Chapter 5: States of Consciousness

Understanding Consciousness Consciousness (an organism’s awareness of its own self and surroundings)

3 Chapter 5 Question: What is consciousness? CONSCIOUSNESS Sensory awareness – conscious or aware of things outside yourself  You are aware of sights, sounds, and smells that are all around you  Focusing on a particular stimulus is referred to as selective attention and it makes our senses keener  We tend to be more conscious of some things than others. Section 1: The Study of Consciousness

4 Chapter 5 CONSCIOUSNESS Direct inner awareness – being aware of things inside you Imagine jumping into a lake or a swimming pool on a hot day. Can you feel the cool, refreshing water all around you? You do not hear, see, smell, or touch thoughts, images, emotions, or memories. Yet you are still conscious of them. This meaning of consciousness, then, is being aware of things inside yourself. Sense of self – aware of ourselves and our existence. Consciousness is the sense of self in which we are aware of ourselves and our existence.

5 Chapter 5 Levels of Consciousness—Unconscious Sigmund Freud theorized that people have an unconscious mind. Information stored in the unconscious (sometimes called the subconscious) is unavailable to awareness under most circumstances Imagine that you are planning to go to a party. Without realizing why, you find yourself continually distracted from getting ready. First, perhaps, you cannot find a pair of shoes, Then maybe you become involved in a lengthy phone call, Can you guess what information was stored in your unconscious? It may be that you did not want to go to the party. According to Freud’s theory this desire to avoid the party was unconscious and you were not aware of it. We use various mental strategies, called defense mechanisms, to push painful or unacceptable ideas out of our consciousness. In this way, we protect ourselves from feelings of anxiety, guilt and shame.

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e) Sleep and Dreams What happens to humans and other animals while we sleep and dream?

Functions of Sleep: Why Do We Sleep and What If We Don’t? Sleep always wins  Microsleep Why?  Restores body tissues and facilitates body growth  Increases immunity to disease  Keeps mind alert  Helps process memories  Enhances mood

How Much Sleep Do We Need? People differ in the amount they need Age  Older we get, less sleep we need Lifestyle and Environment  Habits, responsibilities, stressors Genetics  May be genetically predisposed to getting up early or going to bed late

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e) 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

11 Chapter 5 FIVE STAGES OF SLEEP Stage 1 is light sleep that produces the alpha waves typical of relaxation Stages 2, 3, and 4 are deeper and during stages 3 and 4 the brain produces delta waves Stage 4 is the stage of deepest sleep meaning the one that would be the most difficult to wake up from Final stage is rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, in which dreams and nightmares occur During a typical 8-hour night of sleep, most people go through these stages about 5 times each of which constitutes one sleep cycle. The final period of REM sleep toward morning may last half an hour or longer.

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e) Sleep and Dreams: Average Daily Hours of Sleep for Different Mammals

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc Huffman: Psychology in Action (8e) Psychology in Action (8e) by Karen Huffman PowerPoint  Lecture Notes Presentation End of Chapter 5: States of Consciousness Karen Huffman, Palomar College