1. Consciousness AP Psych 11-1-10 – 11-12-10
Or:
All the stuff I thought I knew…

2. Consciousness Attentional Processes Sleep and Dreams Hypnosis
Consciousness-Altering Drugs
Consciousness and Control
Taken from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

3. Consciousness involves 4 components:
Awareness of external events
Awareness of internal sensations
Awareness of the self as the unique being experiencing these events
Awareness of thoughts about the experiences

4. List experiences that require consciousness:
Are there different levels of consciousness?
Taking a test H - watching TV L
Driving H/M - exercising H/M
Eating L - writing H
Walking the dog M - fighting H
Conversation M/L - sleeping? M/L
Reading H/M - showering M
Texting M/L - shopping H/M/L

5. Controlled processes: For activities that require almost undivided attention
Automatic processes: For activities that can be carried on at the same time as other activities (“automatic pilot” or daydreaming)
Lowered awareness: For activities with very low levels of awareness, such as sleep or anesthetization

6. Attentional Processes Consciousness and Selective Attention
An awareness of the sensations, thoughts, and feelings that one is attending to at a given moment.
Selective Attention
Ability to focus awareness on a single stimulus to the exclusion of other stimuli.
Cocktail Party Phenomenon
Ability to attend selectively to one person’s speech among competing conversations.

7. Attentional Processes Selective Attention
Read only the red-ink message aloud as quickly as possible. Now
write down all the blue-ink words you can remember (without looking).
This task, called visual shadowing, is used to examine selective
attention. Most people do not recall many unshadowed
words, even though they were repeated many times.

8.
AP Psych Agenda

9. For tonight, answer #s 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
Spans pages 173 – 189
Quiz tomorrow

10. Attentional Processes Divided Attention The Stroop Test
In the left-hand task, name each color as fast as you can.
In the right-hand task, name the color of ink in which each word is printed as fast as you can.
Source:
Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18,

11. Attentional Processes Influence without Awareness Examples:
Subliminal Message
A stimulus that is presented below the threshold for awareness.
Mere Exposure
Priming
Tendency for a recently presented word or concept to facilitate responses in a subsequent situation.
Prosopagnosia -- (sometimes known as face blindness) is a disorder of face perception where the ability to recognize faces is impaired, while the ability to recognize other objects may be relatively intact.
Blindsight -- perceptually blind in a certain area of their visual field demonstrate some response to visual stimuli. In Type 1 blindsight subjects have no awareness whatsoever of any stimuli, but yet are able to predict, at levels significantly above chance, aspects of a visual stimulus, such as location, or type of movement, often in a forced- response or guessing situation
Figure 4.4 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Source:
Marcel, A.J. (1983). Conscious and unconscious perception: Experiments on visual masking and word recognition. Cognitive Psychology, 15,

12. Attentional Processes Influence without Awareness Influenced Mood without Awareness
Despite not being aware of the words that they “saw”, those exposed to positive words were happier and those exposed to negative words were sadder. This indicates that moods can be influenced without awareness.

13. Sleep and Dreams The Sleep-Wake Cycle
Biological Rhythm
Any periodic fluctuation in a biological organism.
Circadian Rhythm
A biological cycle that occurs approximately every twenty-four hours, e.g., sleeping and waking.

14. Sleep and Dreams Night Work, Sleeping, and Health
Shift work (rotating day and night shifts) is more dangerous than night work.
About 200,000 traffic accidents a year are sleep related.
Those who drive in the middle of the night take microsleeps.
Brief episodes of sleep that occur in the midst of a wakeful activity.

15. Sleep and Dreams How to Stay Awake When Driving
Participants drove two hours in a simulator.
During a break, they drank caffeine, or a placebo, or took a nap.
Both caffeine and nap reduced the number of traffic incidents during the second hour.
Figure 4.7 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Source:
Horne, J. A., & Reyner, L. A. (1996). Counteracting driver sleepiness: Effects of napping, caffeine, and placebo. Psychophysiology, 33,

16. Sleep and Dreams Measuring Sleep
Electrodes measure
eye movements
EMG measures
muscle tension
EEG measures
brain waves
A camera may also record body movements.
Figure 4.8 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Psychology, 4/e by Saul Kassin ©2004 Prentice Hall

17. Sleep and Dreams Stages of Sleep
Figure 4.9 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

18. Sleep and Dreams A Typical Night’s Sleep
Typically 4-5 episodes of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep per night occur.
Later episodes are longer and farther apart.
Most “deep sleep” (stages 3 & 4) occurs early in the night.
Figure 4.10 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

19. Sleep and Dreams Why Do We Sleep?
Cross-species Comparisons of Daily Hours of Sleep
Figure 4.11 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

20. Sleep and Dreams Dreams
Psychologists used to believe that dreaming occurred infrequently.
Now they believe that REM sleep and dreaming are biologically adaptive.
Animal Data
REM rebound
In fact, there is evidence that they are important for brain maturation.
In newborns, 50% of sleep is REM sleep.
Later in childhood and adulthood, about 20% of sleep is REM sleep.

21. Sleep and Dreams About what do People Dream?
Three most common themes are:
falling, being chased or attacked, repeatedly trying but failing to perform a task
64% of dreams are associated with sadness, fear, or anger and aggressive acts outnumbered friendly acts by 2:1
18% of dreams were happy or exciting
Lucid dreaming
A semiconscious dream state when sleepers are aware that they are dreaming.
Source:
Hall, C. S., & Van de Castle, R. (1966). The content analysis of dreams. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

22. Sleep and Dreams Cultural Influences on Dream Content
Dreams reflect a culture’s beliefs, values, and concerns.
Cross-cultural similarities are:
Aggression is more common than is kindness
Gender differences in content
Cross-cultural differences reflect different cultural emphases (e.g., Japanese dreams versus U.S. American dreams).

23. Sleep and Dreams Freud’s Intepretation of Dreams
Sigmund Freud believed that dreams expressed wishes, often disguised.
Manifest Content
Conscious dream content that is remembered after awakening
Latent Content
The unconscious, censored meaning of a dream

24. Sleep and Dreams Activation-Synthesis Theory
A more neuropsychological approach to understanding dreams is the Activation- synthesis theory.
Dreams result from the brain’s attempt to make sense of random neural signals that fire during sleep.

25. Sleep and Dreams Crick-Mitcheson View
As we progress though the day, we create new neural networks
Dreaming unravels unneeded neural networks (we dream to take out the trash)

26. Sleep and Dreams Sleep Disturbances
Insomnia
Inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or get enough sleep to function during the day
Overcoming insomnia
Do not nap during the day.
Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and cigarettes within five hours of bedtime.
Avoid exercise within two hours of bedtime.
Keep a rigid schedule.
If awake and anxious, leave bed and return when sleepy.

27. Sleep and Dreams Sleep Disturbances Self-Help Benefits for Insomnia
People with insomnia received a self-help program, the program and care from a therapist, or no treatment.
People who only participated in the program did as well as those who saw a therapist. People can help themselves overcome insomnia.

28. Sleep and Dreams Sleep Disturbances, continued
Narcolepsy
Characterized by irresistible and sudden attacks of REM sleep during the day
Parasomnias
Sleep Apnea
Repeated cessation of breathing during sleep
REM sleep behavior disorder
Condition in which skeletal muscles are not paralyzed during REM sleep.

29. Narcolepsy
Rusty

30. Hypnosis Hypnosis Hypnotic Susceptibility Posthypnotic suggestion
Attention-focusing procedures in which changes in a person’s behavior or mental state are suggested.
Hypnotic Susceptibility
The extent to which an individual is characteristically responsive to hypnosis.
Posthypnotic suggestion
A suggestion made to a subject in hypnosis to be carried out after the induction session has ended.

31. Hypnosis The Myths and Realities
Coercion
Subjects in hypnosis experiments are aware of what they are doing.
Pain Relief
Hypnosis can be used to reduce pain in people high in hypnotic responsiveness.
Posthynoptic Suggestion
Can be used effectively when coupled with psychotherapy.
Memory Enhancement
This claim is unsubstantiated.

32. Hypnosis The Myths and Realities Hypnosis and the Suggestible Eyewitness
Participants saw a videotape of a staged bank robbery.
Half were then hypnotized.
Interviewer mentioned robber wore a mask.
There was no mask.
In highly hypnotizable subjects, 63% reported a false memory that the robber wore a mask.

33. Hypnosis Is Hypnosis an “Altered” State? The Hidden Observer
Subjects held a hand in ice water and reported pain.
Hypnotized subjects reported lower pain.
Hypnotized subjects reported a “hidden observer” that was aware of the pain.
Figure 4.14 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Source:
Hilgard, E. R., Morgan, A. H., & MacDonald, H. (1975). Pain and dissociation in the cold pressor test: A study of “hidden reports” through automatic keypressing and automatic talking. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 84,

34. Consciousness-Altering Drugs
Psychoactive Drug
A chemical that alters perceptions, thoughts, moods, or behavior.
Physical which a drug is needed to prevent Dependence
An addiction in withdrawal.
Psychological Dependence
An addiction in which a drug is needed to maintain a sense of well-being.
Stimulants
Hallucinogens
Opiates
Section outline

35. Consciousness-Altering Drugs Types of Drugs
Sedatives
Depressants; slow down central nervous system activity
Stimulants
Excite the central nervous system; energize behavior
Hallucinogens
Psychedelic drugs that distort perception and cause hallucinations
Opiates
Highly addictive drugs that depress neural activity and provide temporary relief from pain and anxiety

36. Consciousness-Altering Drugs Commonly Used Drugs
Figure 4.15 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Source:
National Institute of Drug Abuse, 1996

37. Consciousness-Altering Drugs Changing Patterns of Drug Use, 1975-2001
Figure 4.16 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Source:
National Institute of Drug Abuse, 1996

38. Consciousness and Control
Ironic Processes
The harder ones tries to control a thought or behavior, the less likely one is to succeed, especially if distracted, tired, or under stress.
Example, do not think about a white bear.
Subjects instructed to control a pendulum moved it more than those not instructed.
Golfers were more likely to overshoot a putt when trying not to do so.
Wenger, D., Ansfield, M., & Pilloff, D. (1998). The putt and the pendulum: Ironic effects of the mental control of action. Psychological Science, 9,