States of Consciousness

1. 5 States of Consciousness

2. States of Consciousness Wide Awake: Normal Waking Consciousness • Consciousness – state of awareness • More than one kind of state • Qualities of awareness vary

3. States of Consciousness Wide Awake: Normal Waking Consciousness • Daydreams • Everyday consciousness and dreams combined • Thinking and feeling not bound by logic • Freud: daydreams reduce tensions • Content varies from sorrow to sexual desire • Some dreams create tensions

4. States of Consciousness Divided Consciousness • Being two places (mentally) at the same time • Hilgard: conscious awareness is split and simultaneously perform two activities • Driving and talking on cell phone? • Some studies strongly suggest conscious awareness cannot be allocated • Distractions linked to errors and accidents?

5. States of Consciousness The Concept of the Unconscious Mind • Unconscious – consciously unaware • Cocktail party phenomenon - one voice in a room gets attention while all other voices are tuned out • Voice processes unconsciously by brain • Giving more attention to threatening words than nonthreatening words – emotional cues?

6. States of Consciousness Sleep and Dreams: Conscious While Asleep • Sleep is complex combination of states • Stages of sleep • Hypnagogic state – twilight • Stages of light and deep sleep • Four stages of progressively deeper sleep • Electroencephalogram (EEG) measures changing brain activity during sleep stages

7. Relaxed - awake Zzzz Stage 1 sleep spindles Stage 2 sleep Stage 3 sleep Stage 4 sleep REM sleep

8. States of Consciousness REM Sleep and Dreams • 1952 at University of Chicago – first REM sleep recorded in child with EEG • Movement of eyes related to dreaming • REM – rapid-eye-movement sleep • Webb: dream sleep is like autonomic storms • Blood flow to brain increases • Irregular heartbeat • Face and finger muscles twitch • Irregular breathing

9. REM EEG Sleep stage 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 Hours of sleep

10. States of Consciousness Time Spent Dreaming • College survey • 15% dream every night • 25% dream on most nights • Almost one-third rarely or never dream • Studies show average college student • Spends 2 hours a night in REM sleep, divided into four to six separate episodes • Length of REM dreams vary, longest about 1 hour

11. States of Consciousness Non-REM Sleep and Dreams • Non-REM dreams occur more frequently • Dreams less bizarre, less negative emotions on average than REM dreams • Occurs in about half of 4 to 6 hours during sleep

12. States of Consciousness Circadian Rhythms • Biological cycle, regulates patterns of sleep • Cycle length of about 24 hours • Parts of body’s internal clock • Hypothalamus • Hormone melatonin • Pituitary gland secretes growth hormone • Adrenal stress hormone – cortisol secretion

13. States of Consciousness Circadian Rhythms • Biological cycle • Body temperature linked to cycle • Influenced by light and dark illumination • Body’s clock resets each day at daylight • Disrupting circadian rhythms • Flying west – longer period of daylight • Flying east – less time adapting to jet lag • Effects of shift work: easier to rotate from night to day

14. 8 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 Average number of days to adjust to local sleep schedule Average number of days to adjust to local sleep schedule It takes longer to adjust to local sleep schedules and get over jet lag when traveling west to east

15. States of Consciousness Sleep Deprivation and the Need for Sleep • Create sleep debt if sleep is missed • Lost sleep changes behavior • Irritable • Fatigued • Inattentive and inefficient • Fall asleep faster, sleep longer the next night • Webb: sleep has protective role, not health linked

16. States of Consciousness Sleep Deprivation and the Need for Sleep • Current research good health linked to sleep • Short-term deprivation slows immune system • Possible links to diabetes, obesity, and other life-threatening medical conditions • Most sleep 7 to 8 hours per night • High death rates associated with extreme sleep deprivation (ie: accidental deaths) • Need for REM sleep and dreaming is clear

17. States of Consciousness Content of Dreams • Fascinating aspect since ancient pharaohs • Psychologists still seek meaning of dreams • Calkins: first systematic study • Great advances made in sleep labs • Images and characters in dreams • About 25% or less have auditory, bodily, or sexual body sensations

18. States of Consciousness Content of Dreams • Images and characters in dreams • Most dreams have blurry backgrounds and few intense colors • Dreamer has active role about 75% of time • About 50% of characters are known to dreamer • Characters are about even mixture of males and females

19. States of Consciousness Sweet Dreams: The Emotional Content of Dreams • Most dreams contain positive emotions • Negative dreams late in the sleep cycle are more likely to wake a person • Gender differences exist in emotional qualities of dreams • Men more likely to recall positive dreams

20. States of Consciousness Sweet Dreams: The Emotional Content of Dreams • Gender differences • Men’s dreams • Less friendliness between characters • Less aggression toward other dream players • Both men and women • More likely to be victim than perpetrator when verbal/physical aggression in dreams

21. States of Consciousness Creative and Bizarre Aspects of Dreams • Dreams amazingly creative and bizarre • About 75% of dreams have at least one bizarre or unrealistic element • About 10% of dreams have nonsensical story • About 10% of dreams are fantastic and bizarre

22. States of Consciousness Meaning of Dreams • Day residue and stimulus incorporation • Freud: day residue – one character or event from preceding day, week, or earlier life included in dream • Events and concerns of daily life are among most common things in dreams • Stimulus incorporation: something in real environment is directly incorporated in dream

23. States of Consciousness Dream Interpretation • Psychologists’ views vary on meanings of dreams • Freudians: hidden conflicts and motives of unconscious mind are symbols in dreams • Manifest level of dreams – the obvious • Latent content level – the hidden meanings • Controversy over Freud’s interpretations

24. States of Consciousness Nightmares and Other Sleep Phenomena • Nightmares – terrifying dreams • Occur during REM sleep • Upsetting enough to awake the dreamer • Night terrors are less common • Awakens in state of panic, sometimes screaming with poor memory of dream content • Occur during deepest phases of non-REM sleep

25. States of Consciousness Nightmares and Other Sleep Phenomena • Sleepwalking • Occurs in deepest phases of non-REM sleep • Rise out of bed, carry on complicated activities • Most common in children before age of puberty • Sleeptalking • Common in any phase of sleep cycle • Most common in young adults

26. States of Consciousness Sleep Disorders • Usually troublesome but highly treatable disorders - sleep is normal once it begins • Insomnia: sleeping less than one wishes to • Sleep-onset disorder - difficulty falling asleep when desired • Early-awakening insomnia – waking up too early or several times during night

27. States of Consciousness Sleep Disorders • Narcolepsy – rare sleep disorder • Effects one-half of 1%, impact is quite serious • Person suddenly, unexpectedly falls asleep during any activity or event • Dream sleep but not REM sleep • Affects those getting adequate sleep

28. States of Consciousness Sleep Disorders • Sleep apnea – sudden, temporary interruption of breathing during sleep • Interruptions last longer than 20 seconds • Common in overweight and older adults • Causation may be • Too much relaxation of throat muscles • Temporary cessation of brain signals for breathing

29. States of Consciousness Altered States of Consciousness • General characteristics • Distortions of perception • Intense positive emotions • Sense of unity • Illogical • Indescribable • Transcendent • Self-evident reality Types of states • Meditation • During drug use • Moment of religious conversion • Unusual intense sexual orgasm

30. States of Consciousness Altered States • Meditation • Roots in Buddhism • Many varieties of meditation • Simplest – relax, concentrate on breathing • Mantras – silent repetition of sounds or words with special meaning have calm effect • Transcendental state – achieved, desired altered state of consciousness • Natural remedy for stress-related problems

31. States of Consciousness Altered States • Mindfulness - focus awareness on present • Example: father concentrates on children, blocks out thoughts of work and other events • Mindfulness training may reduce mood disturbance during stressful experiences • Not all benefit from intense focusing on present • Psychologists have great interest in this

32. States of Consciousness Altered States • Hypnosis • Hypnotist’s voice talks or lulls person into altered state of consciousness • Typical characteristics • Relaxation • Hypnotic hallucinations • Hypnotic analgesia • Hypnotic age regression • Hypnotic control

33. States of Consciousness Mesmer and Mesmerism • Mesmer trained in classical medicine • Unusual practice called quackery by others • Treated patients with magnetic seances • Sought to creat magnetism in patient’s body • Created mysterious hypnotic trance known as Mesmerism • Limited belief that pain of some may be effectively controlled with hypnotism

34. States of Consciousness Depersonalization • Perceptual experience of one’s body becoming distorted or unreal in some way • Astral projection: out-of-body experience • Reoccurring experiences may be indication of psychological problems • Isolated experiences seem quite normal

35. States of Consciousness Drugs and Altered Consciousness • Induced altered states involving chemicals • Psychotropic drugs • Influence specific neurotransmitters in brain • Range of effects: mild to vivid hallucinations • Four major categories • Depressants • Stimulants • Hallucinogens • Inhalants

36. States of Consciousness Drug Use: Basic Considerations • Five factors affecting response to a drug • Dose and purity • Personal characteristics • Expectations • Social situation • Moods

37. States of Consciousness Psychotropic Drugs • Many are used and abused today • Stimulants • Uppers • Caffeine • Nicotine • Amphetamines • Methamphetamine (speed, crystal meth, ice) • Amphetamine psychosis – prolonged reaction to excessive use of stimulants • Powerful in effects • Often powerfully addictive • Usually used illegally

38. Anxiety Hostility 3 Depression 2 Change in test score for each measure of emotion 1 0 None Low High Dose of caffeine Change in emotion after drinking decaffeinated coffee, and coffee containing small or large amounts of caffeine

39. States of Consciousness Psychotropic Drugs • Stimulants • Cocaine – powder, injected, or smoked • Produces both positive and negative emotions dependent on when used • Reduces need for food and sleep • Dangerous to even occasional user – can cause heart attacks • User tolerance varies so overdose is easy • Ephedra (ma huang) – herbal stimulant

40. States of Consciousness Psychotropic Drugs • Tranquilizers • Milder drugs • Common names • Xanax • Valium • Librium • Ativan • Miltown • Equanil • Depressants • Sedatives • Used for sleep problems • Both highly addictive and dangerous with alcohol • Ambien • Halcion • Restoril

41. States of Consciousness Psychotropic Drugs • Depressants • Narcotics: Opium • Powerful, high physiological addictive; prolonged addiction profoundly damages body • Use of opium poppy is over 7,000 years old • Opiates: Morphine, heroin, codeine • Sudden rush, then relaxed state • Labs have produced synthetic narcotics • Demerol, Percodan, OxyContin

42. States of Consciousness Psychotropic Drugs • Inhalants • Produce sense of intoxication • Types • Glue • Cleaning fluid • Paint • Use more common among children • Highly addictive, extremely dangerous as toxic fumes cause brain damage

43. States of Consciousness • Types • LSD • Mescaline • Psilocybin • PCP Psychotropic Drugs • Hallucinogens • Alter perceptual experiences • Imaginary visions, too real • Usually not physiologically addictive • High risk of psychological dependence • Flashbacks or bad trips affect about 25% of regular users

44. States of Consciousness Psychotropic Drugs • PCP or phencyclidine • Derived from animal tranquilizer • Usage common among adolescents • Effects last 4 to 6 hours • Some experience hallucinations, detachment from the environment, and euphoria • Considered one of most dangerous street drugs

45. States of Consciousness Psychotropic Drugs • Marijuana • Hotly debated, popular conscious-altering drug • Not physically addictive; regular users have uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms • Prolonged use • decreases cognitive processing efficiency • Weakens immune system response • Decreases action of male sex hormones • Greatly increases risk of lung cancer

46. States of Consciousness Psychotropic Drugs • Act-Alike and Designer Drugs • Legal in most states to manufacture and sell drugs that look and act like illegal substances • Act-alike drugs: combinations of high doses of powdered caffeine and some over-the-counter decongestants produce same effects of amphetamines • Designer drugs – not yet classified illegal

47. States of Consciousness Drug Abuse and Dependence • Drug abuse – when it causes physical or psychological harm • Alcohol and liver damage • Inhalants and brain damage • Performance decline and marijuana • Stimulants and heart attacks • Shared needles and HIV

48. States of Consciousness Drug Abuse and Dependence • Drug dependence – intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms when not using drug • Three reasons for psychoactive drug addiction • Sensitization of pleasure and reward systems in the brain • Reduction of negative feelings • Learning

49. States of Consciousness Human Diversity:Substance Abuse and Human Diversity • Drug and alcohol abuse – major U.S. problem • About 1 in 4 once had substance abuse problem • Men 2x as likely as women to abuse substances • African Americans less likely to abuse drugs, alcohol, and tobacco than whites; ethnic influence counters income and education trends

50. States of Consciousness Nicotine and Alcohol • Nicotine found in tobacco products • Usage rates high, given clear evidence of cancer, heart attacks, lung and birth problems, and death • Most smokers began in teenage years. Why? • Peer pressure • Rebel against parental authority • Nicotine dependence takes over