Chapter 3 Consciousness and the Two Track Mind Brain States Consciousness Consciousness our awareness of ourselves and our environment The Biology of Consciousness o Cognitive neuroscience and cognitive processes e g perception thinking language memory o Evidence that we can be conscious even though we lack the ability to study of connection between brain activity communicate with people o But how do neural impulses translate to consciousness the two track mind o Dual processing We evaluate our environment both consciously and unconsciously we do this simultaneously Unconsciously our brain is taking a stimulus and breaking it down into its different elements o Ex when we see a bird we unconsciously break it down into its visual elements its color motion form depth but consciously we just simply know it as a bird o Blindsight respond to a stimulus without consciously experiencing it Once we have information that comes into our eyes two things Vision action track happen object but we have difficulty grasping it Visual perception track we know how to interact with the we can see what s in front of us o Dual Processing The Two Track Mind Unconscious works in parallel Conscious sequential and deliberate it s going to require some Selective Attention effort on our part our attention o Focus conscious awareness on one particular stimulus o Cocktail party effect can ignore all other incoming information but become aware of own name something that is personally relevant to you o Accidents When engaged in a task you are going to blink less you re concentrating on that task We think that we can dual task but there is a cost to that it takes you a few seconds to refocus your attention There is no significant difference in the number of accidents when you re talking about hands free and handheld devices you re more likely to get into an accident when you re on the phone period then if you re not on the phone at all o Selective Inattention Inattentional Blindness failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere you re aware that the stimulus is there you re just unaware that it s become altered failing to notice changes in the environment Change Blindness Auditory cortex responsive to stimuli during sleep we can process sound Sleep and Dreams even when we re asleep Biological Rhythms and Sleep o Circadian Rhythms our bodies natural 24 hour cycle body s regular rhythms within a 24 hour period Fluctuations in body temp alertness Age differences younger vs older adults Younger adults prefer night hours find it difficult to get up in the morning Older adults are capable of waking up early o Sleep Stages 90 minute cycles during sleep it takes about 90 minutes to REM rapid eye movement sleep pass through all the REM s sleep stage during which dreams are common because if you wake somebody while their eyes are twitching they will most likely tell them they were having a dream muscles are relaxed but body systems are active NREM non rapid eye movement sleep REM slow breathing irregular brain waves not as deep of a sleep NREM1 you re likely to have hallucinations NREM2 muscles twitches sleep spindles NREM3 delta waves more periodic nicer flow our growth hormones are secreted during this period deepest sleep Younger adults have less REM cycles less than half the amount o REM Sleep that older adults have Characteristics Increase in heart rate Rapid irregular breathing Genital arousal Active motor cortex but our spines are going to act as a blocker Our brainstem prevents any messages from being carried to our limbs Sleep Theories o Protection o Recuperation we give our bodies a period of time to heal ourselves o Consolidation of memories we take our memories from a fragile state into permanent memory storage o Creativity insight when people wake up with some thought of brilliance ex musicians thinking of songs etc o Growth we grow in our sleep during NREM3 Sleep Deprivation Disorders o Effects Sleep debt Mood Work efficiency accuracy Depression Weight gain increased ghrelin hunger inducing hormone decreased leptin hunger suppressing hormone increased cortisol stimulates fat production Immune system suppression Insomnia persistent problems falling or staying asleep Some waking during the night more common with increasing age Narcolepsy condition in which person has uncontrollable sleep attacks Sleep apnea and momentary awakenings temporary cessations of breathing during sleep o Major Sleep Disorders Causes deprivation of slow wave sleep Night terrors appearance of being terrified occur during NREM3 sleep not the same as nightmares high arousal and Drugs and Consciousness o Psychoactive Drugs o Tolerance Dependence and Addiction chemicals that change perceptions and moods diminishing effect of a drug with regular use at the compulsive drug craving and use despite adverse Tolerance Withdrawal same dose either the same amount of the drug has a lower higher impact on you or you need a larger dose of effect Addiction consequences the use of an addictive drug unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued ex to relieve a negative emotion etc Psychological dependence Physical dependence discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing physiological need for a drug marked by physcological need to use a drug o Types of Psychoactive Drugs Depressants alcohol barbiturates opiates calm neural activity and slow body function e g Alcohol o Slowed Neural Processing slows sympathetic nervous system o Memory Disruption suppress REM sleep nerve cell death Alcohol dependence o Reduced Self Awareness and Self Control o Expectancy Effects Barbituates tranquilizers depress CNS deduce anxiety impair memory and judgment e g opium morphine heroine Opiates depress neural activity lessen pain and anxiety excite neural activity and speed up bodily Stimulants functions e g caffeine nicotine amphetamines such as cocaine ecstasy and methamphetamine absence of sensory input distort perception and evoke sensory images in Hallucinogens Marijuana o Made from leaves and flowers of hemp plant o Amplifies sensitivity to stimuli o Stays in system for longer so less may be needed to achieve a high