Consciousness

1. Consciousness Chapter 4

2. Section 1: The Study of Consciousness

3. Consciousness as a Construct • Consciousness is a psychological construct • Can’t be seen, touched, or measured directly

4. Meanings of Consciousness • Consciousness as Sensory Awareness • Aware of things outside yourself • Selective attention – focusing on a particular stimulus (makes our senses keener)

5. Meanings of Consciousness • Consciousness as Direct Inner Awareness • Being aware of things inside yourself, can’t use any of your senses, but still know it exists

6. Meanings of Consciousness • Consciousness as Sense of Self • Ability to understand that we are unique individuals, separate from others and surroundings

7. Levels of Consciousness • Conscious Level • Preconscious Level • Unconscious Level • Nonconscious Level

8. Preconscious Level • Ideas aren’t in your awareness right now, but are retrievable

9. Unconscious Level • Unavailable to awareness under most circumstances • Use defense mechanisms to push painful or unacceptable ideas out of our consciousness • Protect ourselves from guilt, anxiety, and shame

10. Nonconscious Level • Many of our basic biological functions exist on this level • Hair growing / pupils adjusting / breathing (exchange of CO2 and O2)

11. Section 2: Sleep & Dreams

12. Circadian Rhythms • Biological clocks that control animals / plants / humans • Control changes in body temperature, blood pressure, sleepiness & wakefulness, appetite, etc. • Sleep-Wake Cycle is most studied circadian rhythm • 24 hours (because of Earth’s rotation)

13. Stage 1 & 2 • Twilight Stage… • Lightest sleep • Brain waves slow to theta waves • Brief dreamlike images • If woken up, we can usually recall these images & feels like we didn’t sleep at all

14. Stage 3 & 4 • Begin delta waves (slowest brain waves) • Deepest Sleep • Lasts for nearly 1 hour • Bed-wetting, sleepwalking, talking, eating in sleep usually occur during Stage 4

15. REM Sleep • Rapid-Eye-Movement Sleep • First dream may last 10 minutes, lengthen as night progresses, last dream may last 45 min • Nearly impossible to wake up • Irregular breathing, blood pressure rises, heart beats faster, brain waves similar to Stage 1 waves

16. Why We Sleep • Revive tired body • Build up resistance to infection • Help us recover from stress • Sleep deprivation leads to hallucinations, speech difficulty, memory lapse (really dangerous)

17. Sleep Deprivation • REM-Rebound Sleep or jump right into Stage 4 Sleep • If deprived of REM • Learn slower • Forget what you learned easier • Slower brain development in infants • Not giving the brain ‘exercise’ in adults

18. Lucid Dreaming

19. Freud • Dreams reflect a person’s unconscious wishes and urges • Painful or unacceptable wishes would be most likely to appear in dreams • Dream in symbols • to deal with painful material that we couldn’t deal with consciously

20. Freudian Dream Symbols • Manifest – Teachers police, bosses, etc. • Latent -

21. Manifest – monsters, wild creatures • Latent –

22. Manifest – guns, knives, ties, keys, fish, snakes, etc. • Latent –

23. Manifest – boxes, caves, doorways, hallways, locks, windows, closets, tunnels, etc. • Latent –

24. Manifest – going up and down steps, ladders, elevators, roller coasters, etc. • Manifest – diving, swimming, dancing, riding a horse, etc. • Latent –

25. Manifest • Latent – • Latent (for money) – p

26. The Biopsychological Approach • Neurons fire in movement and vision areas of the brain while we sleep • Brain tries to make sense random neuron bursts • May be why we usually dream about events that took place earlier in the day

27. SLEEP PROBLEMS

28. Insomnia • Inability to fall asleep • Racing mind at bedtime • Increases during times of anxiety

29. Try the following techniques if you suffer from insomnia: • Tense muscles one at a time, then let tension go. This helps to relax the body. • Avoid worrying in bed. If worrying persists, get up for a while. • Establish a regular routine, particularly for getting up and going to sleep each day. • Use pleasant images or daydreams to relax. These may occur naturally, or people may have to focus on creating them.

30. Nightmares • During REM Sleep – usually toward morning • Middle Ages: Thought to be work of demons • Upsetting events, or people with anxiety or depression more likely to have nightmares

31. Night Terrors • Severe nightmares during Stages 3 & 4 Sleep • Heart races, sweat, cry, gasp for air, thrash around • Most common among kids • Causes:

32. Sleepwalking • Common in childhood • During deep sleep stages • May respond to questions, but won’t remember in the morning

33. Sleep Apnea • Apnea – interruption in breathing • Don’t start breathing again until sit up gasping for air • Don’t feel like they get a full night’s rest • Air passages are blocked = snoring

34. Narcolepsy • Rare disorder • Fall asleep regardless of time / location • Fall immediately into REM sleep • Dangerous!

35. Section 3: Meditation, Biofeedback & Hypnosis

36. Altered States of Consciousness • A person’s sense of self or sense of the world changing • Sleep, meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis, drugs

37. Meditation • Used to narrow consciousness so that the stresses of the outside world fade away • Focus on peaceful, repetitive stimulus

38. Hypnosis • when people respond to suggestions and behave as if they’re in a trance • Many scientists skeptical (Brain waves don’t change while under)

39. Explaining Hypnosis • Freud – people return to childish ways of behaving • Role Theory – part of a play, not faking it because they want to do it

40. Posthypnotic Suggestion • Therapist gives instructions during hypnosis that can be carried out after session has ended • To quit smoking or overeating

41. Section 4: Drugs & Consciousness

42. Depressants • Drugs that slow the activity of the nervous system • “downers”

43. Alcohol • Intoxication – slurs speech, blurs vision, difficulty concentrating, lose judgment • ½ of fatal car wrecks involved alcohol • Can lead to addiction • Causes liver problems, heart problems, cancer, and beer guts

44. Narcotics • Most derived from opium poppy plant • Morphine, heroin, and codeine • Morphine known as “the soldier’s disease” • Heroin the “hero” drug to cure morphine addiction • Taken intravenously • Awful withdrawal symptoms

45. Stimulants • Increase activity of the nervous system • “Uppers” • Nicotine, amphetamines, cocaine

46. Nicotine • Spurs release of adrenaline, reduces appetite • Extremely addictive • Up to 20x more likely to die from lung cancer • Secondhand smoke connected to cancer, breathing problems, etc.

47. Amphetamines • Help people stay awake / reduce appetite • First used by WWII soldiers • Highs and crashes • Hallucinations – • Delusions –

48. Cocaine • Used by Freud to overcome depression • Dangerous, addictive • Deadens pain • Reduces oxygen levels to heart • Raises blood pressure • Causes hallucination and delusions

49. Hallucinogens • Cause relaxation and/or feelings of panic • Marijuana & LSD

50. Marijuana • Impairs perception & coordination, memory & learning, anxiety & confusion • Increases heartbeat & blood pressure • Hallucinations • 100 years ago – used like aspirin • Use increasing in USA