Transcript Learn Psychology Chapter 5

Chapter 5
States of Consciousness
Objectives
5.1 Overview: Consciousness, Brain Activity, Levels
of Awareness
• Define consciousness.
• Describe how consciousness relates to psychology.
5.2 Sleep
• Describe the changes in brain wave activity that occur
during the different stages of sleep.
• Understand why is sleep deprivation harmful.
• Understand why deep sleep is important.
• Understand why REM sleep is important.
• Describe some common sleep disorders.
Objectives
5.3 Dreams
• Describe the two main theories of dreams.
5.4 Hypnosis
• Explain the two theories of hypnosis.
5.5 Meditation
• Discuss the effects and benefits of meditation.
5.6 Drug Use
• List and describe the four categories of
psychoactive drugs.
• Describe the effects of psychoactive drugs on the
nervous system.
Consciousness
Consciousness includes:
• The state of awareness of your internal
sensations
• Your knowledge of your thoughts and internal
dialogue
• Your cognizance of yourself as separate from
others
• Your understanding of your external
environment
Brain Activity, Levels of Awareness
• Selective attention: The ability to focus thought
or perception while filtering extraneous stimulation.
• Inattentional blindness: Failing to report an
object clearly present in a scene
• Change blindness: A change occurs between
two viewings of a scene, but it is not noticed
• Dual processing: The ability to attend to and
manage several stimuli at once, some
automatically and some intentionally in your
awareness
Biological Rhythms and Stages of
Sleep
• Stage 1–5%: State between relaxed
wakefulness and being asleep
• Stage 2–50%: The body is more relaxed,
and it is harder for outside noises to wake
you up.
• Stage 3–20%: Breathing, blood pressure,
and heartbeat decrease
• Stage 4–25%: Lowered levels of oxygen in
the brain
Influences on Sleep Patterns
• Suprachiasmatic nucleus: A part of the
hypothalamus that controls daily rhythms
for sleep and wakefulness
• Melatonin: A hormone manufactured by
the pineal gland that promotes sleepiness
Sleep Theories
• Restorative theory of sleep: The view
that sleep is needed in order to maintain
mental and physical operations
• Adaptive theory of sleep: Suggests that
our sleep-wake patterns are shaped by an
evolved biological process.
Sleep Deprivation and Sleep Debt
• The required amount of sleep varies
considerably among individuals. As you
get older, the amounts of total sleep and
REM sleep you get will change.
Sleep Disorders
• Dyssomnias
– Insomnia
– Sleep apnea
– Narcolepsy
• Parasomnias
– Tremors
– Nightmares
– Sleepwalking
Insomnia
• Acute insomnia: Short-term inability to
fall or stay asleep
• Primary insomnia: Difficulty falling
asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too
early that is not associated with another
medical or psychological condition
• Secondary insomnia: Lack of sleep
associated with another medical or
psychological condition
Sleep Apnea
• A sleep disorder characterized by abrupt
gaps in breathing during sleep
– Treatments include:
•
•
•
•
Avoiding sleeping on your back
Keeping your head elevated
Cuting back on alcohol or sleeping pills.
For moderate to severe sleep apnea there are
other treatments, including continuous positive
airway pressure (CPAP).
Narcolepsy
• Narcolepspy: A condition characterized by
daytime sleepiness and sudden lapses into
sleep during the day
• Cataplexy: An abrupt and temporary
weakness often following a strong emotional
experience
• Hypnagogic hallucinations: Sensory
experiences that occur between being awake
and asleep
• Hypocretin: A hormone that is linked to
wakefulness
Parasomnias
• Sleep paralysis
• REM sleep behavior disorder
• nREM sleep disorders:
– Sexsomnia
– Sleep terrors
– Sleepwalking and sleep eating
Dreams
• Two main theories of the purpose of
dreams:
– Reflection of unconscious wishes
– Byproduct of mental housekeeping
Psychoanalytic Theory of Dreams
• Suggest that dreams are unconscious
wishes and/or conflicts
– Latent content: The true, underlying,
undisguised meaning of a dream
– Manifest content: The dream as the dreamer
reports it
Activation-Synthesis
Model of Dreaming
• A theory of dreams that suggests that
dreams are interpreted brain activity
– Consolidation: The stabilization of
information in long-term memory though
structural changes in the brain
Dream Contents
An average person spends about 6 years
dreaming, mostly consisting of sleepthink
or generic thoughts about their day.
Hypnosis
• A trancelike state in which the subject
readily accepts the hypnotist’s suggestion
of changes in consciousness or
sensations
Theories of Hypnosis
• Altered State of Consciousness theory:
Hypnosis is a distinctive kind of consciousness
and those who are hypnotized are in a unique kind
of psychological trance
• Role playing: You respond to a suggestion
because you are expected to do so.
• Dissociation theory: The hypnotic state produces
a split in consciousness and separates the
executive control system from the rest of the brain.
• Neodissociation theory: Hypnosis causes
subjects to divide their consciousness voluntarily.
Meditation (slide 1 of 2)
• A mental practice that regulates attention
and awareness
Meditation (slide 2 of 2)
• Benefits include:
– effective treatment conditions including
hypertension and chronic pain
– reduced reactions to stress
– increased perception of control
– enhanced empathy
– improvement in eating disorders
– alleviation of chronic anxiety, severe psoriasis,
tension headache, and depression
Drug Use
• Psychoactive drug: A chemical that alters consciousness
• Drug abuse: A condition in which a person uses psychoactive
substances that results in distress or impairment in their
social, work, or school functioning
• Drug addiction: A situation in which taking a psychoactive
substance leads to habitual use and craving even though the
use causes distress or impairment
• Tolerance: A reduction in a person’s sensitivity to a drug over
time
• Withdrawal symptoms: Distress and cravings associated
with the rapid discontinuation of certain psychoactive
substances
Drug Use
• Drug rebound effect : A situation in which stopping the use
of a drug can have the reverse effect of the action of the drug
• Drug dependence: A situation in which a person’s drug use
has led to distress or impairment including drug tolerance,
significant withdrawal symptoms, and unsuccessful efforts to
reduce drug use
• Physical dependence: A condition in which a drug must be
taken continually to avoid symptoms of withdrawal
• Psychological dependence : A situation in which a person’s
use of a substance leads to cravings, with distress and
impairment in the absence of physiological dependence
Mechanism of Action of
Psychoactive Drugs
Psychoactive drugs can influence the
functioning of the nervous system in various
ways. They can:
1.Block the action of neurotransmitters
2.Prevent reuptake, causing excess
neurotransmitters to flood the synaptic gap
3.Increase the effect of a neurotransmitter
4.Decrease the effect of a neurotransmitter
5.Bind to receptor sites normally used by
neurotransmitters
List and describe the four categories of psychoactive drugs.
Depressants
• Alcohol: Associated with reduced
inhibition, slurred speech, and
impairments in balance
• Barbiturates: Reduce stress and induce
sleep
• Opiates: Relieve pain and reduce the
activity of the nervous system
Stimulants
• Amphetamines: Activate the central nervous
system
• Caffeine: Associated with increased central
nervous system activity
• Nicotine: Targets the nicotinic receptors
• Cocaine: Made from the coca plant
• Methamphetamine: Associated with
increased nervous system activity and
elevated libido and self-esteem
Hallucinogens
• Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD): A
synthetic psychedelic hallucinogenic drug
that produces altered states of
consciousness
• Marijuana: A drug that has both painkilling as
well as stimulating effects on the nervous
system
• Ecstasy (MDMA): A stimulant-hallucinogenic
drug that can induce euphoria and diminish
anxiety