GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY CHAPTER 8 CONCIOUSNESS lecture 10 1 Consciousness consciousness thoughts arousals levels of consciousness person s subjective experience of the world and mind awareness of feelings o minimal consciousness sleep vegetable o full consciousness state drawn to the self as an object o self consciousness low level of sensory awareness and responsiveness consciousness in which you know and are able to report your mental distinct level of consciousness in which the person s attention is Theories of Consciousness consciousness will never be explained o intellectual descendants of Descartes o human mind cannot analyze itself consciousness is related to the operation of the brain o materialists o neuroscience perspective o brain creates multiple copies of experience consciousness develops through this constant updating of experience consciousness cannot be reduced to neuroscience but it can be explained o Chalmers 1996 o researchers focus on particular states of consciousness in order to study it Circadian Rhythms internally generated patters of bodily functions that vary over 24hr period o keep internal in phase with the outside world function even in the absence of normal cues reflected in changes in energy level mood and efficiency throughout the day normally differ among people change as a function of age problems arise when there are problems with the outside world that influence the circadian rhythms o ex jet lag disruption of circadian rhythm that is due to crossing time zones traveling west phase delays easier to adjust to this traveling east phase advances superchiasmatic nucleus SCN master clock rhythms and temperature regulates pineal gland part of hypothalamus main control of circadian o controls in genetically controlled unlearned rhythm two types of genes period and timeless o helps determine day and night o melatonin biological clock hormone that secretes 2 3 hours before bedtime that feeds back to reset the Sleep rapid eye movement REM sleep eye movements o if woken up during REM sleep ready to go NREM non REM sleep respiration increases as the night goes on high frequency low amplitude brain wave activity systematic increasing bodily relaxing slower EEG activity slower hear rate and o four stages of sleep then REM sleep o cycles through about every hour 1 2 3 4 4 3 2 1 REM etc each cycle is about 90 minutes o electroencephalograph EGG records brainwave activity during sleep polysomnograph has EGG paired with eye movement records measuring sleep brainwaves o beta o alpha awake state o theta o delta waves of sleep stage 3 4 five stages of sleep low amplitude actively thinking and alert awake predominately originate from occipital lobe due to relaxation 8 14hz common in found in light stages of sleep stage 1 2 high amplitude 1 4hz associated with slow wave sleep b c largest and slowest 1 sleep has just begun alpha and theta waves brain activity begins to decline heart rate and respiration begins to slow about 15 minutes 2 further reduction of heart rate theta waves a a b K complex sleep spindles short bursts of 12 14hz waves that last about 5seconds predominate in stage 2 increase positive decrease negative wave i ONLY occurs in stage two sleep short high amplitude wave followed by another drop 3 slow wave sleep SWS slow and large amplitude waves with highly synchronized neuronal activity slower and steadier brain waves b c of delta waves a mostly theta waves b occasionally delta 4 slow wave sleep SWS slow and large amplitude waves with highly synchronized neuronal activity slower and steadier brain waves a mostly delta waves b c can dream in stage 4 usually just images stage 4 gets progressively less and less as sleep cycles continue sometimes skips stage 4 stage 4 sleep decreases as one gets older d part of midbrain responsible for arousal being awake Brain Mechanisms of Sleep reticular formation pontomesencephalon to release certain neurotransmitter that produce excitatory things to the cortex releases norephrinephrin excitatory that helps us stay asleep locus coeruleus releases GABA inhibitory neurotransmitter required for sleep decreases basal forebrain temperature and metabolic and neuron transmission while sleeping and acetylcholine makes us awake and aroused part of midbrain with axons that extend to other parts of the brain that helps during REM sleep o activity increases in pons and triggers onset of REM associated with PGO waves high amplitude electrical potentials build up of PGO waves causes REM rebound from sleep deprivation Sleep Disorders narcolepsy neurological disorder where a sudden uncontrollable episode of sleep occurs sleep apnea o usually lasts about 2 5 minutes o affects 1 2000 people o in REM sleep have sleep dreams delusions while awake causes air flow to stop for at least 15 seconds o sleeper stops breathing chokes then wakes up briefly o loud snoring is a symptom or cause o do not get enough stage 3 or 4 sleep o cognitive damage loss of neurons from lack of oxygen o affects 1 10 people o shifts in circadian rhythms can lead to insomnia o liked to problems in hypothalamus o also caused by stimulant drugs caffeine insomnia most commonly reported sleep disorder problems getting sleep or staying asleep night terrors experiences of tense anxiety person wakes screaming in terror o occurs during NREM sleep stage 4 sleep o panic attacks that occur within 60 90 minutes of falling asleep o most prevalent in children between 3 8 most common in male children in stage 4 sleep motor parts of sleep walking somnambulism brain are still activated o decreases with age o runs in families o not dangerous to wake up a sleepwalker Function of Sleep exact function of sleep unknown three theories 1 energy conservation decrease in muscle activity and temperature a proof in animals that increase sleeping during times of food shortages 2 restoration of the brain and body a proteins rebuilt energy replenished evidence in sleep deprivation b 3 memory consolidation sleep plays role in learning and strengthen memory a b performance on tasks better the next day after adequate sleep c brain activity correlates to activity that one uses the following day all mammals sleep o prey still asleep o not a higher order o don t need large quantities o short v long sleepers Dreams state of consciousness that occurs during sleep o associated with REM sleep five characteristics of dreams mostly visual and are in color most focus on events and people a person come into
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