Psychology 101
Marina Sangkavichai


To be conscious means to be aware.
Consciousness is a person’s awareness of
everything that is going on around him or her
at any given moment, which is used to
organize behavior including thoughts,
sensations, and feelings.

Altered States of Consciousness: change in
quality and pattern of mental activity. Samples:
fatigue, delirium, hypnosis, drugs, euphoria, sleep,
dreaming, awake
We spend an average of 25 years of our life
asleep!
Utah Study Results
A student talks on a
hands-free cell phone
while operating a hightech driving simulator.
The simulator was used
during a University of
Utah study that found
motorists who talk on
cell phones while
driving are as impaired
as drunken drivers with
blood-alcohol levels at
the legal limit of 0.08
percent.



Sleep is an innate biological rhythm that can
never be entirely ignored.
Our bodies roughly synchronize with the 24
hour cycle of day and night through a
biological clock called the CIRCADIAN
RHYTHM.
The circadian rhythm also regulates when we
sleep and when we’re awake and body
temperature.




Melatonin is a hormone secreted deep within
the hypothalamus in an area called the
suprachiasmatic nucleus.
The SCN is sensitive to changes in light.
As daylight fades, the SCN tells the pineal
gland to secrete melatonin.
As melatonin accumulates you begin to feel
sleepy.


Our bodies follow this internal clock called the
circadian rhythm.
Our body temperature rises as morning
approaches, peaks during the day; dips for a
time in early afternoon ( when people take
naps ) and then begins to drop again before we
go to sleep.






Recent evidence suggests that thinking is sharpest and
memory most accurate when people are at their daily
peak in circadian arousal.
Some of us are morning loving “larks”.
Some of us are evening energized “owls”.
Most university students are “evening persons.”
This shifts as we grow older. We go from “owls” to
“larks.”
Find out what works best for you! Use this to your
advantage.




Sleep is as basic to us as breathing
Sleep deprivation. Four days or more without
sleep is hell for anyone. The record for the most
days without sleep is held by Randy Gardner—
he went 11 days without sleep.
Interesting, sleep loss can be reversed by a
single nights rest.
People who experience sleep loss have trouble
paying attention, staying alert, and doing
simple tasks.


In an experiment at the University of Chicago,
rats who were deprived of sleep died.
Sleep deprivation psychosis: confusion,
disorientation, delusions, hallucinations…this
is not common.


Adaptive theory aka Circadian theory of sleep
proposes that animals and humans evolved
sleep patterns to avoid predators by sleeping
when predators are most active. If a prey
animal is in a cave somewhere sleeping at
night, it won’t be an evening snack.
Restorative theory proposes that sleep is
necessary to the physical health of the body
and serves to replenish chemicals and repair
cellular damage. It restores body and mind




Long sleepers/9hrs or more
Majority of people sleep 7 to 8 hours.
The range is 5 hours to 11 hours!
People vary in how much sleep they need


The afternoon sleepiness most people feel is a
natural part of the sleep cycle. Between
1:00-4:00pm our body temperature drops. It’s
quite appropriate to take naps.



We go through these stages every night
Stage 1- You first enter light sleep. Heart rate
slows down. Muscles of your body relax. This
may trigger a reflex muscle contraction
throughout the body called a hypnic jerk.
You may also experience hypnagogic images.
They look like flashes of light and bits of pieces
of what may eventually turn into dreams.



Stage 2 of sleep-sleep deepens. Body
temperature drops. Sleep spindles are recorded
on the EEG. Machine used to record brain
waves during sleep.
Stage 3-Sleep deepens and delta waves appear.
Deeper sleep and further loss of consciousness
Stage 4- Deepest sleep. Sleeper in oblivion.
Growth hormones are released. Children are
very hard to awaken in this stage because they
are still growing.




After some time in stage four, person will go
back up through stage three, stage two, and
then into REM sleep.
Body temperature increases, eyes move rapidly
under eyelids, heart beats faster and brain
activity signals wakefulness.
This is where dreams happen 90% of the time.
REM paralysis: inability of the voluntary
muscles to move during REM sleep.


Babies do move during REM
When babies are REM sleep, they are forming
new neural connections. Much brain growth
and development is taking place.


We cycle back to stage 3, 2, 1 throughout the
night. Our sleep cycle usually ends with a
dream.
When people are dreaming, many experience
REM which is RAPID EYE MOVEMENTS.
Sleepers eyes occasionally move under eyelids.
This is is associated with dreams. Brain very
active!



Insomnia-difficulty in getting to sleep or staying
asleep.
Narcolepsy-sudden attacks of sleep, person may fall
asleep while standing, talking or even driving. ( video
Narcolepsy news segment)
Sleep apnea- breathing stops for 20 seconds to 2
minutes, as the need for oxygen becomes intense
person wakes up and gulps in air. Extremely sleepy
from waking up all the time. Snores loudly




Psychodynamic theory-Freud believed dreams reflect
a persons wishes and desires. Thus a student who is
angry at a teacher might dream of embarrassing the
teacher in class, a lonely person may dream of romance
or a hungry child food.
Very weak evidence however. Dreams show few signs
of directly expressing hidden wishes. Flying desiring
more freedom.
Dream symbols/not direct/all in the interpretation
Dreams do however reflect our concerns.




The Activation Synthesis Hypothesis: an attempt to
explain how dream content is affected by motor
commands in the brain that occur during sleep but not
carried out.
Random firing of nerve cells that control motor
commands and brain is trying to make sense of it all by
retrieving past memories and producing a dream.
So for example, the nerve cell responsible for balance is
being triggered during REM and instead of acting it
out, brain produces a dream in which one is falling.
Smell and taste nerve cells are not activated during
dreams.


What are the causes of insomnia and list
possible solutions.
Please research strategies on how to improve
ones sleep.


An altered state of consciousness characterized
by narrowed attention and increased
suggestibility.
Hypnotized people generally remain in control
of their behavior and aware of what is going
on.




How are people hypnotized on stage?
People are usually cooperative on stage
because they don’t want to spoil the act.
Selection of responsive subjects/They choose
those who are going to follow instructions
Hypnosis label disinhibits: you can sing, dance
or act silly because being hypnotized takes
away personal responsibility


The hypnotist as “director”-as volunteers
loosen up and respond to a few suggestions,
they are stars of the show. They’ll ham it up.
Rigidly suspend a person between 2 chairsanyone can do this!



Psychoactive drugs are chemicals that change
perception and moods.
There are legal and illegal drugs: alcohol,
caffeine, nicotine, caffeine, diet pills, sleeping
pills, vicodin, etc.
Some drugs, of course, have a higher potential
for abuse than others. For example, heroin is
certainly more dangerous than caffeine.



Experimental: short term use based on
curiosity. Bill Clinton who didn’t inhale.
Social recreational: occasional social use for
pleasure or relaxation. For example, social
drinkers.
Situational: use to cope with a specific problem,
such as needing to stay awake. I.e. taking alert
pills to drive through the night, or steroids for
athletes.


Intensive: daily use with elements of
dependence. I.e. using sleeping pills to get to
bed
Compulsive: intense use and extreme
dependence. Doing whatever it takes to get
your next “fix”. Not being able to stop.



For a high, to feel euphoria, to escape pain,
calm their nerves, to deal with personal
problems, cure boredom, to fit in, ( Go Ask
Alice )
Dopamine-a rush of pleasure ( cocaine )
Len Bias, basketball player for Boston Celtics,
tried cocaine at 22 and died from Cardiac
arrest.


Marijuana produces a sense of euphoria or well
being, relaxation, altered time sense, and
perceptual distortions.
High dosages paranoia, hallucinations, and
delusions can occur






The effects of marijuana have been
inconclusive but it has been linked to:
Impaired memory
Precancerous changes in living cells
Temporarily lowers sperm production in males
Can suppress body’s immune system
Some loss of coordination





Sigmund Freud used cocaine and wrote about its
“euphoric” properties. Some say it caused his
wild imagination
Died at age 83 from cigars which he was heavily
addicted to.
Coca Cola had cocaine in it until 1906.
Cocaine: stimulant extracted from leaves of the
cocoa plant.
Alertness, euphoria, well-being power, dozen of
non-prescription potions and cure alls contained
cocaine.