1. States of Consciousness
Chapter 5
States of Consciousness
These power point slides are to only be used as a means to take notes during Mrs. Bartolotti’s lecture. They are not to be reproduced in any way without the permission of the teacher. Also, the slides presented here are not to be the only means of studying for the chapter test. You will still need to read and take notes for both the reading and the lecture. Finally, please note, not all of the slides from Mrs. Bartolotti’s lecture are included in these slides; hey, some things have to be a surprise!

2. How is Consciousness Related to Other Mental Processes?
Consciousness can take many forms, while other mental processes occur simultaneously outside our awareness

3. What Consciousness Does For Us
Restricts our attention
Combines sensation with learning and memory
Allows us to create a mental model of the world that we can manipulate

4. How do we study consciousness?
Roger Shepard and Jacqueline Metzler (1971)
Proved how consciousness allows us to manipulate objects by asking people to identify if objects that were rotated were the same object.
See page 161 – are all three objects the same?

5. How do we study consciousness?
Stephen Kosslyn (1976)
Said we could use our conscious minds to “zoom in,” like a camera of the details of our mental images.

6. Levels of Consciousness
Present Awareness
Conscious
Just below awareness
Subconscious
No Conscious Processing
Preconscious
Nonconscious
Nonconscious
Past awareness
No awareness
Unconscious

7. What Cycles Occur in Everyday Consciousness?
Consciousness changes in cycles that correspond to our biological rhythms and the patterns of stimulation in our environment

8. What Cycles Occur in Everyday Consciousness?
Daydreaming – A common variation of consciousness in which attention shifts to memories, expectations, desires, or fantasies and away from the immediate situation

9. Sleep and Dreaming
Circadian rhythms – Psychological patterns that repeat approximately every 24 hours
The sleep cycle involves:
REM sleep
Non-REM (NREM) sleep
REM-sleep deprivation leads to REM rebound

10. The Sleep Cycle

11. The Function of Sleep Possible functions of sleep include:
To conserve energy
To restore the body (neurotransmitters, neuron sensitivity)
To build “neural nets” and flush out useless information from the brain

12. The Need for Sleep
Over the years, the need for REM sleep decreases considerably, while the need for NREM sleep diminishes less sharply

13. Sleep Debt vs. The Circadian Clock
Sleep debt – Deficiency caused by not getting the amount of sleep that one requires for optimal functioning

14. Why We Dream: A Cross-Cultural Perspective
Folk theories
Scientific approach
Dreams as meaningful events
Dreams as random brain activity

15. Dreams as Meaningful Events
Freud believed dreams served the following two functions:
To guard sleep
To serve as sources of wish fulfillment
Dream content
Varies by culture, gender, and age
Frequently connects with recent experience
May help us form memories

16. Dreams as Random Brain Activity
Activation-synthesis theory – Theory that dreams begin with random electrical activation coming from brain stem; dreams are brain’s attempt to make sense of this random activity

17. Sleep Disorders
Insomnia – Involves insufficient sleep, the inability to fall asleep quickly, frequent arousals, or early awakenings
Sleep apnea – Respiratory disorder in which person intermittently stops breathing while asleep

18. Sleep Disorders
Narcolepsy – Involves sudden REM sleep attacks accompanied by cataplexy
Cataplexy – Sudden loss of muscle control that occurs before narcoleptic sleep attack; waking form of sleep paralysis

19. Sleep Disorders
Night terrors – The screaming of a child in deep sleep, who, once awakened, has no memory of what mental events might have caused the fear

20. What Other Forms Can Consciousness Take?
An altered state of consciousness occurs when some aspect of normal consciousness is modified by mental, behavioral, or chemical means

21. What Other Forms Can Consciousness Take?
Hypnosis
Meditation
Psychoactive drug states

22. Hypnosis
Hypnosis – Induced state of altered awareness, characterized by heightened suggestibility and deep relaxation
Hypnotizability – Degree to which an individual is responsive to hypnotic suggestions

23. Hypnosis As an Altered State
Experts disagree about whether hypnosis involves
A distinct state of consciousness
Heightened motivation
Social processes such as role playing
A dissociate state (Hilgard’s “hidden observer” view)

24. Practical Uses for Hypnosis
Hypnosis can have practical uses for
Researchers
Psychological treatment
Medical and dental treatment
Hypnotic analgesia – Diminished sensitivity to pain while under hypnosis

25. Meditation
Meditation – Form of consciousness change induced by focusing on a repetitive behavior, assuming certain body positions and minimizing external stimulation

26. Psychoactive Drug States
Psychoactive drugs – Chemicals that affect mental processes and behavior by their effects on the nervous system
Hallucinogens
Opiates
Depressants
Stimulants

27. Hallucinogens
Alter perceptions of the external environment and inner awareness
(also called psychedelics)
Mescaline
LSD
PCP
Cannabis

28. Opiates
Highly addictive; produce a sense of well-being and have strong pain-relieving properties
Morphine
Codeine
Heroin
Methadone

29. Depressants
Slow down mental and physical activity by inhibiting transmission of nerve impulses in the central nervous system
Barbiturates
Benzodiazepines (e.g. Valium)
Alcohol

30. Stimulants
Arouse the central nervous system, speeding up mental and physical responses
Cocaine
Amphetamines
Methamphetamine
MDMA (ecstasy)
Caffeine
Nicotine

31. End of Chapter 5
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