Consciousness and
Its Variations
McNeely
PSYC2301
1
Consciousness
• Described as a stream or river by William
James
• Introspection tried to capture the
structure of consciousness
• Modern study includes roles of
psychological, physiological, social, and
cultural influences
McNeely
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Circadian Rhythm
• Any rhythmic change that continues at
close to a 24-hour cycle in the absence
of 24-hour cues
– body temperature
– cortisol secretion
– sleep and wakefulness
• In the absence of time cues, the cycle
period will become somewhat longer
than 24 hours
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Circadian Rhythm
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The Body’s Clock
• Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)—
cluster of neurons in the
hypothalamus that governs the
timing of circadian rhythms
• Melatonin—hormone of the pineal
gland that produces sleepiness
• Bright light decreases production
of melatonin; decreased light
increases melatonin
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Stages of Sleep
EEG Waves
ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/ ~jmp/dreams.html
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Sleep Changes Throughout Life
• Changes in quality and quantity are
apparent
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Functions of Sleep
• Restoration theory—body wears out
during the day and sleep is necessary to
put it back in shape
• Adaptive theory—sleep emerged in
evolution to preserve energy and protect
during the time of day when there is
considerable danger
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Sleep Deprivation
• Microsleep--episodes lasting only a
few seconds
• REM rebound--deprivation of REM
sleep causes increase in time spent
in REM sleep to “catch up”
• NREM rebound--catching up on
Stages 3 and 4 sleep
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Individual Differences
in Sleep Drive
• Nonsomniacs—sleep far less than most,
but do not feel tired during the day
• Some individuals need more and some
less than the typical 8 hours per night
• Insomniacs—have a normal desire for
sleep, but are unable to and feel tired
during the day
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Sleep Disorders
• Insomnia—inability to fall asleep or stay asleep
• Night terrors—sudden arousal from sleep and
intense fear accompanied by physiological
reactions (e.g., rapid heart rate, perspiration)
that occur during slow-wave sleep
• Narcolepsy—overpowering urge to fall asleep
that may occur while talking or standing up
• Restless Legs Syndrome--RLS unpleasant
sensations in lower legs and urge to move legs
disrupts sleep.
• Sleep apnea—failure to breathe when asleep
• REM sleep behavior disorder—sleeper acts out his
or her dreams
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Dreams and REM Sleep
• True dream—vivid, detailed
dreams consisting of sensory and
motor sensations experienced
during REM
• Sleep thinking—lacks vivid
sensory and motor sensations, is
more similar to daytime thinking,
and occurs during slow-wave sleep
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Brain and REM Sleep
• Active areas during REM--amygdala and
hippocampus
• Inactive areas during REM--frontal lobes
and primary visual cortex
• REM sleep plays a role in memory
consolidation
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Significance of Dreams
• Psychoanalytic Interpretation
• Activation Synthesis Model
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Psychoanalytic Interpretation
• Manifest content—elements of the
dream that are consciously experienced
and remembered
• Latent content—the unconscious wishes
that are concealed in the manifest
content
• Dreams as “wish fulfillments”
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Activation Synthesis Model
• Brain activity during sleep produces
dream images (activation) which are
combined by the brain into a dream
story (synthesis). Meaning is to be found
by analyzing the way the dreamer makes
sense of the progression of chaotic
dream images.
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Hypnosis
• State of awareness
• Highly focused attention
• Increased responsiveness to
suggestion
• Vivid imagery
• Willingness to accept distortions
of logic
• Alteration of sensation and
perception
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Hypnosis and Memory
• Posthypnotic suggestion--during
hypnosis a suggestion is made for the
person to carry out some behavior after
hypnosis is over
• Posthypnotic amnesia--inability to
remember specific information because
of a posthypnotic suggestion
• Hypermnesia--enhancement of memory
because of posthypnotic suggestion
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Meditation
• Sustained concentration that focuses
attention and heightens awareness
• Lowered physiological arousal
– decreased heart rate
– decreased BP
• Predominance of alpha brain waves
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Meditation Techniques
• Concentration techniques--control
attention by focusing awareness on a
visual image, word, or phrase
• Opening-up techniques--control
attention by focusing on the “here and
now”
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Psychoactive Drugs
• Depressants—inhibit brain activity
• Opiates—produce pain relief and
euphoria
• Stimulants—increase brain activity
• Psychedelics—distort sensory
perceptions
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Common Properties
• Physical dependence
• Tolerance
• Withdrawal symptoms
• Drug rebound effect
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Depressants
• Alcohol—CNS depressant
• Barbiturates—induce sleep but
can cause dependence and as a
result serious withdrawal
symptoms
• Tranquilizers—relieve anxiety but
can be addictive
• Effects are additive
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BAC Effects
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Euphoria (BAC = 0.03 to 0.12)
Excitement (BAC = 0.09 to 0.25)
Confusion (BAC = 0.18 to 0.30)
Stupor (BAC = 0.25 to 0.4)
Death (BAC more than 0.50 )
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Areas of the brain that may be affected by FAS
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Opiates
Chemically similar to morphine and have
strong pain-relieving properties, can be
addictive
• Mimic the brain’s endorphins
• Heroin, methadone
• Percodan, Demerol
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Stimulants
• Caffeine
• Nicotine
• Amphetamines
• Cocaine
• Stimulant induced psychosis
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Psychedelics
• Create perceptual distortions
• Mescaline
• LSD
• Marijuana
• Flashback reactions and psychotic
episodes
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“Club” Drugs
• Ecstasy (MDMA)—feelings of
euphoria, increased well-being
• Side effects—dehydration,
hyperthermia, tremor, rapid
heartbeat
• Dissociative anesthetics—include
PCP and Ketamine. Deaden pain,
produce stupor or coma, and may
induce hallucinations.
McNeely
PSYC2301