Anjali Pillai PSYC 111 Chapter 3 Consciousness and the Two Track Mind Brain States and Consciousness Defining Consciousness Consciousness our awareness of ourselves and our environment o Psych used to be about conscious Freud too difficult to measure behaviorism Cognition then later seen as important consciousness Can assemble info when we reflect and think about future States of consciousness Evolutionarily adaptive person angry stay away Daydreaming drowsiness dreaming o Spontaneous States o Physiologically induced o Psychologically induced Hallucinations orgasm food or oxygen starvation Sensory deprivation hypnosis meditation The Biology of Consciousness Cognitive neuroscience the inter disciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition including perception thinking memory and language Dual processing the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks Blindsight a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it o Cognitive Neuroscience relating brain states to conscious experiences Cortical activity fMRI to read mind How does synchronized activity produce awareness o Dual Processing The Two Track Mind unconscious info occurs simultaneously parallel Dual processing know more than we know we know seeing and grasping stuff Decision making consciousness arrives late Visual perception and visual action tracks Selective Attention Selective attention the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus Inattentional blindness failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere Change blindness failing to notices changes in the environment o Selective Attention and Accidents o Selective Inattention conscious mind in one place at a time Change blindness and choice blindness jam test Popout stimuli demand our attention Sleep and Dreams Still process things when asleep certain sounds i e name don t fall off bed etc Biological Rhythms and Sleep Circadian rhythm the biological clock regular bodily rhythms for example of temperature and wakefulness that occur on a 24 hour cycle REM sleep rapid eye movement sleep a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur Also known as paradoxical sleep because the muscles are relaxed except for minor twitches but other body systems are active Alpha waves the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed awake state Sleep periodic natural reversible loss of consciousness as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma general anesthesia or hibernation Hallucinations false sensory experiences such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus Delta waves the large slow brain waves associated with deep sleep o Circadian Rhythm morning is peak early afternoon dips and drops in evening b temp Age and experience alter rhythm older adults love morning and 20s love night Morning types do better in school more motivated less likely for depression o Sleep Stages every 90 minutes cycle through 4 stages REM NREM1 non REM hallucinations sensation of falling hypnagogic Into memories Then NREM2 20 min with periodic sleep spindles bursts of brain act NREM3 deep sleep 30 min delta waves and hard to awaken o REM sleep hour after you fall asleep ascend from deep slumber NREM2 10 min heart rises breathing rapid and irregular start of dream REMs Brain stem blocks motor cortex at this time although active Can t easily be awakened paradoxically asleep Repeats itself every 90 minutes night goes on NREM3 sleep grows shorter and disappears and REM and NREM2 sleep get longer o What Affects Our Sleep Patterns Avg 7 8 hrs a night adults students and workers fall short Light shift work social life sleep later than a century ago Morning light act retinal proteins triggers signals in suprachiasmatic nucleus SCN cell clusters in hypothalamus cause pineal gland to decrease production of melatonin in morning and increase in evening Sleep Theories o 1 Sleep protects ecological niche out of harm s way o 2 Sleep helps us recuperate restore and repair brain tissue o 3 Sleep helps restore and rebuild our fading memories of the day s experiences Consolidates memories more sleep is better memory of recently learned promotes recall of novel experiences o 4 Sleep feeds creative thinking inspiration boost to thinking and learning better at spotting connections among novel info o 5 Sleep supports growth pituitary gland releases growth hormone Muscle development can improve athletic ability Sleep Deprivation and Sleep Disorders Insomnia recurring problems in falling or staying asleep Narcolepsy a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep often at inopportune times Sleep apnea a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings Night terrors a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified unlike nightmares night terrors occur during NREM 3 sleep within 2 or 3 hours of falling asleep and are seldom remembered o Effects of Sleep Loss drain our energy 9 hours adults energized and happy Predictor of depression not other way around REM sleep processing of emotional experiences protects against depression 4 5 teens and 3 5 18 29 yr olds wish they could get more sleep on weekdays Difficulty studying diminished productivity mistakes irritability fatigue Fatter increases ghrelin hunger arousing hormone and dec leptin opposite Increases cortisol stress hormone stimulates body to make fat Can suppress immune cells that fight off viral infections and cancer live longer o Major Sleep Disorders Insomnia people usually fret and overestimate how long it takes to sleep Sleeping pills and alcohol aggravate problem by reducing REM sleep Tolerance inc doses needed Narcolepsy sudden attacks of sleepiness usually 5 min Genes that cause it in dogs and humans absence of hypothalamic neural center that produces orexin linked to alertness brain disease Sleep apnea 1 20 have it stop breathing Deprives them of slow wave sleep o Mask to relieve symptoms Associated with obesity loud snoring irritability high bp too Night Terrors children sit up walk around talk incoherently inc heart rates look terrified recall little next morning NREM 3 Sleepwalking NREM 3 and sleeptalking Usually harmless childhood disorders can occur in any stage run in families few remember sleepwalking deepest
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