27. How do Psychologists Explain Hypnosis? Role Theory People allow themselves to enact this role under the hypnotist’s direction. Response Set Theory Response expectancies play a role in the production of personal experiences or the experiences suggested by the hypnotist. Neodissociation Theory People can selectively focus their attention on one thing and dissociate from things going on around them rather than rely on a trance. Controversy in Psychology

28. Meditation refers to focusing consciousness in order to alter one’s relationship to the world. Can also refer to the process of suspending thinking and allow the world to fade away. Transcendental meditation (TM) TM was shown to reduce heart rate and respiration rates as well as blood pressure. Meditators produce more frequent alpha waves. These waves can improve sleep. Meditation

29. Biofeedback is a system that provides information or “feed back” about a bodily function. Once we have this information, we can use it to change body functions once thought to be involuntary (Ex. heart rate). We can monitor muscle tension with the electromyograph (EMG) and then use this biofeedback to combat stress, tension, and anxiety. Biofeedback

30. Psychoactive drugs can distort perceptions and change mood. Substance abuse the repeated use of a substance despite its contribution to social, occupational, psychological, physical problems. Dependence more severe than abuse because it is often characterized by: Tolerance: the body’s habituation to a substance so that higher dosages are required to achieve similar effects. Withdrawal or abstinence syndromes: noticeable effects when level of usage suddenly drops off. Examples include anxiety, tremors, restlessness, weakness, rapid pulse and high blood pressure. Delirium Tremens (DTs) Biofeedback

31. Reasons people report experimenting with drugs include: curiosity, conformity to peer pressure, parental use, rebelliousness, Escapism, and sensation seeking. A CDC survey indicated that teen drug and cigarette use increased over the past decade. Psychological views suggest that Expectations about drug effects are powerful predictors of use. Individuals use drugs to self medicate for anxiety and depression. Biological views suggest genetic predispositions for drug use. Substance Abuse and Dependence

32. Relieves anxiety, depression, or loneliness, and lowers inhibitions. Alcohol is the most abused drug ( 10-20 million Americans are alcoholics). Binge Drinking (males-5 drinks in a row, females 4) Connected with aggressive behavior, poor grades, sexual promiscuity, and serious accidents. Larger doses have sedative effect which: Impairs cognitive functioning, slurs speech, and reduces motor coordination. Induces feelings of elation and euphoria. Regular drinking leads to dependence. Depressants: Alcohol

33. Benefits to light drinking include an increase HDL (good cholesterol) and thus decreases risk of cardiovascular disease, less cognitive decline with age, and decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. However these benefits disappear with heavy drinking. Costs associated with heavy drinking include weight gain, interference with absorption of vitamins, possibility of disorders associated with drinking (cirrhosis of the liver, Wernicke- Korsakoff syndrome), cancer and cardiovascular disease, birth defects. Is a drink a day good for you? Controversy in Psychology