Myers’ EXPLORING
PSYCHOLOGY
(4th Ed)
Chapter 5
States of Consciousness
James A. McCubbin, PhD
Clemson University
Worth Publishers
States of Consciousness
Consciousness
our awareness of ourselves and our
environment
Selective Attention
the focusing of conscious awareness
on a particular stimulus
cocktail party effect
Sleep and Dreams
Fantasy Prone Personality
imagines and recalls experiences with lifelike
vividness
spends considerable time fantasizing
Circadian rhythm
the biological clock
cyclical bodily rhythms
wakefulness
body temperature
Sleep and Dreams
REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep
recurring sleep stage
vivid dreams commonly occur
also know as paradoxical sleep
muscles are generally relaxed, but
other body systems are active
Brain Waves and
Sleep Stages
Alpha Waves
slow brain waves of a relaxed,
awake state
Delta Waves
large, slow waves of deep sleep
Hallucinations
false sensory experiences
Typical Nightly Sleep
Stages
Awake
Sleep
stages
1
2
3
REM
4
0
1
2
3
4
Hours of sleep
5
6
7
Typical Nightly Sleep
Stages
Minutes
of
Stage 4
and
REM
Decreasing
Stage 4
25
20
15
Increasing
REM
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
Hours of sleep
6
7
8
Sleep Deprivation
Effects of Sleep Loss
fatigue
impaired concentration
immune suppression
irritability
slowed performance
accidents
• planes
• autos and trucks
Sleep Deprivation
Less sleep,
more accidents
Accident
frequency
More sleep,
fewer accidents
2,800
2,700
4,200
2,600
4000
2,500
3,800
2,400
3,600
Spring time change
(hour sleep loss)
Monday before time change
Fall time change
(hour sleep gained)
Monday after time change
Sleep Disorders
Insomnia
persistent problems in falling or
staying asleep
Narcolepsy
uncontrollable sleep attacks
sufferer may lapse directly into REM
sleep, often at inappropriate times
Sleep Disorders
Sleep Apnea
characterized by temporary cessations of
breathing during sleep and consequent
momentary reawakenings
Night Terrors
high arousal- appearance of being terrified
usually in Stage 4, within 2-3 hours of
falling asleep
Dreams- Freud
Sigmund Freud- The Interpretation of
Dreams (1900)
dreams viewed as wish fulfillment
discharge otherwise unacceptable feelings
Manifest Content
remembered story line of a dream
Latent Content
underlying, censored meaning of a dream
Dreams
Information Processing View of
Dreams
the notion that dreams help consolidate
the day’s memories
stimulates neural development
REM Rebound
tendency for REM sleep increases following
REM sleep deprivation
Hypnosis
Hypnosis
a social interaction in which one
person (the hypnotist) suggests to
another (the subject) that certain
perceptions, feelings, thoughts or
behaviors will spontaneously occur
Hypnosis
Posthypnotic Amnesia
supposed inability to recall what
one experienced during hypnosis
induced by the hypnotist’s
suggestion
Hypnosis and Recall
Memory
sometimes a relaxed, focused state
can improve recall
“hypnotically refreshed” memories
are unreliable
false memories or pseudomemories
can be implanted
intentionally
unintentionally
Hypnosis
Unhypnotized
persons can
also do this
Hypnosis
Orne & Evans (1965)
control group instructed to “pretend”
unhypnotized subjects performed the same acts
as the hypnotized ones
Posthypnotic Suggestion
suggestion to be carried out after the subject is
no longer hypnotized
used by some clinicians to control undesired
symptoms and behaviors
Hypnosis and Pain
Dissociation
a split in consciousness
allows some thoughts and behaviors to
occur simultaneously with others
Hidden Observer
Hilgard’s term describing a hypnotized
subject’s awareness of experiences, such as
pain, that go unreported during hypnosis
Hypnosis
Divided Consciousness or Social Phenomenon?
In some way attention
is being diverted from a
very aversive stimulus.
How?
Divided-consciousness
theory:
Social influence
theory:
hypnosis has caused a
split in awareness
The subject is so caught
up in the hypnotized
Role that she can
Ignore the odor
Drugs and Consciousness
Psychoactive Drug
a chemical substance that alters perceptions and
alters mood
Physical Dependence
a physiological need for a drug
marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms
Psychological Dependence
a psychological need to use a drug
for example, to relieve negative emotions
Drug Tolerance
Tolerance
Drug
effect
diminishing effect
with regular use of
the same dose of a
drug
Response to
first exposure
After repeated
exposure, more
drug is needed
to produce
same effect
Drug dose
Withdrawal
discomfort and
distress that follow
discontinued use of
an addictive drug
Psychoactive Drugs
Depressants
drugs that reduce neural activity and slow
body functions
alcohol, barbiturates, opiates
Stimulants
drugs that excite neural activity and
speed up body functions
caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines
Psychoactive Drugs
Hallucinogens
psychedelic (mindmanifesting) drugs
that distort
perceptions and
evoke sensory
images in the
absence of sensory
input
LSD
Psychoactive Drugs
Barbiturates
drugs that depress the activity
of the central nervous system,
reducing anxiety but impairing
memory and judgement
Psychoactive Drugs
Opiates
opium and its derivatives (morphine
and heroin)
depress neural activity, temporarily
lessening pain and anxiety
Psychoactive Drugs
Amphetamines
drugs that stimulate neural
activity, causing accelerated body
functions and associated energy
and mood changes
Psychoactive Drugs
LSD
lysergic acid diethylamide
a powerful hallucinogenic drug also
known as acid
THC
the major active ingredient in marijuana
triggers a variety of effects, including
mild hallucinations
Psychoactive Drugs
A Guide to Selected Psychoactive Drugs
Drug
Type
Pleasurable Effects
Adverse Effects
Alcohol
Depressant
Initial high followed by
relaxation and disinhibition
Depression, memory loss,
organ damage, impaired
reactions
Heroin
Depressant
Rush of euphoria, relief
from pain
Depressed physiology,
Agonizing withdrawal
Cocaine
Stimulant
Rush of euphoria,
confidence, energy
Cardiovascular stress,
suspiciousness,
depressive crash
Nicotine
Stimulant
Arouses and relaxes, sense
of well-being
Heart disease, cancer
(from tars)
Marijuana
Mild
hallucinogen
Enhances sensation,
relieves pain, distorts time,
relaxed high
Lowered sex hormones,
disrupted memory, lung
damage
Trends in Drug Use
Percentage
of high school
seniors
reporting use
80
70
60
50
Alcohol
40
30
Marijuana/
hashish
20
Cocaine
10
0
‘76
‘78
‘80
‘82
‘84
‘86
Year
‘88
‘90
‘92
‘94
‘96
Near Death Experiences
Near Death
Experience
an altered state of
consciousness
reported after a close
brush with death
often similar to druginduced
hallucinations