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Chapter 4: Consciousness

Learning Outcomes

Define consciousness.

Explain the nature of sleep and


various sleep disorders.
Learning Outcomes

Explain the natures and uses of


hypnosis, meditation, and
biofeedback in altering
consciousness.

Define substance abuse and


dependence, identify categories of
psychoactive drugs and explain their
allures and dangers.
What is Consciousness?
Consciousness

Sensory Awareness
Selective Attention
Cocktail Party Effect

Direct Inner Awareness


Preconscious, Unconscious,
Nonconscious

Preconscious
Not currently in awareness, but readily
available
Preconscious, Unconscious,
Nonconscious

Unconscious
Unavailable to awareness under most
circumstances
Repression (unconscious)
Suppression (conscious)
Preconscious, Unconscious,
Nonconscious

Nonconscious
Bodily processes that can not be
experienced through sensory awareness
Altered States of Consciousness

Sleep

Meditation

Hypnotic trance

Distorted perceptions from mind-


altering drugs
Sleep and Dreams
Biological and Circadian
Rhythms

Circadian rhythm is a cycle that is


connected with the 24-hour period of
Earths rotation
Cycle of wakefulness and sleep
The Stages of Sleep

Using EEG records, sleep stages are


recorded by different brain waves
Nonrapid eye movement (NREM)
sleep
First four stages of sleep
Stage 1 is lightest; Stage 4 is deepest
Rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep
The Stages of Sleep
The Stages of Sleep

Stage 1
Slow down from alpha waves to theta
waves
Hypnagogic state may be experienced
Stage 2
Appearance of sleep spindles
Stages 3 and 4
Delta waves
Stage 4 is deepest stage of sleep
The Stages of Sleep

REM sleep
Rapid eye movements
Paradoxical sleep
When awakened in REM sleep, 80%
report dreams
Typical Night of Sleep

Tend to undergo 5 cycles through the


stages of sleep
First time in stage 4 sleep is usually
the longest
Sleep becomes lighter as the night
wears on
REM sleep becomes longer as night
wears on
Last REM period may be about 30
minutes
Sleep Cycles
Functions of Sleep

Rejuvenates the body


Helps us recover from stress
Helps us consolidate learning
May promote development of infants
brains
Amount of Sleep

Amount of sleep needed may be


partly genetically determined
Additional sleep is needed when you
are under stress
As you age, you require less sleep
Sleep, Learning and Memory

Individuals deprived of REM sleep


Learn more slowly
Forget what they have learned quicker
Show REM rebound
Dreams

Imagery in the absence of external


stimulation
Most vivid during REM sleep
May dream in color or black and
white
Pleasant dream or nightmare
Why Do We Dream What We
Dream?

Memories of the day


Traumatic events Nightmares
Reflections of unconscious desires
Freud
Truth or Fiction?

We act out our forbidden fantasies in


our dreams.
Truth or Fiction?

We act out our forbidden fantasies in


our dreams.

FICTION!
Activation-Synthesis Model of
Dreaming

Acetylcholine and the pons stimulate


responses that lead to dreaming
Reticular formation stimulates parts of the
cortex involved in memory
Cortex then synthesizes sources of
stimulation into dreams
Most likely dream of recent events
the view that dreams reflect activation
of cognitive activity by the reticular
formation and synthesis of this activity
into a pattern
Truth or Fiction?

Insomnia can be caused by trying too


hard to fall asleep.
Truth or Fiction?

Insomnia can be caused by trying too


hard to fall asleep.

TRUE!
Sleep Disorders
Insomnia
Narcolepsy
Sleep paralysis
Sleep apnea
Teeth grinding (Bruxism)
Deep Sleep Disorders

Occur in stage 3 or 4 sleep


More common in children
Sleep Terrors
Bed-Wetting (Enuresis)
Sleepwalking (Somnambulism)
Truth or Fiction?

It is dangerous to awaken a
sleepwalker.
Truth or Fiction?

It is dangerous to awaken a
sleepwalker.

FICTION!
Altering Consciousness Through
Hypnosis, Meditation, and
Biofeedback
Hypnosis

Altered state of consciousness in


which people are suggestible and
behave as though in a trance
Used in medical procedures, as an
aid in coping
Hypnotic trance
Hypnotic suggestibility
People who are easily hypnotized
Truth or Fiction?

You can be hypnotized against your


will.
Franz Mesmer in the 18th Century
said that everything in the universe
was connected by forms of
magnetism which actually may not
be far off the mark. He claimed that
we could be drawn to one another by
animal magnetism.
Truth or Fiction?

You can be hypnotized against your


will.

FICTION!
Explaining Hypnosis

Role Theory
Response Set Theory
role theory - a theory that
explains hypnotic events in terms of
the persons ability to act as though
he or she were hypnotized
response set theory - the view
that response expectancies play a
key role in the production of the
experiences suggested by the
hypnotist
Meditation

Focusing consciousness to alter


relationship between the self and the
environment
Transcendental Meditation (TM)
Concentrate on mantras
Relaxation response
Mindfulness Meditation (MM)
Focus on present versus ruminate on
problems
Truth or Fiction?

You can teach a rat to raise or lower


its heart rate.
Truth or Fiction?

You can teach a rat to raise or lower


its heart rate.

TRUE!
Biofeedback

A system that provides


information about a
bodily function in order
to gain some control
over it
Biofeedback training
(BFT)
helps combat stress,
tension and anxiety
Electromyograph
(EMG)
Monitors muscle
tension
Altering Consciousness
Through Drugs
Psychoactive Substances

Drugs that distort perceptions


and change moods
psychoactive substances drugs
that have psychological effects such
as stimulation or distortion of
perceptions
depressant a drug that lowers the
rate of activity of the nervous system
stimulant a drug that increases
activity of the nervous system
Substance Abuse and
Dependence

Substance abuse is repeated use of


a substance despite impaired
functioning
Substance dependence is
characterized by loss of control over
use of the substance
Organize life around getting and using
a substance
Tolerance
Abstinence syndrome
tolerance habituation to a drug,
with the result that increasingly
higher doses of the drug are needed
to achieve similar effects
abstinence syndrome- a
characteristic cluster of withdrawal
symptoms that results from sudden
decrease in an addictive drugs level
of usage
Causes of Substance Abuse and
Dependence

Experimentation
Recommendation or observation of
others
Reinforcement by peers or positive
effects
Self medication
Genetic predisposition toward
physiological dependence
Alcohol

Most abused drug


10 to 20 million Americans are
alcoholics
Half of all Americans use alcohol
regularly
About 4 college students die each day
from alcohol-related causes
Binge drinking
Alcohol

Depressant
Slows activity of central nervous system
Effects
Lowers inhibitions
Impairs cognitive functioning and
coordination
Alcohol

Men more likely to become alcoholic


than women
Alcohol has stronger effect on women
Asian and Asian American less likely
than Europeans and European
Americans to drink to excess
Asians more likely to show flushing
response
Can lead to physiological dependence
Opiates

Group of narcotics derived from the


opium poppy
Laboratory produced opioids
Morphine, heroin, codeine, Demerol
Major application is pain relief
Provides a strong euphoric rush
Can lead to dependence
narcotics drugs used to relieve
pain and induce sleep; the term is
usually reserved for opiates
opioids chemicals that act on
opiate receptors but are not derived
from the opium poppy
Truth or Fiction?

Heroin was once used as a cure for


addiction for morphine.
Truth or Fiction?

Heroin was once used as a cure for


addiction for morphine.

TRUE!
Barbiturates

Depressants with medical uses


Relaxation, pain management,
treatment of epilepsy, high blood
pressure and insomnia
used to relieve anxiety or induce sleep
Rapidly lead to dependence
Dangerous to mix barbiturates and
alcohol
Truth or Fiction?

Many health professionals calm down


hyperactive children by giving them
a stimulant.
Truth or Fiction?

Many health professionals calm down


hyperactive children by giving them
a stimulant.

TRUE!
Amphetamines

Stimulant, , a colorless liquid


consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and
nitrogen
Can produce euphoric feeling
May cause a crash upon withdrawal
Tolerance develops quickly and users
may become dependent
Ritalin
Common treatment for hyperactive
children
Truth or Fiction?

Coca-Cola once added life to its


signature drink through the use of a
powerful but now illegal
stimulant.
Truth or Fiction?

Coca-Cola once added life to its


signature drink through the use of a
powerful but now illegal
stimulant.

TRUE!
Cocaine

Stimulant that produces euphoric


feelings
Physical dangers
Sudden rises in blood pressure, decreased
oxygen supply to the heart, quickened
heart rate
Overdose
Can cause restlessness and insomnia,
tremors, headaches, nausea, convulsions,
hallucinations, delusions, cardiorespiratory
collapse
How Cocaine Produces Euphoria

and Why People Crash


Figure 4.4: How Cocaine
Produces Euphoria and Why
People Crash
A. In the normal functioning of the
nervous system, neurotransmitters
are released into the synaptic cleft
by vesicles in terminal buttons of
sending neurons. Many are taken up
by receptor sites in receiving
neurons. B. In the process called
reuptake, sending neurons typically
reabsorb excess molecules of
neurotransmitters.
C. Molecules of cocaine bind to the sites
on sending neurons that normally
reuptake molecules of neurotransmitters.
As a result, molecules of norepinephrine,
dopamine, and serotonin remain longer in
the synaptic cleft, increasing their typical
mood-altering effects and providing a
euphoric rush. When the person stops
using cocaine, the lessened absorption of
neurotransmitters by receiving neurons
causes his or her mood to crash.
Nicotine

Addictive stimulant
in tobacco smoke
Creates
physiological
dependence on
tobacco
Enhances memory
and attention
Relaxing effect
Depresses appetite
and raises
metabolic rate
Gender, Level of Education, and
Smoking
Truth or Fiction?

The number of people who die from


smoking-related causes is greater
than the number lost to motor
vehicle accidents, abuse of alcohol
and all other drugs, suicide,
homicide, and AIDS combined.
Truth or Fiction?

The number of people who die from


smoking-related causes is greater
than the number lost to motor
vehicle accidents, abuse of alcohol
and all other drugs, suicide,
homicide, and AIDS combined.

TRUE!
Nicotine

Cigarette smoke also contains


Hydrocarbons (tars) chemical
compounds consisting of hydrogen and
carbon
Carbon monoxide
Secondhand smoke smoke from the
tobacco products and exhalations of
other people; also referred to as
passive smoking
Marijuana

Hallucinogen; active ingredient THC


Hashish is derived from resin more potent
a substance that causes hallucinations
May produce relaxation, mood
elevation, sharpened perceptions, self-
insight, creative thinking, empathy for
others
Time perception may be altered
Disorientation may be pleasant or
disorienting
Marijuana

Impairs perceptual-motor
coordination
Impairs short-term memory and
slows learning
May experience tolerance and
withdrawal symptoms
LSD

Synthetic hallucinogen; lysergic acid


diethylamide; a hallucinogen
Produces vivid, colorful hallucinations
Flashbacks
distorted perceptions or hallucinations
that occur days or weeks after LSD
usage but mimic the LSD experience
Occur days, weeks, or longer after
usage; distorted perceptions that mimic
LSD trip
Other hallucinogens
Mescaline a hallucinogen derived
from the mescal (peyote) cactus
(PCP) phencyclidine another
hallucinogen whose name is an acronym
for its chemical structure
Psychoactive Drugs and Their
Effects
Psychoactive Drugs and Their
Effects

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