2 24 15 States of Consciousness Chapter 4 Consciousness 1 external events 2 internal sensation Consciousness an awareness of external and internal sensation 5 6 Levels of Awareness I Higher level Consciousness ex doing math test playing basketball game II Lower level Consciousness ex putting in a cell phone gazing at a sunset III Altered states of consciousness ex feeling the effects of having taken alcohol or psychedelic drugs IV Subconscious Awareness ex sleeping dreaming V No Awareness ex having unconscious thoughts being knocked out by a blow or anesthetized VI Self Consciousness ex attention is drawn to self as an object almost completely talking in front of class Biological Rhythms periodic physiological uctuations in body that can in uence behavior hormones brain activity hibernation migration etc 1 controlled by biological clock annual seasonal cycles 2 circadian rhythms daily cycles that included sleep wakefulness blood sugar pressure Sleep A circadian rhythm De nition A natural state of rest for the body and mind that involves the reversible loss of consciousness SCN monitor s body s change from day to night subconscious awareness SCN uses input from the retina to synchronize with the daily cycles of light and dark output from SCN allows hypothalamus to regulate body temps hunger etc allows reticular formation formation to regulate rhythms of sleep and wakefulness One Sleep Cycle ve stages of sleep 90 100 minutes recurs several times a night REM stages become progressively longer throughout the night Beta waves super aware Alpha waves relaxed daydreaming Stage 1 drowsy sleep myoclonic jerks sudden muscle movements EEG theta waves Stage 2 decreased muscle activity no conscious awareness of environment Stage 3 less than 50 delta waves delta sleep deepest sleep Stage 4 more than 50 delta waves delta sleep deepest sleep REM Sleep Rapid Eye Movement active strafe during which dreaming occurs fast wave activity similar to relaxed wakefulness alpha waves likely plays a role in memory Non REM sleep stages 1 through 4 3 Neurotransmitters during Sleep I Serotonin lowest during REM II Norepinephrine lowest during REM III Acetylcholine Effects of Sleep No Sleep During sleep brain is restored to conserve energy store and rebuild memories of day s experiences promotes creative problem solving Sleep Deprivation lack of sleep is stressful trouble paying attention to tasks and solving problems decreased brain activity can in uence moral judgement americans in general adolescents in particular sleep patterns change into middle late adulthood yet many of us do not get suf cient sleep Sleep Disorders Insomnia inability to sleep Sleepwalking Sleep talking walking Night terrors Narcolepsy Sleep Apnea wake up feel very frightened young kids and college students most prone sudden impulse to sleep skips to REM sleep stop breathing while sleeping Dreams Oneirology study of dreams no agreed upon de nition of dream Why do we dream but we do know nightmare frightening dream random response to neural stimulation organizing consolidating thoughts problem solving dealing with painful traumatic experiences ful llment of wishes Freud Freud dreams symbolize unconscious wishes manifest content surface content this happen then this happened latent content hidden content unconscious true meaning Cognitive Theory dreams as subconscious cognitive processing lack of attention to roles of brain structures and activity in dreaming Activation Synthesis Theory dreams are a result of synthesis of neural signals nding logic in random brain activity that happens during sleep Altered States of Consciousness Hypnosis can alleviate a variety of pains discomforts can be helpful for treatment of obesity hypertension anxiety can improve athletic motivation CAN T be done to people against their will CAN T increase physical capabilities CAN T cure illness can achieve hypnogogic reverie feeling of wellness can be helpful for depression panic attacks and anxiety CAN T increase physical capabilities Meditation Psychoactive drugs depressants stimulants hallucinogens increase dopamine levels in brain s reward pathways act on nervous system to 1 alter consciousness 2 modify perceptions 3 change moods tolerance increase amount for same effect reward pathway information travels from the ventral tegumental area VTA to the nucleus accumbens NAc and then to the prefrontal cortex KNOW Tolerance VS Addiction Tolerance increase amount for same effect VS Addiction either physical or psychological