Myers EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY 7th Ed Chapter 6 States of Consciousness James A McCubbin PhD Aneeq Ahmad Ph D Modified by Ray Hawkins Ph D Worth Publishers States of Consciousness Waking Consciousness Selective Attention Levels of Information Processing States of Consciousness Sleep and Dreams Biological Rhythms and Sleep Why Do We Sleep Sleep Disorders Dreams States of Consciousness Hypnosis Facts and Falsehoods Explaining the Hypnotized State Drugs and Consciousness Dependence and Addiction Psychoactive Drugs Influences on Drug Use History of Consciousness 1 Psychology began as a science of consciousness 2 Behaviorists argued about alienating consciousness from psychology 3 However after 1960 mental concepts consciousness started reentering psychology Forms of Consciousness AP Photo Ricardo Mazalan Stuart Franklin Magnum Photos Christine Brune Bill Ling Digital Vision Getty Images Consciousness modern psychologists believe is an awareness of ourselves and our environment Selective Attention Our conscious awareness processes only a small part of all that we experience We intuitively make use of the information we are not consciously aware of Inattentional Blindness Daniel Simons University of Illinois Inattentional blindness refers to the inability to see an object or a person in our midst Simons Chabris 1999 showed that half of the observers failed to see the gorilla suited assistant in a ball passing game Change Blindness Change blindness is a form of inattentional blindness in which two thirds of individuals giving directions failed to notice a change in the individual asking for directions 1998 Psychonomic Society Inc Image provided courtesy of Daniel J Simmons Can we study consciousness The hard problem how to relate the subjective phenomenological states of consciousness called qualia to neural activity Definitions of consciousness Gazzaniga Heatherton 2003 Subjectivity sentience Access to information e g CS UCS Self knowledge Johari window A unitary experience Intentionality A difficult question Sleep Dreams Sleep the irresistible tempter to whom we inevitably succumb Mysteries about sleep and dreams have just started unraveling in sleep laboratories around the world Biological Rhythms and Sleep Illustration Cynthia Turner 2003 Circadian Rhythms occur on a 24 hour cycle and include sleep and wakefulness Termed our biological clock it can be altered by artificial light Light triggers the suprachiasmatic nucleus to decrease morning melatonin from the pineal gland and increase evening it at night fall Sleep Stages Measuring sleep About every 90 minutes we pass through a cycle of five distinct sleep stages Hank Morgan Rainbow Awake but Relaxed When an individual closes his eyes but remains awake his brain activity slows down to a large amplitude and slow regular alpha waves 9 14 cps A meditating person exhibits an alpha brain activity Sleep Stages 1 2 During early light sleep stages 1 2 the brain enters a high amplitude slow regular wave form called theta waves 5 8 cps A person who is daydreaming shows theta activity Theta Waves Sleep Stages 3 4 During deepest sleep stages 3 4 brain activity slows down There are large amplitude slow delta waves 1 5 4 cps Stage 5 REM Sleep After reaching the deepest sleep stage 4 the sleep cycle starts moving backward towards stage 1 Although still asleep the brain engages in lowamplitude fast and regular beta waves 15 40 cps much like awake aroused state A person during this sleep exhibits Rapid Eye Movements REM and reports vivid dreams 90 Minute Cycles During Sleep With each 90 minute cycle stage 4 sleep decreases and the duration of REM sleep increases Why do we sleep We spend one third of our lives sleeping Jose Luis Pelaez Inc Corbis If an individual remains awake for several days immune function and concentration deteriorates and the risk of accidents increases Sleep Deprivation 1 Fatigue and subsequent death 2 Impaired concentration 3 Emotional irritability 4 Depressed immune system 5 Greater vulnerability Accidents Frequency of accidents increase with loss of sleep Sleep Theories 1 Sleep Protects Sleeping in the darkness when predators loomed about kept our ancestors out of harm s way 2 Sleep Recuperates Sleep helps restore and repair brain tissue 3 Sleep Helps Remembering Sleep restores and rebuilds our fading memories 4 Sleep and Growth During sleep the pituitary gland releases growth hormone Older people release less of this hormone and sleep less Sleep Disorders 1 Insomnia A persistent inability to fall asleep 2 Narcolepsy Overpowering urge to fall asleep that may occur while talking or standing up 3 Sleep apnea Failure to breathe when asleep Sleep Disorders Children are most prone to Night terrors The sudden arousal from sleep with intense fear accompanied by physiological reactions e g rapid heart rate perspiration which occur during Stage 4 sleep Sleepwalking A Stage 4 disorder which is usually harmless and unrecalled the next day Sleeptalking A condition that runs in families like sleepwalking Dreams The link between REM sleep and dreaming has opened up a new era of dream research What We Dream Manifest Content A Freudian term meaning the story line of dreams 1 Negative Emotional Content 8 out of 10 dreams have negative emotional content 2 Failure Dreams People commonly dream about failure being attacked pursued rejected or struck with misfortune 3 Sexual Dreams Contrary to our thinking sexual dreams are sparse Sexual dreams in men are 1 in 10 and in women 1 in 30 Why We Dream 1 Wish Fulfillment Sigmund Freud suggested that dreams provide a psychic safety valve to discharge unacceptable feelings The dream s manifest apparent content may also have symbolic meanings latent content that signify our unacceptable feelings 2 Information Processing Dreams may help sift sort and fix a day s experiences in our memories Why We Dream 3 Physiological Function Dreams provide the sleeping brain with periodic stimulation to develop and preserve neural pathways Neural networks of newborns are quickly developing therefore they need more sleep Why We Dream 4 5 Activation Synthesis Theory Suggests that the brain engages in a lot of random neural activity Dreams make sense of this activity Cognitive Development Some researchers argue that we dream as a part of brain maturation and cognitive development All dream researchers believe we need REM sleep When deprived of REM sleep and then allowed to sleep we show increased REM sleep called REM Rebound
View Full Document
Unlocking...