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Consciousness Chapter 6. What Is Consciousness?. Awake or aware The awareness of self and environment. Types of Conscious Experience. External sensory perception Sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touch Internal sensory perception Remembering or imagining something.
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What Is Consciousness? • Awake or aware • The awareness of self and environment
Types of Conscious Experience • External sensory perception • Sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touch • Internal sensory perception • Remembering or imagining something
Types of Conscious Experience • Abstract awareness • Symbols • Thoughts • Emotions
Types of Conscious Experience • Awareness of self • As an individual apart from other individuals • Most unclear part of consciousness, cannot be defined • Psychologists focus on this type
Early Ideas About Consciousness • Rene Descartes • 17th Century • French philosopher • “I think, therefore I am” • Mind vs. body duality • The idea that the mind is separate from the body
Early Ideas About Consciousness • During the 18th and 19th Centuries • Psychology was defined at the study of consciousness • Early 20th Century • William James • Consciousness could not be measured
Early Ideas About Consciousness • John Watson • Behaviorist • “Discard all references to consciousness” • Focus on observable behaviors
Levels of Consciousness • Waking consciousness • What we are aware of • Daydreaming • Intense concentration • What we choose to attend to
Levels of Consciousness • Subconscious • Thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that are not presently in our awareness • Preconscious • Knowledge and memories are present in our minds but are not accessed
Levels of Consciousness • Nonconscious • Behaviors and thoughts that we process automatically • Speaking, breathing, blinking
Levels of Consciousness • Unconscious • Freud - Contains desires, conflicts or memories that our conscious mind cannot deal with
Consciousness and Chronobiology • Chronobiology • Study of the effects of time on the life processes • Biological clock • Programs activities in the body • Change in temperature and blood pressure
Circadian Rhythms • The body’s natural functions occur as cycles • Going to sleep • Waking up • Body temperature • Blood pressure • Hormone levels
Changes in Circadian Rhythms • Entrainment – the alteration of a natural cycle to fit a different rhythm • Shift Work – working during the night • Jet Lag – flying across different time zones
Altered State of Consciousness • Daydreaming • Drug-induced • Hallucination • Meditative • Biofeedback • Lucid Dreaming
Sleep • Essential to our survival
Why do we sleep? • What happens to people who are deprived of sleep? • Changes in: • Body chemistry • Perception • Ability to think clearly • Concentration • Distractibility • Irritability
3 Theories of Sleep • 1. Physical/Mental Recuperation • Highest rate of producing new cells • Chemicals in the body and brain are replenished
3 Theories of Sleep • 2. Consolidation of Thoughts and Experiences • Level of mental activity is high • Some nerve cells fire 5 -10 times more quickly than when you’re awake
3 Theories of Sleep • 3. Adaptation • Adaptive behavior • Kept our ancient ancestors quiet and unmoving during the dark hours
Stages of Sleep • Researchers found 5 stages of sleep by measuring: • Brain waves • Eye movement • Muscle tension • 4 NREM • 1 REM • The avg. time it takes to move through the 5 stages is 90 minutes
Stages of Sleep • NREM • 1. Heart rate slows, muscle tension dec. • Light sleep, transition phase. Increased imagery, easy to awaken. • Sudden muscle contractions, sensation of falling. 2. Body relaxes further. 1&2 last about 30 min. • Person may talk in their sleep during this stage
Stages of Sleep • 3. Transition into deep sleep. • 3&4 last 30 min. and occur the first 2 to 3 sleep cycles of the night • Complete sleep • Difficult to awaken • 4. Considerable movement • Little perception of external sounds • Deep sleep – no eye or muscle activity
Stages of Sleep • REM • 5. About 90 min. into the sleep cycle • appear paralyzed except for movement of the eyes • Most dreams occur - when awakened 85-90% report they were dreaming and can recall it • Periods of REM are longest during the last sleep cycles of the night.
Stages of Sleep • Infants spend almost 50% of their time in REM sleep • Adults spend about 50% of their sleep in Stage 2, 20% in REM, 30% divided between the other three stages
Sleep Disorders • Sleep Apnea • Stop breathing suddenly and/or regularly • Associated with snoring • Devices are used to signal to a person when they stop breathing
Sleep Disorders • Sleepwalking • Occurs during deep sleep • Occurs during NREM • Person awakens with no memory of the act
Sleep Disorders • Insomnia • Difficulty falling or staying asleep • Causes: diet, exercise patterns, sleeping environment, worry or concern • Hypersomnia • Chronic, excessive sleeping • Irresistible drowsiness • Napping during the day • Difficulty waking up
Sleep Disorders • SIDS • Sudden death of a child under 1 years of age • Occurs when the child is sleeping • Cause of death is unexplained
Sleep Disorders • REM Behavior Disorder • Act out a dream • Narcolepsy • Fall asleep suddenly, unpredictably and uncontrollably • Biological basis • Sudden loss of muscle control
Sleep Disorders • Night Terrors • Sleeper is terrified • Eyes are open but not awake • When awakened the person is still frightened but doesn’t know why • Occurs during NREM sleep (stage 4) • Nightmares • Occur during REM sleep • When the person awakes they will recall the dream
Assignment • 1. Research a recurring dream you may have • 2. If you do not dream, research two different symbols that people may dream about
Dreaming • REM dreams tend to be the longest and are very visual • Dreams may seem to take as long as the actual events • Most dreams are about ordinary experiences and emotions
Why do we dream? • Scientists are unsure • Freud suggested that dreams were the creations of the unconscious mind • Our dreams are symbols for what a person is unable to deal with consciously • Other theorist suggest that dreams occur when certain neurons fire randomly • Dreams are the brain’s attempt to make sense of the firing neurons
Why do we dream? • Dreaming and REM sleep have been shown to improve memory • Dreaming allows the brain to consolidate information that is already there • Essential for good health • People deprived of REM sleep report feeling tired and have difficulty concentrating
What do dreams mean? • There are no reliable methods for interpreting dreams • Dreams may be: • Random • Involved in consolidating information • Solving problems at the subconscious level • Arise from the unconscious • Responses to neural activity
Hypnosis • Process that allows a person to enter a trancelike state • Person becomes very suggestible • Encouraged to focus on a single stimulus • Relax
5 Qualities of the Hypnotic State • 1. Heightened Suggestibility • Person has a tendency to see, hear, or perceive what the hypnotist suggests • Person may do what he/she is told, but usually will not do anything against their basic beliefs or moral code
5 Qualities of the Hypnotic State • 2. Dissociation • Separated from the sensations connected to external reality • 3. Vivid Imagery • May be led to believe that real objects don’t exist or imagined ones do
5 Qualities of the Hypnotic State • 4. Enhanced memory • A person may mentally return to past events and describe them • These events may not be recalled in a waking state
5 Qualities of the Hypnotic State • 5. Posthypnotic Suggestion • Suggestions made to a person during a hypnotic trance may remain with them afterwards • Quit smoking • Eating healthy • Manage pain
Hypnosis & Memory • There is no concrete evidence that hypnosis strengthens memories • Studies have shown people who are not hypnotized are just as likely as people in a hypnotic trance to recall events.
Age Regression Under Hypnosis • Acting a certain age under hypnosis • Memories are a mixture of fact and fantasy • The tone of the hypnotist can influence answers
Current Theories of Consciousness • 2 Types of Consciousness • 1. Core – sense of self in the here and now • Biological phenomenon • 2. Extended – an elaborate sense of self • Identity and person • Aware of the past and future • World outside of them self