Consciousness
• Consciousness
– A person's awareness of everything that is
going on around him or her at any given
moment.
• Waking consciousness
– State in which thoughts, feelings, and
sensations are clear, organized, and the
person feels alert.
Consciousness
• Altered state of consciousness
– State in which there is a shift in the quality
or pattern of mental activity as compared
to waking consciousness.
Hallucination – is a perception in
absence of any stimulus. Hallucinations
can occur in any of the senses
Illusion - is a distortion of the senses,
distorts reality and is generally shared
by most people
Processing
• Explicit processing - processing that
is conscious, you are aware of your
thought process (effortful processing).
• Implicit processing - process that
happens without conscious awareness
(automatic processing).
Necessity of Sleep
• Circadian rhythm - a cycle of bodily
rhythm that occurs over a 24-hour
period.
– “circa” – about
– “diem” – day
• Hypothalamus – tiny section of the
brain that influences the glandular
system.
• Micro-sleeps - brief sidesteps into
sleep lasting only a few seconds.
Sleep deprivation - any significant
loss of sleep, resulting in problems in
concentration and irritability.
Functions of Sleep
• Adaptive theory - theory that animals and
humans evolved sleep patterns to avoid
predators by sleeping when predators are
most active.
• Restorative theory – theory that sleep
is necessary to the physical health of the
body and serves to replenish chemicals
and repair cellular damage.
Sleep Patterns of Infants and Adults
Infants need far more sleep than older children and adults. Both REM sleep and NREM sleep decrease dramatically in
the first 10 years of life, with the greatest decrease in REM sleep. Nearly 50 percent of an infant's sleep is REM,
compared to only about 20 percent for a normal, healthy adult. (Roffwarg, 1966)
Stages of Sleep
• Rapid eye movement (REM) - stage
in which the eyes move rapidly under
the eyelids and the person is
experiencing a dream.
• NREM (non-REM) sleep - any of the
stages of sleep that do not include
REM.
Brain Wave Patterns
• Electroencephalograph (EEG)
– brain wave activity through various stages
of sleep, determines what type of sleep the
person has entered.
 Alpha waves - brain waves that indicate a
state of relaxation or light sleep.
 Theta waves - brain waves indicating the
early stages of sleep.
 Delta waves - long, slow waves that
indicate the deepest stage of sleep.
Stages of Sleep
• Non-REM Stage One – light sleep.
– May experience hypnagogic images – vivid
visual events.
• Non-REM Stage Two – sleep spindles
(brief bursts of activity only lasting a
second or two).
Stages of Sleep
• Non-REM Stages Three and Four –
delta waves pronounced.
– Deep sleep – when 50%+ of waves are
delta waves.
• REM Paralysis – the inability of the
voluntary muscles to move during REM
sleep.
Brain Waves of Different State of Consciousness
Our brains show different wave patterns depending on our state of consciousness. Notice how the brain waves are
slower and longer when we are in a deeper state of sleep.
Figure 9.2 (continued) Brain Waves of Different State of Consciousness
Our brains show different wave patterns depending on our state of consciousness. Notice how the brain waves are
slower and longer when we are in a deeper state of sleep.
Figure 9.3 A Typical Night's Sleep
The graph shows the typical progression through the night of Stages 1–4 and REM sleep. Stages 1–4 are indicated on
the y-axis, and REM stages are represented by the green curves on the graph. The REM periods occur about every 90
minutes throughout the night (Dement, 1974).
REM Sleep and Dreaming
• If we are wakened during REM sleep,
almost always report a dream.
• REM rebound - increased amounts of
REM sleep after being deprived of REM
sleep on earlier nights.
Stage Four Sleep Disorders
1. Sleepwalking (somnambulism) occurs during deep sleep, an episode of
moving around or walking around in
one's sleep.
2. Night terrors - rare disorder in which
the person experiences extreme fear
and screams or runs around during
deep sleep without waking fully.
Stage Four Sleep Disorders
3. Nightmares - bad dreams occurring
during REM sleep.
4. REM behavior disorder - a rare
disorder in which the mechanism that
blocks the movement of the voluntary
muscles fails.
Can Sleepwalking be a
Crime Defense?
• Kenneth Parks case
• Scott Falater case
• Jules Lowe case
Problems During Sleep
• Insomnia - the inability to get to
sleep, stay asleep, or get a good
quality of sleep.
• Sleep apnea - disorder in which the
person stops breathing for nearly half a
minute or more.
Problems During Sleep
• Narcolepsy - sleep disorder in which a
person falls immediately into REM sleep
during the day without warning.
Sleep Disorders
Dreams
Freud believed that dreams acted as
wish fulfillment.
Manifest content – the actual dream itself.
Latent content – the true, hidden meaning
of a dream.
Meditation
• Meditation - mental series of exercises
meant to refocus attention and achieve
a trancelike state of consciousness.
• Concentrative meditation a person
focuses the mind on a repetitive
stimulus to clear the mind and relax the
body.
• Receptive meditation – the
surrounding environment causes an
involuntary conscious behavior.
Hypnosis
• Hypnosis - state of consciousness in
which the person is especially
susceptible to suggestion.
Hypnosis
• Four Elements of Hypnosis:
– The hypnotist tells the person to focus on
what is being said.
– The person is told to relax and feel tired.
– The hypnotist tells the person to “let go”
and accept suggestions easily.
– The person is told to use vivid imagination.
Facts about Hypnosis
Psychoactive Drugs
• Psychoactive drugs - drugs that alter
thinking, perception, and memory.
• Physical and Psychological Dependence
 Can lead to a lifelong pattern of abuse.
 Risk of taking increasingly larger doses.
Stimulants
• Stimulants - drugs that increase the
functioning of the nervous system.
– Amphetamines – drugs that are
synthesized (made in labs) rather than
found in nature.
– Cocaine – natural drug; produces
euphoria, energy, power, and pleasure.
Stimulants
• Stimulants (continued)
– Nicotine - active ingredient in tobacco.
– Caffeine - the stimulant found in coffee,
tea, most sodas, chocolate, and even many
over-the-counter drugs.
Depressants
• Depressants - drugs that decrease the
functioning of the nervous system.
– Barbiturates – depressant drugs that have
a sedative effect.
– Benzodiazepines - drugs that lower anxiety
and reduce stress.
Alcohol
• Alcohol - Often confused as a
stimulant but actually a depressant on
central nervous system.
How Drinks Affect Behavior
Narcotics
• Narcotics
– A class of opium-related drugs that
suppress the sensation of pain by binding
to and stimulating the nervous system's
natural receptor sites for endorphins.
 Morphine - narcotic drug derived from
opium, used to treat severe pain.
 Heroin - narcotic drug derived from opium
that is extremely addictive.
• Psychoactive drugs interfere with the
physiology of neurons and the use of
the neurotransmitters.
– Some drugs block the effects of
neurotransmitters, while others increase
neurotransmitters' effects.
Physical Dependence and treatment
– Tolerance – more and more of the drug is
needed to achieve the same effect.
– Withdrawal - physical symptoms that can
include nausea, pain, tremors and high
blood pressure………….
– Psychological dependence - the feeling that
a drug is needed to continue a feeling of
emotional or psychological well-being.