Chapter 6

States of Consciousness

States of Consciousness

Consciousness our awareness of ourselves and our

environmentSelective Attention

our awareness focuses on only a limited portion of what we experience

cocktail party effect

Attention

Inattentional blindness failure to see visible objects when we are

attending to another task http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4

Conscious attention can only be in one place at a time

Sleep and Dreams

Circadian rhythm the biological clock roughly corresponds to 24-hour day/night cycle cyclical bodily rhythms

wakefulness body temperature

Measuring Sleep Activity

Sleep Stages Cycle through 5 sleep stages every 90 minutes Stage 1 Sleep

brief stage; sensation of falling Stage 2 Sleep

20 minutes; spindles (bursts of brain activity) Stage 3 Sleep

brief; transitioning to deeper sleep Stage 4 Sleep

30 min.; delta (large, slow) brain waves; deep sleep REM Sleep

10 minutes; vivid dreams

Sleep Stages

REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep

recurring becomes longer as night goes on

vivid dreamsparadoxical sleep

externally calm (muscles) internally aroused (heart rate)

Brain Waves and Sleep Stages

Alpha Waves slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

Delta Waves large, slow waves of deep sleep stage 3 and stage 4

Hallucinations false sensory experiences stage 1: may experience hallucination-like

images

Brain Waves and Sleep Stages

Sleep loss of

consciousness that is: periodic natural reversible

Typical Nightly Sleep Stages

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

4

3

2

1

Sleepstages

Awake

Hours of sleep

REM

Typical Nightly Sleep Stages

Hours of sleep

Minutesof Stage 4 and REM

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 80

10

15

20

25

5

Decreasing Stage 4

Increasing REM

Sleep DeprivationAre You Sleep Deprived?1. Need an alarm clock in order to wake up at the appropriate time.2. It’s a struggle for me to get out of bed in the morning.3. Weekday mornings I hit the snooze bar several times to get more sleep.4. I feel tired, irritable, and stressed out during the week.5. I have trouble concentrating and remembering.6. I feel slow with critical thinking, problem solving, and being creative.7. I often fall asleep watching TV.8. I often fall asleep in boring meetings or lectures or in warm rooms.9. I often fall asleep after heavy meals or after a low dose of alcohol. 10. I often fall asleep while relaxing after dinner.11. I often fall asleep within five minutes of getting into bed.12. I often feel drowsy while driving.13. I often sleep extra hours on weekend mornings.14. I often need a nap to get through the day.15. I have dark circles around my eyes.

Sleep DeprivationEffects of Sleep Loss

fatigue impaired concentration immune suppression irritability slowed performance

increased accidents planes autos and trucks

Sleep Deprivation

2,400

2,700

2,600

2,500

2,800

Spring time change(hour sleep loss)

3,600

4,200

4000

3,800

Fall time change(hour sleep gained)

Less sleep,more accidents

More sleep,fewer accidents

Monday before time change Monday after time change

Accident frequency

Why do we need sleep?

Protective kept our early ancestors from navigating at night

Recuperation restore and repair brain tissue

Remembering restore & rebuild memories from the day

Growth growth hormone released during deep sleep

Sleep Disorders Insomnia

persistent problems in falling or staying asleep

Natural Remedies Exercise Avoid caffeine (including chocolate) Dimmer lights Avoid naps Wake at same time each day Turn clock away

Sleep Disorders http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2yfUL8uct0&feature=channel

Narcolepsy uncontrollable sleep attacks may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at

inopportune timesHypersomnia

12-14 hours per day plus nap Fatigue, stressed –out feeling Rule out medical

Sleep Disorders Sleep Apnea

intermittently stop breathing during sleep frequent momentary awakenings usually unaware of these episodes

Night Terrors mostly seen in children appearance of being terrified (fast heart rate) occur during Stage 4 not the same as nightmares (which occur

during REM)

Sleep Walking/Talking

occur during Stage 4 (non-REM) Sleep runs in families more common in childhood usually harmless not remembered the next morning

Dreams

Dreams (REM) images, emotions, and thoughts passing

through a sleeping person’s mind hallucinatory imagery discontinuities incongruities vivid recall: if we are awakened during REM

sleep (or right after)

Dreams - Freud

Sigmund Freud-The Interpretation of Dreams (1900) dreams viewed as wish fulfillment outlet for otherwise unacceptable feelings

Dreams - Freud

Manifest Content remembered story line of a dream includes real experiences from the day

Tetris experiment

Latent (Hidden) Content underlying meaning of a dream Freud: uncovering this hidden meaning

can help people resolve personal issues

Dreams

REM Rebound tendency for REM sleep increases following REM

sleep deprivation Why do we dream?

Freud: outlet for unacceptable feelings Not supported by research

Information processing: to help “file” memories Link between REM & memory confirmed by brain

scans

Hypnosis

Hypnosis one person (the hypnotist) suggests to

another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts or behaviors will spontaneously occur

Depends on the subject’s openness to suggestion

Hypnosis

Posthypnotic Amnesia supposed inability to recall what one

experienced during hypnosis induced by the hypnotist’s suggestion

Memory Recovery Research has not supported the claim that hypnosis

recovers memories that are always accurate Testimony based on hypnosis is often banned

Hypnosis “Acid” Study (Orne & Evans, 1965)

hypnotized subjects told to plunge hand into “acid” & throw it in researcher’s face Next day: denied they would follow such commands

control group: told to “pretend” they were hypnotized unhypnotized subjects performed the same acts as

the hypnotized ones

Hypnosis

Unhypnotized persons can also do this

Hypnosis

Posthypnotic Suggestion suggestion to be carried out after the subject is no

longer hypnotized used by some clinicians to control undesired

symptoms and behaviors has been found to be helpful for treatment

of obesity addictions (drug, alcohol, smoking) do not

respond as well

Hypnotic Pain Relief 2 Theories

Dissociationa split between different levels of

consciousnessexample: “ice bath study” - dissociate the

sensation of cold from the emotional suffering we define as painful

Selective Attentionhypnosis doesn’t block sensory input, but it

may block our attention to painful stimuli

Hypnosis

Hypnosis as a social phenomenon: normal state of consciousness subjects feel and behave in ways appropriate for

“good hypnotic subjects” Hypnosis as divided consciousness

most researchers believe there is more to it than just being a “good subject” sometimes subjects carry out behaviors even if they

think no one is watching brain activity – areas light up as though subjects are

really seeing a color

Hypnosis

Divided Consciousness or Social Phenomenon?

Social Influencetheory:

the subject is so caughtup in the hypnotized role that she ignores

the odor

Attention is divertedfrom an aversive odor.

How?

Divided-consciousnesstheory:

hypnosis has caused asplit in awareness

Drugs & Consciousness

Psychoactive Drugs chemicals that change perceptions & moods

Tolerance brain adapts chemistry to offset drug effects increasingly larger doses are needed to get the

effect Withdrawal

discomfort following the discontinuation of a drug

Drug Tolerance

Dependence & Addiction

Physical Dependence indicated by physical pain and craving when the

drug is absent Psychological Dependence

not physically addictive, but user has a psychological need to use the drug

stress-relieving drugs Addiction

compulsive drug craving and use

Addiction Myths

Addictive drugs quickly corrupt (False) In most cases addiction does not occur when drugs

are used medically Example: Those given morphine to control pain do not

crave the drug like addicts who use morphine to change their mood

Even with highly addictive drugs (cocaine) only some people (about 15%) become addicted

Therapy is required to overcome addictions (False) Therapy & group support is helpful, but people do also

recover on their own

Psychoactive Drugs

Three Categories Depressants Stimulants Hallucinogens

All work at the brain’s synapses Stimulate, inhibit, or mimic neurotransmitter

activity Our expectations also play a role

Depressants

Reduce neural activity Slow body functions Examples:

Alcohol Barbiturates (tranquilizers) Opiates

Depressants - Alcohol

Slows reaction times Speech slurs Lowers inhibitions Feelings of invincibility Disrupts processing of recent experiences into long-

term memories Blackouts result partly from the suppression of REM sleep

Prolonged & excessive drinking can affect cognition (brain shrinking)

Depressants - Barbiturates

Tranquilizers Mimic the effects of alcohol Depress nervous system activity Prescription barbiturates used to induce

sleep or reduce anxiety Can be lethal if taken with alcohol or in large

doses

Depressants - Opiates Opium and its derivatives

Morphine; Heroin Depress (slow down) neural activity Lessen pain and anxiety by creating a sense

of pleasure Pleasure is short term and another dose may be

craved Larger and larger doses are needed Withdrawal symptoms can be extreme Increasing dose can lead to overdose death

Stimulants

Excite neural activity Speed up body functions Examples:

Caffeine Nicotine Amphetamines

Methamphetamine (“speed”) Cocaine Ecstasy

Stimulants - Cocaine

Enters bloodstream quickly Rush of euphoria

Brain’s supply of dopamine, serotonin, & norepinephrine are depleted

Crash 15-30 minutes later as drug wears off Many regular users do become addicted May lead to: emotional disturbances,

suspiciousness, convulsions, cardiac arrest

Stimulants - Ecstasy

A synthetic stimulant Also a mild hallucinogen Triggers release of serotonin and blocks its

reabsorption Prolonged feeling of euphoria

Risks: dehydration, overheating, death Long-term: damages neurons that make

serotonin (permanent depressed mood)

Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens distort perceptions evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory

input can be natural substances (marijuana) or

synthetic (LSD or Ecstasy)

Hallucinogens - LSD

lysergic acid diethylamide created & accidentally ingested by a chemist perceived striking images and intense

patterns of colors chemically similar to serotonin produces a variety of emotions

panic detachment euphoria

Hallucinogens - Marijuana

THC – major active ingredient Mix of effects (difficult to classify drug type)

Relaxes, disinhibits, euphoric feelings Mild hallucinogen: increased sensitivity to colors,

sounds, tastes, and smells By-products stay in body for 1 month+

regular users need lower doses for same effect Amplifies current state (e.g., anxiety or

depression)

Hallucinogens - Marijuana

Impairs: motor coordination reaction time (makes machine operation unsafe) formation of memories information recall

Marijuana smoke Can be toxic Lung damage

Drug Use Influences

Biological Factors Adopted individuals more susceptible to

alcoholism if one or both parents have history Genes identified that are more common among

people predisposed to alcoholism Psychological Factors

Feeling that life is meaningless Stress Psychological disorders (e.g., depression)

Drug Use Influences

Social-cultural influences peer influence cultural attitude toward drug use urban environment