1. States of Consciousness
Introduction

2. What is Consciousness?
Our level of awareness about ourselves and the environment
We have different levels and states of consciousness
Not “On/Off” switch

3. Psych’s History of Consciousness©
Early in the discipline, the very definition of psych. was “the description and explanation of the states of ©.”
The difficulty of studying © led many in the early 20th cent. to abandon © and focus on the direct observable behavior (Behaviorism)
“Psychology must discard all references to consciousness”
John Watson - Behaviorist
By 1960, advances in neuroscience made it possible to study brain activity and the importance of © re-entered psych.

4. Freud’s Iceberg Theory and Levels of Consciousness

5. Level 1: Conscious Awareness
What you are aware of and thinking about now. (on top of the surface)
Level 2: Non-Conscious – body processes that operate automatically (autonomic NS – heart beat, lungs, digestion, eye blink, etc.). You can be aware of these things but you do not have to think about them in order for them to operate.

6. Level 4: Sub Conscious level
Level 3: Pre-Conscious
Info you are not currently thinking about, but you can bring to the surface/conscious level (memories)
Level 4: Sub Conscious level
Information you're not aware of but affects your behavior nonetheless
- mere exposure – earlier exposure affects your preferences
- priming – earlier exposure affects your ability to relearn a task

7. Level 5: Unconscious
Damaging, harmful, hurtful events that you cannot recall or do not fully accept
Too difficult to face on the conscious level so you repress them to the unconscious
Can still impact your behavior and healthy development in a significant way
Level Freud is most interested in

8. Dualism V. Monism
Dualists believe the mind/spirit/ (conscious) and the body are two distinct entities. Mind/spirit (conscious) continues to exist after death. Would believe in out of body experiences or life after death.
Monists believe the min/spirit (conscious) and body are one and the same. When the body is dead your essence is also dead.

10. SLEEP

11. Sleep is its own state of © because, while we sleep we are less aware of ourselves and our environment
Circadian Rhythm
Our bodies synchronize with the 24 hour cycle of the day
Our own biological clock regulates body rhythms
Ex – energy, temperature, metabolism, etc.
Part of our (CR) is our sleep cycle

12. Sleep Stages An EEG measures brain activity during sleep
Creates brain waves to illustrate different stages
The entire sleep cycle for humans is 90 minutes (you cycle all the way through in one 90 minute segment)
Other mammals go through the same cycle/stages

14. Sleep Stages Sleep onset – period when falling asleep. Weird feeling
May hallucinate

15. Sleep Stages Stage 1 – alpha waves. High frequency, low amplitude
Similar to waves when we’re awake.
Lasts about 5 minutes

16. Sleep Stages
Stage 2
Waves get progressively slower and higher in amplitude
Sleep spindles occur in stage 2 – rapid bursts of brain activity

17. Sleep Stages
Stage 3- transitional stage that is only a few minutes and takes us into a deeper sleep

18. Sleep Stages
Stage 4- Delta Sleep (slow wave sleep/ large, slow brain waves)
The slower the wave, the deeper the sleep and the less aware we are of our environment.
People in delta sleep are very hard to wake and will be groggy when they come to

19. Sleep Stages
Stage 4 cont Delta sleep is important in replenishing body’s chemical supplies (releasing growth hormones in children and fortifying the immune system)
People deprived of delta sleep = susceptible to illness and physical exhaustion
Increased exercise increases time spent in delta sleep

20. Sleep Stages
REM Sleep (stage 5)- about one hour after falling asleep, you pass back through stages 3 and 2 and go into REM (rapid eye movement).

21. REM sleep cont . . .
Paradoxical sleep- because brain waves appear as active and intense as when we’re awake (alpha waves)
Internally the body is aroused with high heart rate, breathing, tense muscles; externally the body appears calm

22. REM lasts about 10 minutes Purpose of REM is not clear
REM sleep cont . . .
REM lasts about 10 minutes
Purpose of REM is not clear
Effects of REM: dreams usually occur at this time
REM deprivation interferes with the memory
More stress in our day = longer time in REM

24. Sleep Cycle
As the night wears on, time in stage 4/delta gets progressively less and eventually disappears. REM sleep periods get progressively longer.
i.e. you spend more time the first half of the night in Stage 4
You spend more time the second half of the night in REM

27. Sleep Disorders and Dreams

28. INSOMNIA
Most common sleep DO (affects about 10% of the population at some time)
CHRONIC – persistent problems falling or staying asleep
Sleep debt leads to physical, emotional problems – wears you down
Treatment – less caffeine, no naps, consistent sleep schedule, comfortable sleep environment, regular exercise, no electronics before bed
Sleeping pills are NOT a long term solution because you become dependent

30. Narcolepsy Very rare (less than .001% of the population
Suffer from periods of intense sleepiness and may fall asleep at unpredictable and inappropriate times – suddenly and uncontrollably fall into REM sleep no matter what you are doing
Treated with meds

31. Robs person of good, uninterrupted sleep Can be fatal
Person periodically stops breathing during sleep – wakes up gasping for air, then continues sleeping
Robs person of good, uninterrupted sleep
Can be fatal
Are also often loud snorers
Overweight men especially at high risk
Treated with a breathing machine – respirator
Sleep Apnea

32. Night Terrors
During sleep person sits up, screams, walks around, talks incoherently, etc.
Usually doesn’t recall when later awakened
Much more common in children – most people outgrow in teen years

33. DREAMS Story like images Usually occur in REM sleep
Information Processing Theory – we dream about things that have been weighing heavily on our mind – brain’s way of dealing with stress in a non-threatening way
Freud argued that dreams were “windows into the unconscious”
Manifest content – the actual story
Latent content – the hidden meaning

36. DRUGS
Take the 2015 Drug Quiz at the link above

37. Drugs
Chemicals that alter your body’s own chemical balances – create an altered state of consciousness
Blood brain barrier – usually protects the brain from harmful chemicals in the bloodstream with thicker walls that surround the brain’s blood vessels. But molecules of drugs are small enough to pass the blood brain barrier

38. Drugs disturb natural neurotransmitters in the brain
AGONISTS – mimic NT. Fit into receptor sites (dendrites) of neurons and act as the NT would
ANTAGONIST – block the receptor sites (dendrites) so that the natural NT cannot bind

39. DRUG AFFECTS
Tolerance – a user needs to take the drug more often and in increasingly larger doses to achieve the same result
Withdrawal – undesirable side effects the body experiences when coming off the drug. Withdrawals are the opposite of whatever the drug does to you. Withdrawal symptoms drive the user to take again.

41. DRUG CATEGORIES
Stimulants – uppers, speed up body processes, confidence, euphoria, energy (crack, cocaine, amphetamines)
Depressants – downers, slow body processes, slow reaction and judgment (alcohol, barbiturates, valium)
Hallucinogens – causes hallucinations, false perceptions (LSD, pot, mushrooms); drugs linger in body for weeks
Opiates – from poppy plant, pain killers and mood elevators; extremely physically addictive (morphine, oxycotin, codeine)

42. Dateline/NBC – June 7, 2015 Growing Hope – Medical Marijuana – Treatment of Epilepsy??

44. HYPNOSIS

45. Dissociation Theory Believes hypnosis is a legit altered state of Con
When hypnotized our con awareness is divided
One part under the control of the hypnotist
Other part is “the hidden observer” – is subconsciously aware of reality
Ernest Hilgard’s ice bucket experiments
Many seek hypnosis for pain management

46. Post-hypnotic Amnesia – forgetting events that occurred during hypnosis
Post-hypnotic Suggestion – suggesting a person behave a certain way after being brought out of hypnosis

47. Role Theory Is skeptical of hypnosis – not truly an altered state
Some people have higher hypnotic suggestibility – rich fantasy life, ability to focus and follow directions, believes in it
These people subconsciously play the role of being hypnotized (placebo effect)