Consciousness

1
Consciousness

• Consciousness as a social phenomenon
• Consciousness and attention
• Phenomena of consciousness

2
Consciousness as a social phenomenon

• Behaviorists Consciousness is not important
• Supernaturalists Consciousness is beyond science
• Cognitivists Consciousness is available to study

3
What is the role of consciousness?

• A separate set of functions of the brain?
• An organizing principle for choice?
• A unifying principle for the other functions of
  the mind?
• A basis of communication, with ourselves and with
  each other?

4
Consciousness and attention

• The stream of consciousness
• Selective attention
• Dichotic listening and shadowing
• Implicit memory and emotional reactions
• Interpreting ambiguous sentences
• Superimposed videotapes and shapes
• Attention focussing factors?

5
Phenomena of consciousness

• The stream of consciousness Attention
• Altered states of consciousness
• Sleep and dreaming
• Daydreaming and fantasy
• Hypnosis
• Drug-induced states
• Mood states and learning

6
The sleep cycle

• Electronic recording EEG, EOG, EMG
• EEG patterns divide sleep into four stages
• 1 a waves, 8 - 12 Hz, low amplitude, moderate
  frequency, similar to drowsy wakefulness
• 2 slower frequency, higher amplitude, plus
• K complexes
• Sleep spindles
• 3 d waves appear, 1-2 Hz, large amplitude
• 4 Dominated by d waves

7
REM sleep phenomena

• Stage 1 EEG Paradoxical sleep
• EOG (and corneal bulge) show frequent eye
  movements, as if scanning a visual field.
• EMG shows loss of muscle tonus due to downward
  inhibition of a motor neurons, although muscles
  moving hands and feet may twitch.
• Many brain structures function as if awake.

8
More REM phenomena

• SNS is partially activated Increases blood
  pressure, respiration, and heart rate.
• Genital response
• Narrative dreaming

9
Dream research

• External stimuli may be incorporated into a
  dream.
• Dream events happen in real time.
• Everyone dreams recall depends on when in the
  sleep cycle you awaken.
• Genital response is independent of dream content.
• Sleep-walking and talking are non-REM.

10
Interpretation of dreams

• Manifest content is symbolic of latent desires
  (Freud)
• Activation-synthesis theory cf. incorporation of
  external events into dreams.
• Lucid dreams Have you had one?

11
Why do we sleep?

• Restoration, recuperation or repair
• Protection with the circadian cycle
• Circadian synthesis