Unit 5:
Consciousness
Levels of Consciousness
Consciousness: Our awareness of internal &
external stimuli. (on a continuum)
– Waking Consciousness
– Sleep
– Dreams
– Hypnosis
– Meditation
– Psychoactive Drugs
I. Waking Consciousness
A. Levels of Information Processing — we process
info at different levels w/o our awareness
Controlled Processes — Activities that require
FULL awareness, alertness, & concentration
Ex:
Automatic Processes — Activities that require
LITTLE awareness, take minimal attention, &
do not interfere w/ other ongoing activities
Ex:
B. Daydreams — Escape from reality w/ reduced
awareness of the world around you
II. Sleep
•Sleep Research – Lab Bedrooms
Video Quiz:
1. What do the researchers put in his hair?
2. What do you experience during REM?
3. What do researchers think REM is for?
4. Tell me something else that happened.
Stages of Sleep
1. How much sleep do you usually get during the
week (per night)?
2. How much sleep do you usually get on the
weekends (per night)?
3. Do you wish you could sleep more during the
week? If so, why don’t you get more sleep?
4. Describe what happens to YOU if YOU don’t get
enough sleep.
Reading Quiz
1. If moods followed a circadian rhythm, they would repeat the
same or very similar pattern about every ____?
2. Having to get used to working a new shift at work would involve
using which term?
3. How often do we experience REM?
4. A paradox is situation in which you have 2 things together that
don’t fit/don’t make sense. How is REM sleep like a
paradox? (look at what happens in the body)
5. Which stage is the deepest stage of sleep?
6. What are the brain waves of a person who is awake?
7. What are the brain waves of a person in REM?
8. Describe how we go through the stages of sleep in a night.
9. In which part of sleep is growth hormone produced?
10. What evidence supports the theory that dreams help us
resolve daily problems, which in turn, reduces stress?
II. Biological Cycles
A. Biological Clocks & Free Running Cycles
• Entrainment – altering free running cycles
EX:
• Circadian Rhythm – 24-25 hr cycle our
bodies are synchronized with
-sleep patterns
-temperature fluctuations
-explains jet lag
III. Sleep & Dreams
A. REM sleep – we dream, eyes move rapidly, HR
&BR are rapid, we’re paralyzed
-REM vs. NREM
1. REM – rapid eye movement
-happens ~every 90 minutes
-we are paralyzed
-last 5-40 minutes
-gets longer throughout the night
-not our deepest sleep
-more likely to remember morning dreams
B. Brain Changes
1. Awake – beta waves
2. Relaxed – stage 1, alpha waves
3. Twilight (Stage 2) & Stage 3
4. Stage 4 – delta waves, slow waves
(happens in 1st hr of sleep)
Then reverse through the cycles
In REM: brain waves like when awake,
hard to wake up, hard to get a reflex
C. NREM – opposite of REM
– active brain but body is resting
– growth hormone is produced
REM throughout the night —
NREM stages decrease (80%), REM
increases (20%)
A. Stages of Sleep
Alpha Stage —
Relaxed, drowsy, eyes closed; Alpha Waves
Stage 1 —
light sleep, “falling,” jerking; 1-10 minutes
Stage 2—
beginning of “sleep,” brain paralyzes body
sleep spindles
Stages 3 & 4 —
deepest sleep, decrease in HR, Blood flow,
temperature
Sleepwalk, wet bed, growth hormone produced
Still process info
Gets shorter as the night goes on
e. REM Sleep — Rapid Eye
Movement
Paradoxical sleep —
aroused body (HR, BP,
genitals) that appears to be
calm
Beta Waves — like when
awake
Will recall dreams if awoken
REM throughout the night —
NREM stages decrease (80%), REM increases (20%
B. Why do we sleep? 2 Theories
1. Adaptive sleep theory — based on ideas
of evolution
2. Restorative theory — helps body
recuperate (brain reorganizes & repairs,
memories reorganized, growth hormone
produced)
D. Questions in Sleep
1. How much sleep do I need?
Adolescents: 10 hrs; Adults: 7-8 hrs
w/o sleep:
-immune system is suppressed
-impaired concentration & creativity
-increase in tremors, irritability, accidents
-associated w/ obesity
2. Can I get too much sleep?
-Sleeping over 11 hrs = brain is drowsy, less alert
-“Long Sleepers” (over 10 hrs) live shorter lives
3. Can we make up sleep?
REM rebound — fall faster & more often
into REM stage
What does that say about REM?
Psychology of
Dreams
IV. Dreams: Why do we Dream?
A. Dreams are “wish fulfillment” (Freud)
Our dreams have 2 parts:
Manifest content — the actual story line
Latent content —the dream’s actual
meaning, what is in our unconscious
B. Activation-Synthesis Model
Dreams are just our brain’s attempt at making
sense of bursts of neural activity
Dreams mean NOTHING! (alan alda study)
C. Information Processing Theory
Dreams allow us to sift/sort info & fix the day’s
experiences into memory
--following periods of stress/learning we spend
more time in REM
--If awakened during REM (REM is disrupted) we
perform worse on tasks
More on why we need
dreams
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow
/3410/01.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/le
ssonideas/3612_dreams_science_01.html
--knot lesson
Dreams & Pop Psych
"I'm Being Chased"
stem from feelings of anxiety in your walking
life.. Running is an instinctive response to
physical threats in our environment. Often
in these dream scenarios, you are being
pursued by some attacker, who wants to
hurt or possibly kill you. Instead of
confronting the situation, you are running
away and avoiding it
"My Teeth Are Falling Out"
Common dream scenarios include having
your teeth crumbling in your hands or your
teeth falling out one by one with just a
light tap.
One theory is that dreams about your
teeth reflect your anxiety about your
appearance and how others perceive you.
“I'm Flying"
Flying dreams fall under a category of dreams
where you become aware that you are dreaming,
known as lucid dreaming. Many dreamers have
described the ability to fly in their dreams as an
exhilarating, joyful, and liberating experience.
If you are flying with ease and enjoying the scene
and landscape below, then it suggests that you
are on top of a situation. You have risen above
something. Flying dreams and the ability to
control your flight is representative of your own
personal sense of power
“I Failed The Test"
To dream that you are taking an exam, indicates that you are being put
to the test or being scrutinized in some way. Such dreams highlight
your feelings of being anxious and agitated.
You may find that you cannot answer any of the questions on the test or
that the test is in some foreign language. Is time running out and you
find that you can not complete the exam in the allowed time? Or are
you late to the exam? Does your pencil keep breaking during the
exam? Such factors contribute to you failing this test.
These dreams usually have to do with your self-esteem and confidence
or your lack of. You may also experience the fear of not being
accepted, not being prepared, or not being good enough. You feel
nervous, insecure and tend to believe the worst about yourself.
These dreams also suggest that you may feel unprepared for a challenge.
“I’m Late”
To dream that you are late, denotes your fear of
change and your ambivalence about seizing an
opportunity. You may feel unready, unworthy, or
unsupported in your current circumstances.
Additionally, you may be overwhelmed or conflicted
with decisions about your future. You feel time is
running out and that you do not have time to
accomplish all the things you want.
“I’m Lost”
To dream that you are lost, suggests that you
have lost your direction in life or that you
have lost sight of your goals. You may be
feeling worried and insecure about the
path you are taking in life.
Alternatively, you may be trying to adjust and
get accustomed to a new situation in which
the rules and conditions are ever changing.
“Death”
To dream about the death of a loved one, suggests
that you are lacking a certain aspect or quality
that the loved one embodies. Ask yourself what
makes this person special or what do you like
about him.
To dream of your own death, indicates a
transitional phase in your life. You are becoming
more enlightened or spiritual. Alternatively, you
are trying desperately to escape the demands of
your daily life.
Practical Issues in
Sleep
6. Issues in sleep
a. Nightmares — Anxiety producing dreams
b. Night Terrors — Increased Autonomic arousal
(during NREM) usually in kids
c. Insomnia — Difficulty falling/staying asleep
(10% of people)
d. Narcolepsy — periodic, overwhelming
sleepiness (instant REM)
e. Somnambulism — Sleepwalking
f. Sleep Apnea — Person stops breathing for 10
seconds or longer
States of
Consciousness
Meditation
A conscious attempt to focus attention elsewhere
Transcendental meditation (TM):
sit in comfortable position, eyes closed, repeating &
concentrating on a sound/breath to clear head of
thoughts
Rooted in Eastern Religions
Brain waves & physiological indicators associated
with relaxation, less cortisol
Hypnosis
Introduced by Franz Mesmer
Defined: a procedure in which a person
(hypnotist) suggests that another will
experience changes in sensations, perceptions,
thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.
They are not ASLEEP, just completely relaxed
How is someone hypnotized
a. The Hypnotist establishes trust
b. They suggest the subject concentrate on
something
c. They suggest what the subject will experience
When & why do we use Hypnosis?
a. To reduce pain (they still experience it though)
b. Decrease asthma attacks & relieve tension
c. To tap into lost memories
d. Does NOT work for problems with self-control
(weight, smoking, drinking, other habits)
Is it real?
Yes:
It is an “altered state”
People will feel different sensations &
feelings
People are suggestible to different actions
No:
The effects of hypnosis are due to social
influences & pressures
We see no differences in brain scans
Is Addiction a Disease?
A few facts:
An estimated 3.6 million people are dependent on
drugs each day
Each day 8,000 people try them for the 1st time
700,000 are being treated for addiction
Abuse is different from addiction
Disease = a condition of the living animal or
plant body or of one of its parts that impairs
normal functioning and is typically manifested
by distinguishing signs and symptoms
(infectious & noninfectious)
--choice & blame
--treatment
The Roots of Addiction
1. Why do researchers believe it is possible for everyone
to possibly become an addict?
2. Why doesn’t that happen?
3. Comparing those who were more likely to relapse and
those who weren’t – how were their brains different?
4. Using brain scans – what was Paulus able to predict?
5. Summarize how vigabatrin works (do your best!)
6. What are cognitive enhancers?
7. What are your thoughts on this reading?
Group 1: Steve, Sana, Heather, Josh
Group 2: Kayla, Melissa, Alex, Elitsa
Group 3: Kirsten, Korbyn, Alyse, Briana
Group 4: Cullen, Derek, Cody, Jen
Group 5: Kacey, Kelsey, Trick, Carlin