Levels of Consciousness
1) Main Concepts
A. Mere-Exposure Effect
- People tend to prefer stimuli they have seen before over new stimuli
-Doesn’t matter whether or not they consciously remember seeing the stimuli
previously
B. Priming
-Research participants respond more quickly and/or accurately to questions they have
already seen
-Doesn’t matter whether or not they remembered seeing them
C. Blind Sight
-Other senses compensate for lack of sight
-“See” when the eyes can’t
2) Levels
A. Conscious Level
-Information about yourself and environment that you’re currently aware of
B. Nonconscious Level
-Body processes controlled by mind
-Usually not aware of
C. Preconscious Level
-Information about yourself or environment not currently in thoughts
-Could be in consciousness
D. Subconscious Level
-Information not consciously aware of
-We know must exist due to behavior
E. Unconscious Level
-Controversial between psychoanalytic psychologists
1) Argue that it is impossible to prove
-Reserved for thoughts too unacceptable for conscious mind
The Different Levels of Consciousness
The Beta Level
The Beta Level defines our normal waking consciousness. Now 75% of waking consciousness is
consumed with monitoring the body's physical functions. The other 25% of the Beta State deals with the
thinking and planning state of the mind. The brain waves range from 14 to 27 cycles per second.
The Alpha Level
The Alpha State is the “resting state” of the brain. It is a passive state where one is non-critical and nonanalytical. Listening to music and relaxing is reflexive of this state. One is aware of stimuli. Mystical
states of consciousness happens in the alpha state and they usually occur prior to and just after sleep. The
Alpha State also occurs voluntarily during light hypnosis, meditation, biofeedback, day dreaming,
hypnogogic and hypnapompic states. The brain waves activity range from 8 to 13 cycles per second.
Theta Level
The Theta State is the “Reverie State” of conscious that is open to intuition and inspiration. Now stimuli
are often ignored in this state. Theta occurs during light sleep. It is accessible during biofeedback and
meditation. During this level, one is unaware of one’s surroundings. The brain wave-activity ranges from
4 to 8 cycles per second.
The Delta Level
The lowest level of brain activity is the Delta State. In this state the individual is unreceptive to any
stimuli. The Delta State usually occurs during a deep sleep.
These four levels of brain-wave activity enable science to understand the various components of
consciousness
Freud’s Dream Theory
Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud believed that dreams allow people to express unconscious wishes
they find unacceptable in real life. He drew a distinction between the manifest content and the latent
content of dreams.
1. The manifest content is the plot of the dream: who’s in the dream, what happens, and so
on.
2. The latent content is the dream’s hidden meaning. According to Freud, the manifest
content is a symbolic representation of the latent content. In other words, the plot acts as
a disguise that masks the real meaning of the dream.
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Cigars and Tunnels
Freud theorized that many psychological problems stem from repressed sexual urges. In his dream
theory, certain objects symbolize sex or genitals. The most famous Freudian symbol is the cigar,
which, owing to its shape and association with men, usually represents a penis. Freudian psychiatrists
would interpret tunnels and caves as vaginas.
Other Theories
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Activation-Synthesis Theory
Another theory, called the activation-synthesis theory, proposes that neurons in the brain randomly
activate during REM sleep. Dreams arise when the cortex of the brain tries to make meaning out of
these random neural impulses. According to activation-synthesis theory, dreams are basically brain
sparks.
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Problem-Solving Dreams
Some researchers think that dreams express people’s most pressing concerns and might help to solve
problems in day-to-day life. If someone has an important job interview coming up, for example, he
may rehearse scenarios for the interview in his dreams. If someone has relationship difficulties with a
significant other, his dreams may give him clues to help solve the problem.
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Neural Housekeeping
Some theories argue that dreams arise during the brain’s routine housekeeping functions, such as
eliminating or strengthening neural connections. Dreams, then, are a way of cleaning up brain files.

Lucid Dreams
During lucid dreams, people are aware that they are dreaming and may be able to control their
actions to some extent within the dream.
Freudian Dream Analysis:
Freud believed this conflict within the mind could be resolved via the use of a technique called free
association.
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Free Association: the dreamer is steered toward focusing on the thoughts and emotions the
dream produces and not its direct content. Freud believed this technique, once initiated, led to a
flow of more thoughts and emotions associated with the dream.
The patient’s comments are founded on the links between, their dream, what they say to begin
with about their dream, what they say after that, and so on and so on.
Once convinced the extracted themes had been obtained, Freud would piece the puzzle together
as a whole to form a complete analysis. Freud considered this was the best means to “sneak up”
on the repressed material.
Example: if a person’s dream included water they might relate this to a holiday they had as a child at a
lake, this may lead to a memory about fishing on the lake, this may lead to a memory of the person’s
father, etc.
Hypnosis
Role Theory- hypnosis is not an alternate state of consciousness at all.
Dissociation Theory- hypnosis causes us to divide our consciousness voluntarily.
Drugs
Psychoactive drugs are chemicals that change the chemistry of the brain and the rest of the body.
Blood-Brain Barrier- the brain is protected from harmful chemicals in the bloodstream by
thicker walls surrounding the brain’s blood vessels.
Drugs gradually alter the natural levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. The brain begins to
produce less of a specific neurotransmitter if it is being artificially supplied by a psychoactive
drug.
Tolerance- a physiological change that produces a need for more of the same drug in order to
achieve the same effect.
Withdrawal Symptoms- those who are psychologically dependent on a drug feel an intense
desire for the drug because they are convinced they need it in order to perform or feel a certain
way.
Stimulants- caffeine, cocaine, amphetamines, and nicotine are all common stimulants.
Depressants- slow down the same body systems that stimulants speed up.
Hallucinogens- cause changes in perceptions of reality, including sensory hallucinations, loss of
identity, and vivid fantasies.
Opiates- include morphine, heroin, methadone, and codeine. Act as agonists for endorphins and
thus are powerful painkillers and mood elevators.
Sleep Disorders:
I. Insomnia:
1. Most common sleep disorder; affects up to 10% of the population.
2. Person has problems getting to sleep, or staying asleep.
II.
Narcolepsy
1. More rare than insomnia; occurs in less than .001 percent of the population.
2. Intense sleepiness and might fall asleep at inappropriate or unpredictable times.
3. Can be treated with medication or naps at certain times of the day.
III.
Sleep Apnea
1. Almost as common as sleep apnea, but more dangerous.
2. Causes a person to suddenly stop breathing during the night.
3. Makes a person wake up and gasp for air, then goes back to sleep.
4. Individuals often don’t remember waking up in night, so it often goes undiagnosed.
5. Overweight men have a higher risk.
IV.
Night Terrors
1. Usually affect children
2. Occur during Stage 4 sleep