Transcript States of Consciousness

PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION
Sixth Edition
by
Karen Huffman
PowerPoint  Lecture Notes Presentation
Chapter 5
States of Consciousness
Paul J. Wellman
Texas A&M University
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Lecture Overview
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Issues in Consciousness
Sleep and Dreams
Drugs that Influence Consciousness
Alternate States of Consciousness
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Consciousness
• Consciousness refers to a general state of being
aware and responsive to stimuli within the internal
and external environments
• Levels of awareness:
– TOP: Controlled processes that require attention (and
interfere with other functions)
– MIDDLE: Automatic processes requiring minimal
attention (such as riding your bike)
– LOWEST: Minimal or no awareness of the environment
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Circadian Rhythms
• Many of our behaviors display rhythmic
variation
– Daily rest-activity cycle is about 90 minutes
– Circadian rhythms (“about a day”)
• One cycle lasts about 24 hours (e.g. sleep-waking cycle)
• Light is an external cue that can set the circadian rhythm
• Some circadian rhythms are endogenous (do not require
light) suggesting the existence of an internal (biological)
clock
– Monthly rhythms
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Menstrual cycle
– Seasonal rhythms
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Aggression, sexual activity in male deer
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Sleep
• Sleep is a behavior AND an altered state of
consciousness
– Sleep is associated with an urge to lie down for several
hours in a quiet environment
• Few movements occur during sleep (other than eye
movements)
– The nature of consciousness is changed during sleep
• We experience some dreaming during sleep
• We may recall very little of the mental activity that occurred
during sleep
• We spend about a third of our lives in sleep
– A basic issue is to understand the function of sleep
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Myths of Sleep
• Everyone needs 8 hrs of sleep per night to
maintain good health
• Learning of complicated subjects such as
calculus can be done during sleep
• Some people never dream
• Dreams last only a few seconds
• Genital arousal during sleep reflects dream
content
• It is unrelated to sexual content
• May be a useful index of physical versus
psychological causes of impotence in males
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
EEG Changes During Sleep
• Electrophysiological instruments
can be used in the sleep
laboratory to assess the
physiological changes that occur
during an episode of sleep
– Summated brain wave activity (EEG)
• Wakefulness: beta activity (13-30 Hz) is
present in the EEG record (desynchrony:
low amplitude, high frequency
waveforms)
• Eyes closed: alpha activity (8-12 Hz)
appears in the EEG record (synchrony:
high amplitude, low frequency
waveforms)
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Sleep Stages During a Night
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Functions of Sleep
• REM Sleep:
– Consolidation of new memories
– Role in learning
– Absent in lower mammals
• Non-REM sleep
– People deprived of all sleep show greater
time spent in non-REM sleep the next night
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Effects of Sleep Deprivation
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Reduced immunity
Mood alteration
Reduced concentration and motivation
Increased irritability
Lapses in attention
Reduced motor skills
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Theories of Sleep
• Repair/Restoration
– Sleep allows for recuperation from
physical, emotional, and intellectual fatigue
• Evolutionary/Circadian
– Sleep is part of a circadian cycle
– Sleep evolved to conserve energy and
protect our ancestors from predators
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Sleep Duration in Mammals
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Theories of Dreaming
• Psychoanalytic: Dreams represent
disguised symbols of repressed desires
and anxieties
• Biological: Dreams represent random
activation of brain cells during sleep
• Cognitive: Dreams help to sift and sort
the events of the day
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Sleep Disorders
• Insomnia refers to a difficulty in getting to sleep or
remaining asleep and has many causes
– Situational: related to anxiety (exam jitters)
– Drug-induced: Use of sleeping pills can result in
insomnia
Sleep apnea: person stops breathing and is
awakened when blood levels of carbon dioxide
stimulate breathing
• Narcolepsy: Sleep appears at odd times
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– Sleep attack: urge to sleep during the day
– Cataplexy: REM paralysis occurs, person is still
conscious
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Drugs
• Drugs are chemicals that have biological
effects within the body
• Psychoactive drugs are chemicals that
change conscious awareness or perception
– Depressants slow down the nervous system
– Stimulants speed up the nervous system
– Narcotics relieve pain
– Hallucinogens alter sensory perception
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Drug Use and Abuse
• Drug abuse: Drug use that causes emotional
or physical harm to the user
• Addiction results from repeated drug use
– Tolerance: more drug is required
– Drug abstinence leads to withdrawal symptoms
• Drug dependence can be
– Physical: withdrawal reactions are noted when drug
use is terminated
– Psychological: is associated with a craving for the
drug
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Factors that Lead to Drug
Abuse
• Positive associations: the drug is portrayed in
a positive fashion in the media
• Biological factors: the drug induces a
pleasurable state (usually related to
dopamine activity in the brain)
• Prevention of withdrawal: person continues to
take the drug to avoid withdrawal effects
• Conditioning of drug craving: cues associated
with drug use can elicit craving for the drug
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
How Drugs Work
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Drug Action on Neurons
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Drug Types
• Depressants:
Alcohol, barbiturates
• Stimulants:
Caffeine, amphetamine
Cocaine, nicotine
• Opiates
Heroin, morphine
• Hallucinogens
LSD, mescaline, marijuana
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Hypnosis
• Hypnosis is an altered state of
heightened suggestibility
• The hypnotic state is characterized by
– Narrow and focused attention
– Imagination and hallucinations
– Passive receptive attitude
– Reduced reaction to pain
– Heightened suggestibility
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Myths of Hypnosis
• People can be hypnotized against their
will
• People will do immoral things while
hypnotized
• Hypnosis improves memory recall
• Hypnotized persons have special strength
• Hypnosis involves a form of role playing
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Altered States
• Meditation refers to a set of techniques
that promote a heightened sense of
awareness
– Can involve body movements and posture,
focusing of attention on a focal point, or
control of breathing
– Meditation can induce relaxation, lower
blood pressure, and can be associated
with a sense of euphoria
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E
Copyright
Copyright 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New
York, NY. All rights reserved. No part of the material
protected by this copyright may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
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any information storage and retrieval system, without
written permission of the copyright owner.
© 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 6E