Chapter 5: States of Consciousness

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Chapter 5 States of Consciousness
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Consciousness

• The awareness of sensations, thoughts, and
  feelings being experienced at a given moment
• Waking consciousness
• Altered states of consciousness

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Stages of Sleep

• Stage 1
• The stage of transition between wakefulness and
  sleep that is characterized by relatively rapid,
  low voltage brain waves
• Stage 2
• Characterized by a slower, more regular wave
  pattern and momentary interruptions of sharply
  pointed spiky waves called sleep spindles

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Stages of Sleep

• Stage 3
• Waves become slower, with higher peaks and lower
  valleys in the wave pattern
• Stage 4
• Waves are even slower and more regular, and
  people are least responsive to outside stimulation

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The Sleep Cycle
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REM Sleep The Paradox of Sleep

• Sleep that occupies a little over 20 of adults
  sleeping time and is characterized by

Rapid eye movement Increased and irregular heart
rate Increase in blood pressure Increase in
breathing rate Erections in males Usually
accompanied by dreams Persons body is typically
paralyzed
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REM Sleep The Paradox of Sleep
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The Function and Meaning of Dreaming

• Unconscious wish fulfillment theory (Freud 1900)
• Proposed that dreams represented unconscious
  wishes that dreamers desire to see fulfilled
• Latent content refers to the disguised meaning
  of the dream
• Manifest content refers to the actual story line
  of the dream

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The Function and Meaning of Dreaming

• Dreams-for-survival theory
• Dreams permit information that is critical for
  our daily survival to be reconsidered and
  reprocessed during sleep

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The Function and Meaning of Dreaming

• Activations-synthesis theory
• The brain produces random electrical energy
  during REM sleep that stimulates memories lodged
  in various portions of the brain which are put
  together to make a logical story line

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Sleep Disturbances

• Insomnia
• Sleep apnea
• Sudden infant death syndrome
• Narcolepsy
• Sleepwalking

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Therapy For Insomnia

• Exercise during the day
• Choose a regular bedtime
• Dont use your bed as an all purpose area
• Avoid caffeine after lunch
• Drink a glass of warm milk at bedtime
• Avoid sleeping pills
• Try not to sleep
• Talk yourself into sleeping

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Circadian Rhythms Life Cycles

• Biological processes that occur repeatedly on a
  24-hour
• cycle
• Seasonal
• affective
• disorder
• Jet lag

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Hypnosis

• Hypnosis
• Originated by Franz Mesmer in the 18th century,
  it is described as being in a trance-like state
  of heightened susceptibility to the suggestion of
  others
• Applications
• Control pain, reduce smoking, treating
  psychological disorders, assisting law
  enforcement, improving athletic performance

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Meditation

• Meditation
• A learned technique for refocusing attention that
  brings about an altered state of consciousness
• Mantra
• Repetition of a word, a sound, or a syllable

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Drug Use The Highs and Lows of Consciousness

• Psychoactive drugs
• Influences a persons emotions, perceptions, and
  behavior
• Addictive drugs
• Produce a biological or psychological dependence
  in the user, and withdrawal from them leads to a
  craving for the drug that, in some cases, may be
  nearly irresistible
• Biologically and psychological based

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Stimulants Drug Highs

• Affect the central nervous system by causing a
  rise in heart rate, blood pressure, and muscular
  tension
• Caffeine
• Nicotine
• cocaine
• Amphetamines
• Methamphetamine most dangerous street drug

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Stimulants Drug Highs

• How much caffeine do you consume?

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Depressants Drug Lows

• Impede the nervous system by causing neurons to
  fire more slowly
• Alcohol
• Rohypnol
• Binge drinking
• Barbiturates
• Nembutal
• Seconal
• Phenobarbital

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Depressants Drug Lows
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Narcotics Relieving Pain and Anxiety

• Increase relaxation and relieve pain and anxiety
• Heroin
• Methadone treatment
• Morphine

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Hallucinogens Psychedelic Drugs

• Drugs that are capable of producing
  hallucinations, or changes in the perceptual
  process
• Marijuana
• MDMA (Ecstasy)
• LSD