1. States of Consciousness Chapter 7
AP PSYCHOLOGY
States of Consciousness
Chapter 7

2. ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What is consciousness? GPS STANDARD:
Chapter 7- What is consciousness?
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
What is consciousness?
GPS STANDARD:
SSPBF2- The student will compare the different states of consciousness.

3. Consciousness
What is the nature of reality?
How do we know we exist?
“I think therefore I am”
- Rene Descartes

4. Consciousness
MOVIE REVIEW?
The Truman Show

5. Consciousness
Can people achieve
altered states of
consciousness?

6. Can we control the content of our dreams?
Consciousness
Can we control the content of our dreams?

7. Consciousness Can we control the content of our dreams? YES
LUCID DREAMING or Conscious Dreaming is to dream and know you are dreaming. Here you will learn how to become aware of the dreaming state so you can take control of the dream.

8. Consciousness Consciousness States of consciousness
our awareness of ourselves and our environments
States of consciousness
levels of awareness ranging from being alert and awake to unconsciousness during deep sleep
Changing levels of awareness

9. Consciousness Focused awareness our consciousness is selective
we can fully focus on any important task
we can learn to control and direct our attention to certain objects, events, or experiences while filtering out extraneous stimuli
as we use the computer or send a text message we generally ignore or are not keenly aware of the tactile sensations of our fingers pressing on the keyboard

10. Consciousness Drifting consciousness
even though we have the ability for focused awareness, it is difficult to maintain a state of focused awareness for too long
our minds start drifting from thought to thought
drifting consciousness is a state of awareness characterized by drifting thoughts or mental imagery

11. Consciousness Drifting consciousness
daydreaming a form of consciousness when one is awake in which one’s mind wanders to dreamy thoughts or fantasies

12. Consciousness Divided Consciousness
a state of awareness characterized by divided attention between two or more tasks or activities performed at the same time
typically, one of these activities is a mechanical task such as driving a car
when we drive our brain seems to be on automatic pilot while we are free to think about other things [unless we are driving in a violent rainstorm]

13. Consciousness States of unconsciousness
unconsciousness a lack of awareness of our external surroundings or a loss of consciousness (due to sleep, head injury, surgical anesthesia, or coma)

14. Consciousness Altered States of consciousness
sense of time may seem to stand still or speed up
colors may seem more vibrant
the person may see visions or hear voices
the person may claim to taste colors or see sounds

15. Consciousness Altered States of consciousness
Altered states of consciousness a states of awareness that differ from one’s usual waking state
daydreaming
exercise- being “in the zone”; in which the outside world fades out of awareness
meditation
hypnosis
use of mind-altering drugs- alcohol, marijuana, hallucinogens, other psychoactive substances

16. Consciousness Altered States of consciousness
all of the world’s major religious figures claimed to have experienced altered states of consciousness
they experienced altered states of consciousness when they had mystical experiences:
prophetic visions
visitation by gods, or angels
achieving a state of enlightenment
were able to perform certain types of miracles after prayer, or meditation, even though the miracle was performed through a supernatural method within that belief system

17. Dreams: Freud Sigmund Freud--The Interpretation of Dreams (1900)
wish fulfillment
eliminate or deal with otherwise unacceptable feelings
Manifest Content
remembered story line of the dream
Latent Content
underlying meaning of the dream

18. Dreams: Freud
Dreams
sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind
hallucinatory imagery
discontinuities- lack of logical sequence
incongruities- lack of harmony or agreement; incompatible
delusional acceptance of the content
difficulties remembering

19. Dreams: Why do we Dream? To satisfy a desire or wish
dreams provide a psychological safety valve that discharges otherwise unacceptable feelings

20. Dreams: Why do we Dream? To satisfy a desire or wish
dreams provide a psychological safety valve that discharges otherwise unacceptable feelings
As Information Processing to file away memories
REM sleep facilitates memories
dreams help sift, sort, and fix the day’s experiences in our memories

21. Dreams: Why do we Dream? To develop and preserve neural pathways
dreams may serve a physiological function by providing the sleeping brain with periodic stimulation
To make sense of neural static
dreams are activated from neural activity that spreads upward from the brainstem
This is called the activation-synthesis theory
the signals from the brainstem are processed and our brain creates a story to try to make sense of the random signals

22. Dreams: Why do we Dream? To reflect cognitive development
dreams may be a part of brain maturation and the development of thinking
dreams are created from our personal knowledge and memories
REM Rebound
We need REM sleep
When deprived of REM, people return more and more quickly to REM sleep when they finally get to sleep
REM sleep increases following REM sleep deprivation
When finally allowed to sleep undisturbed, people sleep deeply and experience REM Rebound

23. Sleep and Dreams
Measuring sleep activity
Electroencephalogram

24. Brain Waves and Sleep Stages
Alpha Waves
slow waves of a relaxed, awake brain
Delta Waves
large, slow waves of deep sleep
Hallucinations
false sensory experiences

25. Stages in a Typical Night’s Sleep1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Sleep
stages
Awake
Hours of sleep
REM
REM occurs approximately every 90 minutes

26. Sleep Across the Lifespan

27. Sleep and Dreams Biological Rhythms Circadian Rhythm
periodic physiological fluctuations
Circadian Rhythm
the biological clock
regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle [23 hrs, 56 minutes], such as of wakefulness and body temperature

28. Sleep and Dreams REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep
recurring sleep stage (occurs approximately every 90 minutes)
vivid dreams
“paradoxical sleep”
muscles are generally relaxed, but other body systems are active
a mechanism of the brainstem that controls sleep also inhibits spinal motor neurons thus preventing actual physical movement

29. PSYCHOLOGY
“Sleep, those little slices of death; Oh how I loathe them.”- Edgar Allan Poe
US short story author, editor, & poet ( )

30. Effects of Sleep Loss Sleep Deprivation fatigue memory problems
impaired concentration
depressed immune system
greater vulnerability to
accidents
promotes obesity

31. Sleep Deprivation Effects of Sleep Loss continued….
makes our behavior mimic certain
pathological psychiatric conditions
like schizophrenia
can cause hallucinations
can cause delusional beliefs &
paranoia

32. Sleep Deprivation Effects of Sleep Loss continued….
makes us more primitive
makes us more violent
makes us more emotional
makes us more fearful
can lead to depression
suicidal thoughts or actions
depressed immune system
greater vulnerability to accidents

33. Sleep Disorders Night Terrors (not nightmares)
occur within 2 or 3 hours of falling asleep, usually during Stage 4
high arousal-- appearance of being terrified
usually occurs in children
they may sit up and walk around
they may talk incoherently
heart rate and breathing rate doubled

34. Night Terrors Night Terrors1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Sleep
stages
Awake
Hours of sleep
REM
Night Terrors
occur within 2 or 3 hours of falling asleep, usually during Stage 4

35. Sleep Disorders
Somnambulism (sleepwalking is also a Stage 4 sleep disorder)
an abnormal condition of sleep in which motor acts (walking) are performed
children are also most prone to sleepwalking
young children have the deepest and lengthiest stage 4 sleep which makes them more likely to experience sleepwalking

36. Sleep Disorders
Somnambulism (sleepwalking is also a Stage 4 sleep disorder)
sleepwalking is usually harmless and is not recalled the next morning
sleepwalkers usually return to bed on their own or are guided by a family member
it is not dangerous to wake them up
after the age of 40, sleepwalking is rare because stage 4 sleep diminishes

37. Other Sleep Disorders Insomnia Narcolepsy Sleep Apnea
persistent problems in falling or staying asleep
Narcolepsy
uncontrollable sleep attacks
Sleep Apnea
temporary cessation of breathing
momentary reawakenings

38. Sleep Across the Lifespan

39. Brain Waves and Sleep Stages

40. Stages in a Typical Night’s Sleep1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Sleep
stages
Awake
Hours of sleep
REM
REM occurs approximately every 90 minutes

41. Hypnosis Hypnosis Posthypnotic Amnesia
a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur
Posthypnotic Amnesia
supposed inability to recall what one experienced during hypnosis
induced by the hypnotist’s suggestion

42. Hypnosis Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) an Austrian physician
Mesmer passed magnets over the bodies of sick people
some of the people would lapse into a trancelike state
this trancelike state became known as being mesmerized

43. Hypnosis Anton Mesmer (1734-1815)
Benjamin Franklin was the head of a commission which studied this phenomenon
the commission found no evidence that the phenomenon was “real”
instead the commission found that Mesmer’s “cures” were the “mere imagination” of his subjects

44. Hypnosis Can anyone experience hypnosis?
to some extent, nearly everyone is suggestible
however, about 20% are highly hypnotizable
the highly hypnotizable usually have rich fantasy lives
they very easily become absorbed in the imaginary events in a novel or movie

45. Hypnosis Hypnotic ability
Many researchers refer to the highly hypnotizable, those who are most susceptible to hypnosis, as having:
hypnotic ability- the ability to focus attention totally on a task, to become totally absorbed in it, to be able to exhibit an almost unrestrained imagination

46. Hypnosis
Unhypnotized persons can also do this

47. Hypnosis Orne & Evans (1965)
hypnotized subjects can be induced to perform dangerous acts
control group instructed to “pretend”
unhypnotized subjects performed the same dangerous acts as the hypnotized ones

48. Hypnosis Orne & Evans (1965) continued…
this illustrates an important concept of social psychology illustrated by Solomon Asch’s experiments on group pressure and conformity
A person in a position of authority in a legitimate context or role can induce people through social influence to perform some unlikely or even dangerous acts

49. Hypnosis Posthypnotic Suggestion
suggestion to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized
used by some clinicians to control undesired symptoms and behaviors:
headaches
asthma
stress-related skin disorders
treatment of obesity (helps the person adjust eating habits toward more healthy foods and eating in moderation)

50. Conversational Hypnosis ?
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
a series of well choreographed strategies and verbal manipulations to bring others influence others to take a different point of view
NLP uses rapport, indirect suggestions, and confusions to induce a suggestible state of consciousness and to influence conformity

51. Conversational Hypnosis ?
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
the principles of conversational hypnosis were first presented by the psychotherapist and hypnotist Milton Erickson
Erikson believed people are altering their state of consciousness constantly throughout the day:
thinking while waiting for the bus
reading
concentrating on a problem

52. Conversational Hypnosis ?
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Rapport- the first step in conversational hypnosis is to establish rapport with the patient or subject by agreeing with what they have to say
If the subject says, “There’s no way out of this problem of mine. The therapist responds with, “You’re right. There is no way out.”

53. Conversational Hypnosis ?
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Confusion- the next step in conversational hypnosis is to confuse the issue
The therapist says, “ Even though you are right and there is no way out, can you be absolutely sure that there is no solution to this problem?”

54. Conversational Hypnosis ?
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Suggestion- the final step in conversational hypnosis is to make an indirect suggestion
The therapist finally says, “ You seem to be feeling a little less hopeless now, aren’t you? I don’t know why but it seems to me that you look more optimistic than you did when we started our session today.”

55. Conversational Hypnosis ?
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Tony Robbins travel from town to town to teach their wisdom for a fee. Robbins is probably the most successful practitioner of NLP. He started his own empire after transforming from a self-described "fat slob" to a firewalker to (in his own words) "the nation's foremost authority on the psychology of peak performance and personal, professional and organizational turnaround."

56. Conversational Hypnosis ?
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
While I do not doubt that many people benefit from NLP training sessions, there seem to be several false or questionable assumptions upon which NLP is based. Their beliefs about the unconscious mind, hypnosis and the ability to influence people by appealing directly to the subconscious mind are unsubstantiated. All the scientific evidence which exists on such things indicates that what NLP claims is not true. You cannot learn to "speak directly to the unconscious mind " as Erickson and NLP claim, except in the most obvious way of using the power of suggestion through regular hypnosis.

57. Conversational Hypnosis ?
Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
NLP makes claims about thinking and perception which do not seem to be supported by neuroscience. This is not to say that the techniques won't work due to the placebo affect. They may work and work quite well, but there is no way to know whether the claims behind their origin are valid.

58. Hypnosis Can hypnosis alleviate pain? hypnosis can relieve pain
in surgical experiments, hypnotized patients:
have required less anesthesia
recovered sooner
left the hospital earlier than the unhypnotized

59. How does hypnosis alleviate pain?
Dissociation (a divided consciousness)
a split between different levels of consciousness
allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others
hypnosis separates the sensation of the pain stimulus (of which the person is still aware) from the emotional suffering that defines our experiences of pain

60. How does hypnosis alleviate pain?
Hidden Observer- Ernest Hilgard’s term describing a hypnotized subject’s awareness of experiences, such as pain, that go unreported during hypnosis

61. Explaining Hypnosis

62. Drugs and Consciousness
Psychoactive Drug
a chemical substance that alters perceptions and mood
Physical Dependence
physiological need for a drug
marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms
Psychological Dependence
a psychological need to use a drug
for example, to relieve negative emotions

63. Dependence and Addiction
Small
Large
Drug dose
Little
effect
Big
Drug
Response to
first exposure
After repeated
exposure, more
drug is needed
to produce
same effect
Tolerance
diminishing effect with regular use
Withdrawal
discomfort and distress that follow discontinued use

64. Psychoactive Drugs Depressants drugs that reduce neural activity
slow body functions
alcohol, barbiturates, opiates

65. Psychoactive Drugs Barbiturates
drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgement

66. Brain on depressants: Alcohol
Normal Brain
Alcohol

67. Psychoactive Drugs Mixing Alcohol & Barbiturates
The most dangerous thing to mix with a sedative (alcohol) is another sedative or "downer".  The combination can lead to extreme depression of the Central Nervous System and be fatal. When combined with alcohol these drugs have a synergistic effect, meaning that the combined depression of the CNS is greater than the sum of the depression caused by alcohol and that of the sedative.
This effect can be expressed with the equation 1+1=3 (the combined effect is more intense than the separate effects combined).

68. Psychoactive Drugs Stimulants drugs that excite neural activity
speed up body functions
caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, cocaine

69. Psychoactive Drugs Amphetamines
drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes
Amphetamine withdrawal is often accompanied by suicidal thoughts

70. Brain on stimulants: Methamphetamine
Normal Brain
Methamphetamine

71. Psychoactive Drugs Hallucinogens
psychedelic (mind-manifesting) drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input
LSD

72. Perceived Marijuana Risk
‘75 ‘77 ‘79 ‘81 ‘83 ‘85 ‘87 ‘89 ‘91 ‘93 ‘95 ‘97 ‘99
Year
100% 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
Percent of
twelfth
graders
Perceived “great risk of
harm” in marijuana use
Used marijuana

73. Psychoactive Drugs Ecstasy (MDMA) LSD THC
synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen
both short-term and long-term health risks
LSD
lysergic acid diethylamide
a powerful hallucinogenic drug
also known as acid
THC
the major active ingredient in marijuana
triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations

74. Brain on Hallucinogens: Marijuana
Normal Brain
Marijuana

75. Psychoactive Drugs Marijuana & Alcohol
Prolonged marijuana & alcohol abuse can lead to depression

76. Psychoactive Drugs Mixing Marijuana & Alcohol
Smoking pot when drinking alcohol can suppress the drinkers sensations of nausea or need to vomit, making overdose more possible.
When a person has consumed enough alcohol that alcohol poisoning is a concern, their body needs to vomit.
Pot suppresses the instinct to vomit, and excess alcohol is not expelled, making overdose more likely.

77. Psychoactive Drugs Opiates
opium and its derivatives (morphine and heroin)
opiates depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety

78. Cocaine Euphoria and Crash

79. Trends in Drug Use Year 80% 70 60 50 High school seniors 40 reporting
‘77 ‘79 ‘81 ‘83 ‘85 ‘87 ‘89 ‘91 ‘93 ‘95 ‘97 ‘99
Year
80% 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
High school
seniors
reporting
drug use
Alcohol
Marijuana/
hashish
Cocaine

80. Psychoactive Drugs

81. Meditation Meditation
is a process of focused attention that induces a relaxed, calm, and thoughtful state of awareness
to attempt to remove all other thoughts from consciousness, practitioners of meditation narrow their attention to a single object or thought

82. Meditation Meditation (a healthy practice)
many people do not believe in the spiritual or religious aspects of meditation but rather practice it for the health benefits that it can provide
scientific evidence shows that the regular practice of meditation helps relieve the effects of stress
others believe that it is a useful therapeutic treatment for:
alcohol & drug addiction
anxiety disorders
chronic pain
headaches

83. Meditation Meditation (testimony & science)
people who practice meditation describe it as a relaxed but alert state
scientific evidence indicates that the people are relaxed and alert
the research indicates that they are much more relaxed than people who just close their eyes and rest quietly

84. Meditation Meditation as practiced in some religions
the particular meditative technique which is used varies among the different cultures that use it:
Ancient Egyptians stared at an oil-burning lamp
Hindu Yogis focused on the design on a vase or some other graphic symbol
Turkish “Whirling Dervishes” focus on their breathing as they spin themselves around & around in religious devotion

85. Meditation Japanese Zen Buddhists sometimes use a musical chant
Many meditation practitioners repeat a phrase or sound like (ohhmmm) which is called a mantra

86. Meditation Temporal lobe Singing is good for us…
the temporal lobe is involved with mood stability as well as rhythm and music
Singing is good for us…
sing whenever you can
Humming and “Toning” are good for the brain
humming & toning have a healing affect on the temporal lobes as well as the limbic system (emotional center of the brain)

87. Meditation
Toning with mantras- toning balances brainwaves, deepens the breath, reduces the heart rate, and imparts a general sense of well-being. ( Daniel G. Amen, M.D. from Change Your Brain, Change Your Life)

88. Meditation
Certain sounds have effects on the body & emotions: ( Daniel G. Amen, M.D. from Change Your Brain, Change Your Life)
Ahhh- immediately causes a relaxation response
Ee or ayyy- is the most stimulating of vowel sounds; helps us with concentration, releasing pain and anger
Oh or ohm- considered the richest of sounds; can warm skin temperature and relax muscle tension

89. Meditation Meditation (a spiritual practice)
some people who practice meditation believe it does more than just relax the body and mind
they believe that it can expand consciousness and help them achieve a state of pure awareness and inner peace
some believe it leads to a form of spiritual enlightenment (Buddhism- nirvana, Hinduism- moksha)

90. Near-Death Experiences
an altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death
often similar to drug-induced hallucinations

91. Near-Death Experiences
Dualism
the presumption that mind and body are two distinct entities that interact
Monism
the presumption that mind and body are different aspects of the same thing