1. Defining consciousness: Two notions of consciousness
1. General state of arousal (sleep vs. wakefulness)
2. Attentional focus or current awareness (watching football game or listening to wife)
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2. Defining consciousness: Levels of Awareness
Higher-Level Consciousness
controlled processing
actively focus efforts toward a goal
requires attention
IM: Automatic Processes Activity

3. Defining consciousness: Levels of Awareness
Lower-Level Consciousness
Automatic processes
require little attention/conscious effort
do not interfere with other ongoing activities
Daydreaming
wandering thoughts
fantasy, imagination, rumination
potentially useful (reminding, solving)
IM: Automatic Processes Activity 3

4. Defining consciousness: Altered states
Altered States of Consciousness
drug states
fatigue, illness, trauma, deprivation
meditation, hypnosis
mental disorders
IM: Automatic Processes Activity 4

5. Cognitive Studies of Consciousness: Generally deal with 2nd notion
1. Consciousness as attentional focus: Cocktail party effect (selective attention)
2. Automatic vs. Controlled processing (effects of practice on conscious awareness)
3. Implicit vs. Explicit memory
Recall test vs. Perceptual Identification test
Effects of priming
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6. Cognitive Studies of consciousness: Priming test
Word or non-word RT measure
FORK = word; DXMZ = non-word
SIGN – FORK
DXMZ – FORK
SPOON – FORK (sig reduction in rt)
Unconscious priming? -- yes
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7. Cognitive studies of consciousness: Exclusion task in priming
Coconut…palm (tree or wrist?) cons: only tree/uncon: either
Hand…palm (tree or wrist?) cons: only wrist/uncon: either
Stem completion task: complete BUT_ _ _ (could be butter or butler). What happens when one is presented earlier either consciously or unconsciously?) But can only be excluded consciously
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8. Cognitive studies of consciousness: Brain Damaged Subjects
1. Blindsight: loss of visual consciousness due to damage to primary visual cortex
2. Prosopagnosia: loss of face recognition due to damage to temporal lobe visual pathway.
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9. Sleep and Dreams: Stages of Sleep
NREM (Non-Rapid-Eye-Movement) Sleep:
Stage 1 (lightest sleep)
Stage 2 (deeper sleep)
Stages 3 and 4 (deepest sleep)
REM (Rapid-Eye-Movement) Sleep:
Light sleep (also called paradoxical sleep)
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10. Sleep and Dreams: Stages of Sleep (Continued)
NREM (non-REM) sleep:
includes Stages 1 through 4
involves lower-frequency brain waves, decreased pulse and breathing,and occasional, simple dreams
serves a biological need (NREM needs met before REM needs)
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11. Sleep and Dreams: Stages of Sleep (Continued)
REM (Rapid-Eye-Movement) sleep:
also known as paradoxical sleep.
involves high-frequency brain waves, increased pulse and breathing, large muscle .
serves a biological need.
may play a role in learning and consolidating new memories.
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12. Sleep and Dreams: Stages of Sleep in a Typical Night
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13. Sleep and Dreams: Research
The EEG, EOG, and EMG are common tools for sleep research.
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What Happens When We Sleep

14. Sleep and Dreams: Stages of Sleep & Brain Waves
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15. Sleep and Dreams: Over the Life Span
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16. Sleep and Dreams: Average Daily Hours of Sleep for Different Mammals
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17. Why Do We Need Sleep? Adaptive Evolutionary Function
safety
energy conservation/ efficiency
Restorative Function
body rejuvenation & growth
Brain Plasticity
enhances synaptic connections
memory consolidation

18. Theories of Dreaming Historical and Religious Significance
Freud’s Psychodynamic Approach
manifest and latent content
Cognitive Theory
information processing and memory
Activation-Synthesis Theory
brain makes “sense” out of random brain activity
IM: Activity Handout 6.3: Dream Diary

19. Sleep Disorders insomnia sleep walking, talking, and eating
nightmares and night terrors
narcolepsy
sleep apnea
IM: Activity Handout 6.2: Which Sleep Disorder Is It? 19

20. ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sleep Disorders
Insomnia: persistent problems in falling asleep, staying asleep, or awakening too early
Sleep Apnea: repeated interruption of breathing during sleep
Narcolepsy: sudden and irresistible onsets of sleep during normal waking hours
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21. ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Sleep disorders
Nightmares: anxiety-arousing dreams occurring near the end of sleep, during REM sleep
Night Terrors: abrupt awakenings from NREM sleep accompanied by intense physiological arousal and feelings of panic
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22. ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)
Psychoactive Drugs
Psychoactive Drugs: chemicals that change conscious awareness, mood, or perception
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23. Psychoactive Drugs: Important Terms
Drug Abuse: drug taking that causes emotional or physical harm to the individual or others
Addiction: compulsion to use a specific drug or to engage in a certain activity
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24. Psychoactive Drugs: Important Terms
Psychological Dependence: desire or craving to achieve effects produced by drug
Physical Dependence: bodily processes have been so modified by repeated drug use that continued use is required to prevent withdrawal symptoms
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25. Psychoactive Drugs: Important Terms (Continued)
Withdrawal: discomfort and distress experienced after stopping the use of addictive drugs
Tolerance: decreased sensitivity to a drug brought about by its continuous use
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26. Reward Pathway for Psychoactive Drugs

27. Psychoactive Drugs: Four Categories
1. Depressants: act on the CNS to suppress bodily processes (e.g., alcohol, valium)
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Alcohol & Neurotransmitters

28. Psychoactive Drugs: Depressants (Continued)
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29. ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)

30. Psychoactive Drugs: Stimulants
2. Stimulants: act on the CNS to increase bodily processes (e.g., caffeine, nicotine, cocaine)
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31. Psychoactive Drugs: Opiates
3. Opiates: act as an analgesic or pain reliever (e.g., morphine, heroin)
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32. Psychoactive Drugs: Hallucinogens
produce sensory or perceptual distortions called hallucinations (e.g., LSD, marijuana)
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33. ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)

34. Applying Psychology to Everyday Life: Club Drug Alert!
Popular “Club Drugs”:
Date Rape Drug (Rohypnol)
MDMA (Ecstasy)
GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate)
Special K (Ketamine)
Crystal Meth (Methamphetamine)
LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)
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35. Psychoactive Drugs: How They Work
Step 1). Alter the production or synthesis of neurotransmitters.
Step 2). Change the storage or release of neurotransmitters.
Step 3). Alter the reception of neurotransmitters.
Step 4). Change the deactivation (block the reuptake or break-down) of excess neurotransmitters.
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36. How Psychoactive Drugs Work (Step 3: Agonists vs. Antagonists)
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37. ©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e)

38. Healthier Ways to Alter Consciousness
Meditation: group of techniques designed to refocus attention, block out all distractions, and produce an ASC
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39. Healthier Ways to Alter Consciousness
Hypnosis: trancelike state of heightened suggestibility, deep relaxation, and intense focus
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40. Healthier Ways to Alter Consciousness
Hypnosis is used to treat chronic pain, severe burns, dentistry, childbirth, psychotherapy.
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41. Upper Paleolithic Cave Art: Indications of rituals to achieve ASC?
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42. Traditional ceremonies
Mandan Indiana sun-dance: altered state as pain endurance
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43. Ritual Use of Altered State Intoxicants
As far back as we can trace, humans have used consciousness altering rituals and intoxicants, but always together and always under supervision or regulation. The ritual regulated the drug use.
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