Consciousness
What is consciousness?

Our subjective experience of the world, our bodies,
and our mental perspectives
◦ Two parts: Awareness and Arousal
◦ Know the self and become physiologically engaged in the
environment
◦ Prefrontal Cortex and Anterior Cingulate (controls will)
as well as the old brain

Stream of Consciousness – (William James)
constant flow of changing sensations, images,
cognitions, and feelings.
Levels of Awareness

Higher Levels
◦ Controlled Processes – The most alert states, you
actively control your efforts to the goal
 Require selective attention

Lower Levels
◦ Automatic Processes – require little attention because
they do not interfere with ongoing activities
 Your ability to text without breaking the convo!
◦ Daydreaming – The state between active consciousness
and dreaming
 Occur spontaneously
Altered States and Subconscious Awareness,

Subconscious – What is occurring beneath the
surface both when we are awake and dreaming
◦ Incubation process helps us solve problems

Altered States are mental states that are different
from normal awareness such as hallucinations
◦ Caused by trauma, fever, fatigue, sensory deprivation,
meditation, hypnosis, drugs, or disorders
Unconscious Thought – Sigmund Freud (1917)

A vast amount of socially unacceptable wishes,
feelings, and thoughts that are kept beyond our
conscious awareness
◦ It’s better off if we not know about these vile disturbing
impulses

Although Freud’s theory is controversial, scientists
today do back the idea of the unconscious.
◦ Many of our emotions and thoughts occur outside of
awareness (non- aware)
Sleep
Is sleep the same as being unconscious?

No!
Sleep
Unconscious
Brain processes sensory info.
Brain does not process sensory info.
Important info. will rouse someone
(e.g., a baby’s cry)
Important info. will not awaken
someone
Brain processes internal info.
Brain does not process internal info.
Will make adjustments (e.g., will
remove a blanket if too warm)
Will not make adjustments for
comfort
Biology of Sleep
Circadian rhythm
 Stages of sleep
 Sleep disorders

Theories on why we sleep:
Evolution dictates inactivity at night
 Memory consolidation
 Neural development and connectivity
 Conserving energy
 Brain Plasticity enhanced
 Restores the body
 Natural state of rest for the body.
 1/3 of our life

Circadian Rhythm
Cyclical changes that occur on a roughly 24hour basis in many biological processes
◦ Hormone release
◦ Drowsiness
 Biological clock: suprachiasmatic nucleus in
hypothalamus; responsible for controlling levels
of alertness
◦ Disruptions:
 Jet lag
 Shift work

Sleep Disorders
Insomnia
 Trouble falling asleep
 Waking up too early
 Waking up during the night and having
trouble returning to sleep
Insomnia

Common in depression, chronic
medical conditions

Induced temporarily by stress, meds,
caffeine, jet lag, naps, etc.

Sleeping pills less effective than
therapy; may cause rebound insomnia
Sleep Hygiene
Avoid caffeine, alcohol
 Avoid naps
 Regular bedtime and waking time
 Avoid clocks
 Cool room temperature
 Avoid TV/Internet before bedtime
 Reserve your bed only for the S’s

Narcolepsy

Rapid and unexpected onset of sleep

May fall asleep standing, driving, etc.

Strong emotions can elicit cataplexy
◦ Complete loss of muscle tone

Often experience hallucinations prior to episodes,
possibly due to rapid REM onset

Treatment with orexin-related meds
Sleepwalking and Sleeptalking

Somnambulism – deepest stages of sleep
when delta waves are at peak, more likely
with sleep deprivation or alcohol

Somniloquy – sleep talking also occurs in
deepest stage

Sleep Eating??? (Side effect of Ambien)
Nightmares and Night Terrors

Nightmares occur in REM sleep involving
a dream where frightening stimuli are
present.
◦ Shown to appear more with life stress

Night terrors
◦ Sudden arousal from sleep w/ intense fear
 Physiological reactions
 Peak at age 6
 Occur during delta sleep
Sleep Apnea
2-20% of the population
 Blockage of the airway during
sleep
◦ snoring, gasping, stopping
breathing
 Multiple awakenings nightly
◦ daytime fatigue
◦ negative health effects
 Treatment options: weight
loss, surgery, CPAP machine

Stages of Sleep
Measuring sleep: About every 90 minutes, we
pass through a cycle of five distinct sleep stages.
Hank Morgan/ Rainbow
Stages of Sleep
Awake and alert: Beta waves
Awake and relaxed: Alpha waves
Twilight - Awake but Relaxed
When an individual closes his eyes but remains
awake, his brain activity slows down to a large
amplitude and slow, regular alpha waves (9-14
cps). A meditating person exhibits an alpha brain
activity.
Stages of Sleep
Stage 1 Sleep: 5-10 minutes as falling asleep
•Brain activity reduces 50% or more
•Theta waves
•Myclonic jerks
•Hypnagogic imagery
Stages of Sleep
Stage 2 Sleep: most of sleeping time
•Brain waves continue to slow
•Muscle relaxation, body temp
•Sleep spindles
•K complexes
Stages of Sleep
Stage 3 & 4 Sleep: 25% of sleep
•Delta waves
•Deep, slow-wave sleep
•Necessary for feeling rested
•Alcohol suppresses delta waves
Stages of Sleep
Stage 5 (REM) Sleep: 20-25%
•Brain waves resemble wakefulness
•Increased heart rate and blood pressure
•Rapid and irregular breathing
Stages of Sleep

Rapid Eye Movements (REM) – Stage 5
◦ Eyes move under the lids
◦ Associated with vivid dream states; rapid plot
shifts & emotional content

Dreams do occur in non-REM sleep but
to a lesser degree & different
 Short, thought-like; topics of current concern such
as shopping lists, homework.
Importance of REM Sleep

Deprivation of REM leads to death in rats

REM rebound: when we’re deprived, we
automatically catch up on it the next time
we sleep (more dreams, more vivid)

Paradoxical sleep: Brain active, body
inactive
◦ REM Behavior Disorder
Sleep Deprivation
1. Fatigue and subsequent death.
2. Impaired concentration.
3. Emotional irritability.
4. Depressed immune system.
5. Greater vulnerability.
Dreams
Dream Findings
Negative Emotional Content: 8 out of 10
dreams have negative emotional content.
2. Failure Dreams: People commonly dream
about failure, being attacked, pursued,
rejected, or struck with misfortune.
3. Sexual Dreams: Contrary to our thinking,
sexual dreams are sparse. Sexual dreams in
men are 1 in 10; and in women 1 in 30.
4. Dreams of Gender: Women dream of men
and women equally; men dream more about
men than women.
1.
Why do we dream?
1.
2.
Wish Fulfillment: Sigmund Freud suggested
that dreams provide a psychic safety valve to
discharge unacceptable feelings. The dream’s
manifest (apparent) content may also have
symbolic meanings (latent content) that signify
our unacceptable feelings.
Information Processing: Dreams may help sift,
sort, and fix a day’s experiences in our
memories.
Why do we dream?
3.
Physiological
Function: Dreams
provide the sleeping
brain with periodic
stimulation to
develop and preserve
neural pathways.
Neural networks of
newborns are quickly
developing; therefore,
they need more sleep.
Why do we dream?
4.
5.
Activation-Synthesis Theory: Suggests that the
brain engages in a lot of random neural
activity. Dreams make sense of this activity.
Cognitive Development: Some researchers
argue that we dream as a part of brain
maturation and cognitive development.
All dream researchers believe we need REM sleep. When
deprived of REM sleep and then allowed to sleep,
we show increased REM sleep called REM Rebound.
Dream Theories
Psychoactive Drugs
Drugs and Consciousness
Psychoactive Drug:
substance that contains
chemicals similar to those
found naturally in our brains
that alter consciousness by
changing chemical processes
in neurons
 Mental Set: beliefs and
expectancies about the
effects of drugs

Substance Abuse & Dependence
Abuse: recurrent problems associated
with drug
 Dependence: clinically significant
impairment and/or distress

◦
◦
◦
◦
Tolerance
Withdrawal
Physical dependence
Psychological dependence
Sociocultural Influences

Prohibition of drinking in certain cultures
◦ Muslim, Mormon

Unemployment
Learning and Expectancies

Tension reduction hypothesis: consume
alcohol and other drugs to alleviate
anxiety
◦ But only relaxes if they believe it does
◦ Reinforces drug use
Genetic Influences
Alcoholism tends to run in families
 Mutation in aldehyde 2 gene associated
with low risk of developing alcoholism

◦ 40% of people with Asian descent
Explaining Abuse and Addiction

Biological factors
◦ Some people may be genetically predisposed
to addiction
◦ Dopamine reward circuit

Psychological, social, and cultural factors
◦ Expectations, social setting, and cultural beliefs
and values can affect usage patterns
◦ Attitudes and beliefs about drug use may
come from family environment
Depressants
Depress effects of CNS
 Sedative: drug that exerts a calming effect
 Hypnotic: drug that exerts a sleepinducing effect

Alcohol
BAC dependent on rate of alcohol
absorption
 Emotional and physiological stimulant at
relatively low doses, but considered a
depressant
 BAC = .05-.10: slowed thinking, impaired
concentration, reduced muscular
coordination
 BAC = .08 usual legal intoxication limit
 BAC = .40-.50: loss of consciousness
 BAC = .50-.60: fatal

Stimulants
Drugs that increase activity in CNS,
including heart rate, respiration, and
blood pressure
 Nicotine
 Cocaine
 Amphetamines

Cocaine
Blocks reabsorption of dopamine
 Produces increased alertness, motivation,
and euphoria
 Crash leads to anxiety, depression, and
strong cravings

Ecstasy
Ecstasy or
Methylenedioxymethamphet
amine (MDMA) is a
stimulant and mild
hallucinogen. It produces a
euphoric high and can
damage serotonin-producing
neurons, which results in a
permanent deflation of mood
and impairment of memory.
Amphetamines
Amphetamines stimulate neural activity, causing
accelerated body functions and associated energy
and mood changes, with devastating effects.
Chemically similar to
epinephrine, a hormone that
activates the sympathetic
nervous system
Increase alertness as well
as feelings of well-being
Can cause euphoria
followed by a crash,
including severe depression
Leads to cycle of addiction
Psychedelics (hallucinogenics)





Drugs that cause dramatic alterations of perception,
mood, and thought
Distort visual and auditory perception
Marijuana
LSD
MDMA (ecstasy)
◦ Produces hallucinations and delusions similar to a
psychotic state
◦ Can result in psychosis, memory loss, paranoia, panic
attacks, nightmares and aggression
Marijuana

THC, the active ingredient in marijuana,
produces symptoms such as
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦

Mild hallucinations
Euphoria
Enhanced sense of well-being
Relaxation
Distortion of time
Some users may experience anxiety and
paranoia
Narcotics
Drugs that relieve pain and induce sleep
 Highly addictive
 Heroin
 Morphine
 Codeine

Hypnosis
Hypnosis – Altered state of consciousness based on
high suggestibility, altered expectations, and focused
attention
◦ Takes place by minimizing distraction and comfort
◦ Concentration on something specific (watch, ticking,
scene)
◦ Information on the hypnotic state
◦ Suggesting certain events that are taking place based on
observations, uses person’s interpretation to increase
suggestibility.
◦ Divided State of Consciousness (Hilgard – 1977)
◦ Social-Cognitive View – Act on beliefs
Meditation
 Mindfulness
meditation has been a
psychological/physiological remedy
for thousands of years.
 Can achieve hypnosis through
meditation
 Mimics some of the qualities of
sleep and wakefulness (the inbetween)
Let’s Review
Sara drank 3 glasses of wine last night and
doesn’t feel rested today. The alcohol
likely disrupted Sara’s stage _ sleep.
A.1
B. 2
C.3 & 4
D.REM

Let’s Review
Korinne rarely feels rested while sleeping,
and this is unsurprising because she stops
breathing multiple times every night when
her airway gets blocked. Korinne likely has
_____.
A.Insomnia
B. Night terrors
C.Narcolepsy
D.Sleep apnea

Let’s Review
Fabian needs to drink 5 beers to get the
same feeling he used to get from 3 beers.
This reduction in the effect of the drug
after repeated use is called _______.
A.Tolerance
B. Withdrawal
C.Physical dependence
D.Psychological dependence

Let’s Review
Josh recently had back surgery, and his
doctor gave him a medication to help him
control pain. The drug he was given was
most likely a _________.
A.Depressant
B. Stimulant
C.Narcotic
D.Hallucinogenic
