Defining consciousness:
Two notions of consciousness


1. General state of arousal (sleep vs.
wakefulness)
2. Attentional focus or current awareness
(watching football game or listening to wife)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Defining consciousness:
Levels of Awareness
Higher-Level Consciousness

controlled processing

actively focus efforts toward a goal

requires attention
Defining consciousness:
Levels of Awareness
Lower-Level Consciousness
Automatic processes

require little attention/conscious effort

do not interfere with other ongoing activities
Daydreaming



wandering thoughts
fantasy, imagination, rumination
potentially useful (reminding, solving)
Defining consciousness:
Altered states
Altered States of
Consciousness
drug states
 fatigue, illness, trauma, deprivation
 meditation, hypnosis
 mental disorders

Cognitive Studies of Consciousness:
Generally deal with 2nd notion



1. Consciousness as attentional focus:
Cocktail party effect (selective attention)
2. Automatic vs. Controlled processing
(effects of practice on conscious awareness)
3. Implicit vs. Explicit memory


Recall test vs. Perceptual Identification test
Effects of priming
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Cognitive Studies of consciousness:
Priming test






Word or non-word RT measure
FORK = word; DXMZ = non-word
SIGN – FORK
DXMZ – FORK
SPOON – FORK (sig reduction in rt)
Unconscious priming? -- yes
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Cognitive studies of consciousness:
Exclusion task in priming



Coconut…palm (tree or wrist?) cons: only
tree/uncon: either
Hand…palm (tree or wrist?) cons: only
wrist/uncon: either
Stem completion task: complete BUT_ _ _
(could be butter or butler). What happens
when one is presented earlier either
consciously or unconsciously?) But can only
be excluded consciously
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Cognitive studies of consciousness: Brain
Damaged Subjects


1. Blindsight: loss of visual consciousness
due to damage to primary visual cortex
2. Prosopagnosia: loss of face recognition
due to damage to temporal lobe visual
pathway.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sleep and Dreams: Stages of Sleep

NREM (Non-Rapid-Eye-Movement) Sleep:
 Stage 1 (lightest sleep)
 Stage 2 (deeper sleep)
 Stages 3 and 4 (deepest sleep)

REM (Rapid-Eye-Movement) Sleep:
 Light sleep (also called paradoxical
sleep)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sleep and Dreams: Stages of Sleep
(Continued)

NREM (non-REM) sleep:
 includes Stages 1 through 4
 involves lower-frequency brain waves,
decreased pulse and breathing,and
occasional, simple dreams
 serves a biological need (NREM needs
met before REM needs)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sleep and Dreams:
Stages of Sleep (Continued)

REM (Rapid-Eye-Movement) sleep:
 also known as paradoxical sleep.
 involves high-frequency brain waves,
increased pulse and breathing, large
muscle .
 serves a biological need.
 may play a role in learning and
consolidating new memories.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sleep and Dreams:
Stages of Sleep in a Typical Night
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sleep and Dreams: Research

The EEG,
EOG, and
EMG are
common
tools for
sleep
research.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
What Happens When We Sleep
Sleep and Dreams:
Stages of Sleep & Brain Waves
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sleep and Dreams: Over the Life Span
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sleep and Dreams: Average Daily
Hours of Sleep for Different Mammals
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Why Do We Need Sleep?
Adaptive Evolutionary Function


safety
energy conservation/ efficiency
Restorative Function

body rejuvenation & growth
Brain Plasticity


enhances synaptic connections
memory consolidation
Theories of Dreaming
Historical and Religious Significance
Freud’s Psychodynamic Approach

manifest and latent content
Cognitive Theory

information processing and memory
Activation-Synthesis Theory

brain makes “sense” out of random brain activity
Sleep Disorders





insomnia
sleep walking, talking, and eating
nightmares and night terrors
narcolepsy
sleep apnea
Sleep Disorders



Insomnia: persistent
problems in falling
asleep, staying asleep,
or awakening too early
Sleep Apnea: repeated interruption of
breathing during sleep
Narcolepsy: sudden and irresistible onsets
of sleep during normal waking hours
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sleep disorders

Nightmares: anxiety-arousing dreams
occurring near the end of sleep, during REM
sleep

Night Terrors: abrupt awakenings from
NREM sleep accompanied by intense
physiological arousal and feelings of panic
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Psychoactive Drugs

Psychoactive
Drugs:
chemicals that
change conscious
awareness, mood,
or perception
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Psychoactive Drugs:
Important Terms

Drug Abuse: drug taking
that causes emotional or
physical harm to the
individual or others

Addiction: compulsion to
use a specific drug or to
engage in a certain
activity
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Psychoactive Drugs:
Important Terms

Psychological
Dependence: desire or
craving to achieve effects
produced by drug

Physical Dependence:
bodily processes have
been so modified by
repeated drug use that
continued use is required
to prevent withdrawal
symptoms
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Psychoactive Drugs:
Important Terms (Continued)


Withdrawal: discomfort
and distress experienced
after stopping the use of
addictive drugs
Tolerance: decreased
sensitivity to a drug
brought about by its
continuous use
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Reward Pathway for
Psychoactive Drugs
Psychoactive Drugs: Four Categories
1. Depressants:
act on the
CNS to
suppress
bodily
processes
(e.g., alcohol,
valium)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Alcohol & Neurotransmitters
Psychoactive Drugs: Depressants
(Continued)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Psychoactive Drugs: Stimulants
2. Stimulants:
act on the CNS
to increase
bodily
processes
(e.g., caffeine,
nicotine,
cocaine)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Psychoactive Drugs: Opiates
3. Opiates:
act as an
analgesic or pain
reliever (e.g.,
morphine, heroin)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Psychoactive Drugs: Hallucinogens
4. Hallucinogens:
produce sensory
or perceptual
distortions called
hallucinations
(e.g., LSD,
marijuana)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Applying Psychology to Everyday Life:
Club Drug Alert!

Popular “Club Drugs”:
 Date Rape Drug (Rohypnol)
 MDMA (Ecstasy)
 GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate)
 Special K (Ketamine)
 Crystal Meth (Methamphetamine)
 LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Psychoactive Drugs: How They Work

Step 1). Alter the production or synthesis of
neurotransmitters.

Step 2). Change the storage or release of
neurotransmitters.

Step 3). Alter the reception of neurotransmitters.

Step 4). Change the deactivation (block the
reuptake or break-down) of excess
neurotransmitters.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
How Psychoactive Drugs Work
(Step 3: Agonists vs. Antagonists)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Healthier Ways to Alter Consciousness

Meditation: group of
techniques designed to
refocus attention, block
out all distractions, and
produce an ASC
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Healthier Ways to Alter Consciousness

Hypnosis:
trancelike state
of heightened
suggestibility,
deep relaxation,
and intense
focus
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Healthier Ways to Alter Consciousness

Hypnosis is
used to treat
chronic pain,
severe burns,
dentistry,
childbirth,
psychotherapy.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Upper Paleolithic Cave Art: Indications of
rituals to achieve ASC?
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Traditional ceremonies

Mandan Indiana sun-dance: altered state as
pain endurance
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Ritual Use of Altered State Intoxicants

As far back as we can trace, humans have
used consciousness altering rituals and
intoxicants, but always together and always
under supervision or regulation. The ritual
regulated the drug use.
©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007
Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)