Chapter 5
Consciousness
Section 1
The Study of Consciousness
1
Consciousness as a Construct
•
Consciousness means the awareness of things that are both inside
and outside ourselves
Psychological Construct: something that can’t be seen, touched
video
video
or measured directly
•
Early figures in psychology thought it couldn’t be scientifically studied
because it is hard to measure or observe a person’s consciousness
•
Today many psychologists believe that consciousness can be studied
because it can be linked with measurable behaviors (like talking) and
with brain waves
2
Meanings of Consciousness
Consciousness as Sensory Awareness
• sensory awareness refers to being conscious of all the
sights, sounds and smells in your environment at any
given time
• in other words, you are conscious, or aware, of things
outside of yourself
3
Selective Attention
Focusing on a particular stimulus is referred to as selective attention
Example: to pay attention in class you must screen out the rustling
of papers and the scraping of chairs
Selective attention makes our senses keener (pick out the voice of a
particular person across the room at a crowded party)
4
Consciousness as Direct Inner Awareness
We don’t hear, see, smell or touch thoughts, images, emotions, or
memories, yet we are still conscious of them
Consciousness as direct inner awareness is being aware of things
inside yourself
5
Consciousness as Sense of Self
Children begin to develop an understanding that they are unique
individuals, separate from other people and their surroundings
The sense of self in which we are aware of ourselves and our
existence
Question: How can the memory of an event trigger
an emotional response?
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Answer: The memory of the event is still in the
consciousness, the individual is still
aware of it, and the response is brought
on by the image of our memory
6
The Preconscious Level
Preconscious thoughts and ideas are not in your awareness now,
but you can recall them
Examples: what did you have for dinner last night?
what did you wear to school yesterday?
7
The Unconscious Level
Information stored in the unconscious (sometimes called subconscious)
is unavailable to awareness most of the time
In other words, it is hidden from the conscious mind.
8
Different Levels of Consciousness
Freud: Exploring
The Unconscious
Mind
9
The Non-Conscious Level
Many of our basic biological functions exist at the non-conscious level
Examples: You know that you’re breathing in and out, but you cannot
actually feel the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen
You squint when you take your sunglasses off, but you
can’t feel your pupils getting smaller
10
Altered States of Consciousness
Altered states of consciousness occur when a person’s sense of the
world changes (beyond consciousness)
Examples: sleep, meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis, drugs and alcohol
Section 2
Sleep and Dreams
1
The Sleep Cycle
Much of how people, animals, and plants function is governed by
Circadian Rhythms, or biological clocks
We tend to associate periods of wakefulness and sleep with the
rotation of the earth (day and night 24 hour cycle)
Circadian rhythms in people cause changes in blood pressure, body
temperature, sleepiness, and wakefulness over a 24 hour day
2
The Stages of Sleep
Sleep stages are defined in terms of brain-wave patterns which can be
measured by an electroencephalograph (EEG)
When we are awake, the brain emits beta waves, which are short and quick
When we are drowsy, the brain moves from beta waves to alpha waves which
are slower than beta waves. You are falling into sleep.
Ever feel like you’re falling? Flashes of color?
This state is followed by five stages of sleep.
3
Stage 1
Lightest stage of sleep, brain waves slow down from the alpha
rhythm to the slower pattern of theta waves
May be accompanied by brief images that resemble vivid photographs,
lasts no more than 30 or 40 minutes
Stages 2,3 & 4
Deep sleep, brain produces delta waves (slowest brain wave pattern)
Stage 4 is the deepest sleep, hardest time waking up during this
stage
4
REM Sleep (Stage 5)
After about a half hour of stage 4 sleep we cycle back through stage 3, to
stage 2, to stage 1
About 90 minutes after we fall asleep we move into rapid eye movement
stage (REM) under eyelids, eyes move rapidly
Breathing becomes more irregular, blood pressure rises, heart beats faster
Previous four stages known as NREM
Over a typical 8 hours of sleep we go through these stages about five times,
each one makes up one sleep cycle
As the night goes on, periods of REM sleep become longer
The Sleep Cycle
Most people go through the cycle 5 times in 8 hours. As the night progresses,
stages 3 and 4 become shorter and REM sleep becomes longer
5
Importance of Sleep
Sleep to revive the tired body and to build up resistance to infection
Also serves important psychological functions such as recovering from stress
REM sleep seems to serve particular psychological functions. People who
are deprived of REM sleep learn more slowly than usual, forget more rapidly
what they’ve learned
Research suggests that REM sleep may help brain development in infants and
“exercise” brain cells in adults
Page 138 reading
video clip
6
Dreams
Most vivid dreams occur during REM sleep, more likely to have vivid
imagery and make sense even if some of the events aren’t realistic
NREM sleep dreams are more vague and images more fleeting
People seem to dream in “real time” and dreams are often an extension of
the activities of the day
Why are they sometimes hard to remember? Because it’s hard to hold on to
Information from one state of consciousness when we move into another
(sleeping/dreaming to wakefulness)
Video clip
7
Freudian View of Dreams
Freud theorized that dreams reflect a person’s unconscious wishes
and urges
Theorized people don’t always dream in direct or obvious forms, but
rather, people dream in symbols
Theorized that these “symbolic” dreams give people a way to deal with
painful material that they cannot deal with consciously
8
The Biopsychological Approach
Believe that dreams begin with biological, not psychological activity
Theorize that during sleep, neurons fire in the part of the brain that
controls movement and vision, that neurons fire at random and the
brain tries to make sense of them (weaving a story)
This approach explains why people often dream about events that
happened earlier in the day
Most recent brain activity dealt with problems of the day, so the brain
uses everyday matter to give structure to random bursts of neurons
during REM sleep
Who’s right? Who knows?
Activity: The Dreamer and the Dream
Small Group Roles:
Dreamer
Freudian analyst
Biopsychological analyst
Dreamer will report a class-appropriate dream to the two analysts.
Reminders:
Freudian analyst: identify symbolism in the dream
Biopsychological analyst: look for real events that have been
woven into the story
Analysts will write down and deliver their reports to the dreamer
9
Sleep Problems
Insomnia
Most common type of insomnia is difficulty falling asleep
Psychologists recommend:
•
•
•
•
tense the muscles one at a time and then let the tension go
avoid worrying in bed, get up and do something else
establish a regular go to bed and wake up time routine
Use pleasant images to relax
10
Nightmares and Night Terrors
Nightmares, like most other dreams, are products of REM sleep
Night Terrors are similar to, but more severe than nightmares
heart races, gasps for air, suddenly sit up, talk incoherently or thrash
about, not fully wake up
Tend to happen during the first couple of sleep cycles. Nightmares tend to
happen more toward morning.
Most common in young children
11
Sleepwalking
Many children walk in their sleep, usually in deep stages of sleep
May answer questions, but don’t remember what they said when
they awake
Most children outgrow sleepwalking
12
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a breathing interruption that occurs during sleep
About 10 million Americans have sleep apnea, associated with obesity
and snoring
Can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, and stroke
13
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a rare sleep disorder in which people suddenly fall asleep, no
matter what time it is or where they are
One minute they are awake, the next, their muscles completely relaxed
in REM sleep
Believed to be a genetic disorder of REM-sleep functioning
Section 3
Altered States of Consciousness
1
Meditation and Biofeedback
Meditation is a method some people use to try to narrow their consciousness
so the stresses of the outside world fade away
Focus on a peaceful, repetitive stimulus such as a mantra
Important part of some religions such as Buddhism, “oneness with the universe”
clip
2
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a system that provides, or “feeds back,” data about
something happening in the body
Allows people to control bodily functions previously regarded as not
subject to conscious control
Tension headaches
High blood pressure
ADHD
3
Hypnosis
History of Hypnosis
German physician Franz Mesmer in the late 1700’s. developed theory on
magnetism (all parts of universe connected by forms of magnetism)
To cure patients, passed magnets over their bodies, some would fall into
a trance, Mesmer was dismissed as a quack
Today:
Used by some medical doctors as an anesthetic for minor surgery
Some psychologists use it to help patients manage anxiety, or pain. Or to
help patients overcome fears
4
Achieving Hypnosis
Focus on an object or the hypnotist’s voice, usually suggest that arms and
legs are becoming warm, heavy and relaxed. Becoming sleepy or are falling
asleep
Hypnosis is not sleep. People in trances have very different brain waves than
people who are sleeping
Hypnotic suggestibility: usually like the idea of being hypnotized and don’t
resist
Can only be hypnotized if they
allow themselves to be
6
Explaining Hypnosis
Freud used hypnosis to explore the unconscious.
Believed hypnotized people would allow themselves to put fantasy and
impulse before fact and logic
Another View?
Role play theory: people who are hypnotized are playing out a part as if
they are in a play and believe what they’re doing is real
(they enjoy the experience and believe what the hypnotist
is telling them is real)
There is no one generally accepted explanation for hypnosis
Most researchers agree that it can and does work with certain patients
7
Uses for Hypnosis
Psychologists continue to debate whether hypnosis has a scientific basis
Hypnosis and Memory
Has been used on occasion by the police to jog the memories
of witnesses to a crime, but results unclear
Hypnosis and Pain Prevention
Has been used by dentists to help people avoid pain during certain
procedures
Some people so suggestible, undergo surgery without anesthesia if they
are hypnotized and told they feel no pain
Hypnosis and Quitting Bad Habits
Therapist uses posthypnotic suggestion of behaviors to be carried out
after the patient leaves
Link the image of smoking with some image that would make the patient
feel ill or disgusted if they light up
Section 5
Drugs and Consciousness
clip
1
Depressants
Depressants are drugs that slow the activity of the nervous system.
Generally give people a sense of relaxation but can have many negative side
effects
Include alcohol and narcotics such as barbiturates and opiates
Alcohol is the most widely used drug in the United States
Regular use can lead to addiction
Withdrawal symptoms include
tension and trembling
Depressants:
Heroin
Morphine
Oxycodone
Methamphetamines
Cocaine
LSD
Inhalants
Marijuana/Cannabis
Stimulants:
Amphetamines
Nicotine
Hallucinogens:
Ecstasy
Peyote
Other:
Bath Salts
2
Narcotics
Narcotics are addictive depressants that have been used to relieve pain
and induce sleep
Many narcotics (such as morphine, heroin, and codeine) are derived from
the opium poppy plant
Morphine used during the Civil War to relieve pain from wounds. Highly
addictive
Heroin introduced in the West in the 1800’s, seen as the “hero” that would
end morphine addiction, also highly addictive
Withdrawal symptoms tremors, cramps, chills, rapid heartbeat, insomnia,
vomiting, diarrhea
3
Stimulants
Nicotine
Nicotine, the drug found in tobacco leaves is one of the most common
stimulants
Cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco
Addictive substance, some research suggests it can be as addictive as the
use of heroin
Withdrawal symptoms: nervousness,
loss of energy, insomnia, heart
palpitations, dizziness
Serious health risks, 400,000 Americans
die each year
4
Stimulants
Amphetamines
Amphetamines are stimulants known for keeping people awake and for
reducing appetite
First used by soldiers during WWII to stay awake and alert during the night
Pills, liquid form injected, meth (crushed, smoked, injected, snorted)
Not a hallucinogen, but high doses can cause hallucinations (bugs) and
delusions
Highly addictive. Especially meth.
Permanent brain, liver, kidney damage, “meth mouth”
5
Hallucinogens
A hallucinogen is a drug that produces hallucinations. In addition may cause
feelings of relaxation and pleasure.
Marijuana
Impairs coordination, studies report it also impairs memory and learning
Effects on consciousness, may feel that time is passing very slowly
LSD
Much stronger than marijuana and can produce intense hallucinations
Gained wide popularity in the 1960’s with the claim that it expands
consciousness and “opens new worlds”
Others: mushrooms, peyote, ecstasy
6
Types of Drug Treatment
Detoxification: Removal of harmful substances from the body
Maintenance Programs: Controlled amounts of drug given to participants
Counseling: Group or individual sessions
Support Groups: People with similar problems sharing common experiences
• Alcoholics Anonymous