Unit 5: States of Consciousness Mr. McCormick A.P. Psychology

Essential Question What are the psychological roles of sleep, and how is one’s consciousness affected by hypnosis, meditation, and various drugs?

Unit 5 (A): Consciousness and Sleep Mr. McCormick A.P. Psychology

Do-Now (Questionnaire/In Journal)  Answer the questions on Hand-Out 3-8 “A Morning-Evening Questionnaire”  Tally up the numbers of your responses:  70-86: Definitely morning type  59-69: Moderately morning type  42-58: Neither type  31-41: Moderately evening type  16-30: Definitely evening type

Do-Now (Questionnaire/In Journal)  Answer the questions on Hand-Out 4-1 “Circadian Rhythms”  Tally up the numbers of your responses:  70-86: Definitely morning type  59-69: Moderately morning type  42-58: Neither type  31-41: Moderately evening type  16-30: Definitely evening type

Consciousness  Consciousness:  Our awareness of ourselves and our environment  Exists within a spectrum of levels (as opposed to simply “conscious” vs. “unconscious”)  Freudian view: Childhood experiences  Modern view: Parallel processing

Consciousness

Sleep “Sleep is the irresistible tempter to whom we eventually succumb.”

“Jet Lag”  Have you ever experienced “Jet Lag?”  How did you feel?  Why do you think this occurs?

Biological Rhythms and Sleep  Circadian Rhythm:  The biological clock  Regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour schedule  Ultradian Rhythm: more than once each day  Infradian Rhythm: once per month/season

Biological Rhythms and Sleep Light triggers the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus to decrease melatonin from the pineal gland in the morning and increase it at nightfall.

Sleep Stages  Approximately every 90 minutes, we pass through a cycle of five distinct sleep stages (includes NREM and REM Sleep)

Sleep Stages  When awake, relaxed, and ready to fall asleep, a person’s brain is producing alpha waves (9-14 cps)

Sleep Stages  Stage 1-2:  Lightest levels of sleep  Pulse slows  Muscles relax  May hallucinate  Breathing and brain waves become irregular  Alpha waves/Theta waves (5-8 cps)

Sleep Stages  Stages 3-4:  Deepest levels of sleep  Possibilities:  Sleepwalking/Sleep talking  Bed-wetting  Occurs early in the night  Delta waves (1.5-4 cps)  Important to physical and psychological well-being

Sleep Stages  Stage 5/REM Sleep:  “Rapid Eye Movement” Sleep  Pulse and heart rate become irregular  Face or fingers may twitch  Large muscles become paralyzed  Sexual arousal  Vivid dreams  “Paradoxical Sleep”  Beta waves (15-40 cps)

Sleep Stages With each 90-minute cycle, stage 4 sleep decreases and the duration of REM sleep increases.

Sleep Stages  Why may we sometimes naturally wake up throughout the night?  Why might you feel more tired after taking a 50-minute nap than you were before falling asleep?

Why Do We Sleep? Theories of Sleep 1. Sleep Protects: Sleeping in the darkness when predators loomed about kept our ancestors out of harm’s way. 2. Sleep Helps Us Recover: Sleep helps restore and repair brain tissue. 3. Sleep Helps Us Remember: Sleep restores and rebuilds our fading memories. 4. Sleep May Play a Role in the Growth Process: During sleep, the pituitary gland releases growth hormone. Older people release less of this hormone and sleep less.

Sleeping with Eyes Open: “Nocturnal Lagophthalmos”

Review  What is consciousness?  Provide an 3 examples of altered states of consciousness.  How can one’s consciousness be altered:  Physiologically  Psychologically  What is a circadian rhythm? How does it influence our sleep behavior?  Discuss the sleep cycle:  What occurs during each stage of sleep?

Homework  Unit 5 Key People:  Unit 5 FRQ:  Unit 5 Quiz: “States of Consciousness”