Chapter 6: Consciousness Chapter Outline 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. When we are awake: Conscious awareness Preconscious and unconscious states When we are asleep Hypnosis Meditation Psychoactive drugs © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. When We Are Awake: Conscious Awareness What is consciousness? Everything you are thinking about right now! Your awareness of your surroundings and yourself Stream of consciousness—a continuing flow of changing thoughts (William James, 1890) Consciousness involves Attention Monitoring Remembering Planning © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Conscious Awareness and the Brain Different areas of the brain are responsible for attention and for one’s awareness of that attention Cerebral cortex Thalamus Intralaminar nuclei and midline nuclei © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Conscious Awareness and the Brain Inattentional blindness—failure to notice things around us to which we are not paying attention Blindsight—being unaware of what has reached our attention Conscious awareness—being aware of what has reached our attention Conscious awareness of self develops around 18 months © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Preconscious and Unconscious States • Preconscious—information from your past that is stored in your long-term memory and can be easily accessed • Example: What you did last weekend • Unconscious—information from your past that is stored in your long-term memory but cannot be easily accessed • Freud: a repressed memory of a significant traumatic event © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Cognitive View of the Unconscious We have two types of memory: Explicit—memories that we are consciously aware of Examples include memories of things we have done and facts Implicit—memories that we are unconsciously aware of Examples include knowing how to ride a bike; it is difficult to consciously explain how to balance on a bike © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. When We Are Asleep Why do we sleep? Adaptive theory of sleep—humans can conserve energy while it is dark and they can’t hunt for food. Also, keeps humans away from predators that are more active at night Restoration theory—holds that sleep restores our brains and bodies © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Sleep Needs of Various Animals © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Circadian Rhythm Circadian rhythm is a 24- hour sleep/wake cycle Controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) What causes our circadian rhythm? Genetic differences Morning people vs. evening people Some people need more sleep than others Environmental differences Low sunlight triggers production of melatonin, which helps to induce sleep © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Sleep Cycle 90–100 minute sleep cycle One cycle goes through Stage 1, 2, 3, 4, and REM sleep We have about five cycles a night © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Stages of Sleep Stage 1—a transition into sleep (5 min) At sleep, alpha waves change to theta waves HR slows, BP decreases Stage 2—harder to wake (15-20 min) More relaxed Sleep spindles (burst of rapid brain waves) Stage 3—deeper sleep (5-15 min) Theta waves and delta waves Stage 4—deepest sleep (20-30 min) Slow HR, brain and body in total relaxation (20-30 min) Deepest sleep Mostly delta waves Sleep walking and bed wetting are more likely © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. REM Sleep Rapid eye movement sleep (REM) stage of sleep is associated with rapid and jagged brain wave patterns, increased heart rate, rapid and irregular breathing, rapid eye movements, and dreaming Paradoxical sleep Non-REM sleep (NREM)—Stages 1 through 4 of normal sleep pattern Hypnagogic state—vivid sensory phenomena during presleep Myoclonic jerk—sharp muscular spasm © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Why Do We Dream? Freudian theory of dreams Wish fulfillment and conflict resolution Manifest and latent content Information processing theory Dreams involve processing information from the day (i.e., encoding memory and problem solving) Dreams could be a mental realm where we can solve problems and think creatively Activation-synthesis theory During sleep the brain has a lot of random activity Dreams are an attempt to make sense of this Dreams reflect the brains efforts to make sense out of or find meaning in the neural activity that takes place during sleep © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Activation-Synthesis Model © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Sleep and Age © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Sleep Deprivation If we could sleep as long as we wanted, most people would sleep 9–10 hours Chronic sleep loss results in General depressed state Lower immune system Lower ability to concentrate Higher incidence of accidents Lower productivity and higher likelihood of making mistakes Circadian rhythm sleep disorder–excessive sleepiness or insomnia as a result of a mismatch between their own sleep-wake pattern and the sleep-wake schedule of most other people in their environment © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Common Sleep Disorders Insomnia Most common Difficulty going to sleep, staying asleep, or wake early Caused by stress, drug dependence, pain, depression Sleep apnea Second most common Repeatedly stops breathing during night Possible to have hundreds of attacks per night Can lead to cardiac arrest © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Sleep Disorders Narcolepsy Excessive daytime sleepiness Suddenly fall into REM sleep during the day Can last up to 15 minutes Genetic factors involved No cure Sleepwalking Most common in children Occurs in Stages 3 or 4 Appears to be inherited © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Sleep Disorders Night terrors Stages 3 or 4 Child screams in panic; goes back to sleep immediately and does not remember the event in the morning Resolves by adolescence Nightmare disorder Experience frequent nightmares Nightmares are more common when stressed and in children © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Hypnosis Hypnosis—altered state of consciousness with heightened suggestibility, deep relaxation, and intense focus Posthypnotic responses Posthypnotic amnesia Hypnotic hallucinations Decreased activity in anterior cingulate cortex when used to reduce pain © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. How Hypnosis Works © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Meditation Meditation—group of technique designed to turn one’s consciousness away from the outer world toward one’s inner cues and awareness Benefits include: relaxing and pleasant feelings; treating pain, asthma, high blood pressure, heart problems, skin disorders, diabetes, and viral infections © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Types of Meditation Yoga—different poses Regulates blood flow, heart rate, and digestive processes Opening-up approach—clear one’s mind in order to receive new experiences Concentrative meditation—actively concentrate on an object, word, or idea, called a mantra Koan—a riddle, such as “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” Mindfulness meditation—pay attention to one’s feelings, thoughts, and sensations Being in the moment Being mindful, but not judgmental © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Psychoactive Drugs Psychoactive drugs—any substance that alters mood, perception, awareness, or thought Includes coffee, cigarettes, and alcohol © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Three Categories of Psychoactive Drugs Depressants—act on the central nervous system (CNS) to suppress bodily processes Alcohol, sedative-hypnotic drugs, opioids Stimulants—act on the CNS to increase bodily processes Caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines Hallucinogens—produce sensory or perceptual distortions called hallucinations LSD, marijuana © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Psychoactive Drugs and the Brain Psychoactive drugs activate a reward learning pathway, or “pleasure pathway,” in the brain. Reward-deficiency syndrome—pleasure pathway is not activated readily by daily events, so these people are prone to abuse drugs © John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Copyright Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. All rights reserved. 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