Consciousness EXPANDING THE BOUNDARIES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY

1. 5 Consciousness EXPANDING THE BOUNDARIES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY Slides prepared by Matthew Isaak

2. Learning Objectives LO 5.1 Explain the role of the circadian rhythm and how our bodies react to a disruption in our biological clocks. LO 5.2 Identify the different stages of sleep and the neural activity and dreaming behaviors that occur in each. LO 5.3 Identify the features and causes of sleep disorders. LO 5.4 Describe Freud's theory of dreams. LO 5.5Explain three major modern theories of dreaming.

3. Learning Objectives LO 5.6 Determine how scientists explain unusual and seemingly "mystical" alterations in consciousness. LO 5.7 Distinguish myths from realities concerning hypnosis. LO 5.8Identify possible influences on alcohol abuse and dependence. LO 5.9Distinguish different types of drugs and their effects on consciousness.

4. Lecture Preview • The biology of sleep • Dreams • Other alterations of consciousness • Drugs and consciousness

5. EncountersLO 5.1 Explain the role of the circadian rhythm and how our bodies react to a disruption in our biological clocks. • Approximately 20% of college students believe in extraterrestrials. • Almost 10% claim to have experienced or met an alien. • Are people being visited and abducted by the thousands each year?

6. Alien AbductionsLO 5.1 Explain the role of the circadian rhythm and how our bodies react to a disruption in our biological clocks. • Research shows most "abductees" report a history of sleep paralysis. • State of being unable to move just after falling asleep or right before waking up • Often associated with feeling anxiety or terror; feeling vibrations; hearing humming; or sensing a menacing presence in the room.

7. ConsciousnessLO 5.1 Explain the role of the circadian rhythm and how our bodies react to a disruption in our biological clocks. • Our subjective experience of the world and ourselves • Sleep paralysis is one example of an alteration of normal consciousness.

8. The Biology of SleepLO 5.1 Explain the role of the circadian rhythm and how our bodies react to a disruption in our biological clocks. • Our circadian rhythms are cyclical changes that occur on a roughly 24-hour basis. • Biological processes like hormone release, body temperature • Regulated by neurons in the hypothalamus • Triggers our sense of fatigue via increasing melatonin

9. The Biology of SleepLO 5.1 Explain the role of the circadian rhythm and how our bodies react to a disruption in our biological clocks. • Disruptions of circadian rhythms (jet lag, late shifts) can cause numerous health problems. • How much sleep do we need? • Newborns—16 hours • College students—9 hours • Most people—7-10 hours • People (<1%) with DEC2 mutation—6 hours or less

10. The Biology of SleepLO 5.1 Explain the role of the circadian rhythm and how our bodies react to a disruption in our biological clocks. • Building up a sleep debt can have numerous negative consequences. • Weight gain • Depression • Increased risk for cardiovascular problems • Decreased immune system

11. Stages of SleepLO 5.2 Identify the different stages of sleep and the neural activity and dreaming behaviors that occur in each. • We cycle through five stages of sleep in 90 minute cycles. • Stages 1-4 (Non-REM) • No rapid eye movements, fewer dreams • Stage 5 (REM) sleep • vivid dreams • Rapid Eye Movements (REM)

12. Stages of SleepLO 5.2 Identify the different stages of sleep and the neural activity and dreaming behaviors that occur in each. • Stage 1 (5-10 minutes/cycle) • Theta waves • Hypnagogic imagery • Myoclonic jerks • Stage 2 (10-30 minutes/cycle) • Sleep spindles and K-complexes • As much as 65% of total sleep

13. Stages of SleepLO 5.2 Identify the different stages of sleep and the neural activity and dreaming behaviors that occur in each. • Stages 3 and 4 (15-30 minutes/cycle) • Delta waves • Crucial to feel rested; suppressed by alcohol • 40% of sleep in children; 25% in adults • Stage 5 (REM sleep; 10-20 minutes/cycle) • Brain activity similar to wakefulness • Becomes longer as the night goes on

14. Figure 5.1 The Stages of Sleep. The EEG allows scientists to distinguish among the major stages of sleep, along with two levels of wakefulness. As we can see, brain activity during REM sleep is similar to that when we're awake and alert, because our brains during REM are typically engaged in vivid dreaming.

15. Figure 5.2 Stages of Sleep in a Typical Night. The graph shows the typical progression throughthe night of stages 1–4 and REM sleep. Stages 1–4 are indicated on the y axis, and REM stages are represented by the green curves on the graph. The REM periods occur about every 90 minutes throughout the night (Dement, 1974).

16. LO 5.2 Identify the different stages of sleep and the neural activity and dreaming behaviors that occur in each.

17. REM SleepLO 5.2 Identify the different stages of sleep and the neural activity and dreaming behaviors that occur in each. • Called paradoxical sleep as bodies are paralyzed but brains are active • REM rebound occurs when we don't rest well for several nights • Function of the eye movements is unknown • Muscles in middle ear are also active

18. Lucid DreamingLO 5.2 Identify the different stages of sleep and the neural activity and dreaming behaviors that occur in each. • Sleep and wake may not be as distinct as once thought. • Lucid dreaming occurs when you know that a dream is a dream. • Some report being able to control dreams. • May help with nightmares, not other problems

19. Sleep DisordersLO 5.3 Identify the features and causes of sleep disorders. • Widespread and costly problem • $35 billion/year cost • 30-50% of population experiences sleep disorders at some point.

20. Sleep DisordersLO 5.3 Identify the features and causes of sleep disorders. • Most common is insomnia (10-15% of people) • Difficulty going to, staying asleep, or early waking • High rates in conjunction with depression, pain, medical conditions

21. Beating InsomniaLO 5.3 Identify the features and causes of sleep disorders. Photos from dichohecho and maxintosh's Flickr streams

22. Sleep DisordersLO 5.3 Identify the features and causes of sleep disorders. • Narcolepsy is the rapid and unexpected onset of sleep. • Some can experience cataplexy as well • Due to lack of orexin production • Sleep apnea is caused by the blockage of the airway during sleep. • May wake briefly hundreds of times per night, causing fatigue and other health problems

23. Figure 5.3 Flow of Air and Quality of Sleep. When the flow of air is blocked, as in sleep apnea, the quality of sleep can be seriously disrupted.

24. Sleep DisordersLO 5.3 Identify the features and causes of sleep disorders. • Night terrors are sudden waking episodes characterized by screaming, perspiring, and confusion, followed by a return to a deep sleep. • most common in children; harmless • Sleepwalking occurs in 15-30% of children and 3-5% of adults.

25. DreamsLO 5.4 Describe Freud's theory of dreams. • Unsure exactly why we dream, but involved in: • Processing emotional memories • Integrating new experiences with established memories • Learning new strategies and ways of doing things

26. DreamsLO 5.4 Describe Freud's theory of dreams. • Unsure exactly why we dream, but involved in: • Simulating threatening events so we can better cope with them in everyday life • Reorganizing and consolidating memories

27. Freud's Dream Protection TheoryLO 5.4 Describe Freud's theory of dreams. • Dreams transform our sexual and aggressive instincts into symbols that represent wish fulfillment. • These require interpretation to reveal their true meaning. • Manifest vs. latent content

28. Freud's Dream Protection TheoryLO 5.4 Describe Freud's theory of dreams. • Rejected by most scientists due to lack of evidence • Most dreams are negative in content. • Very few sexual dreams (< 10%) • Straightforward dream content • Post-trauma nightmares

29. Activation-Synthesis TheoryLO 5.5 Explain three major modern theories of dreaming. • Dreams reflect the brain's attempt to make sense of random and internally generated neural signals during REM. • These signals originate in the pons and move to forebrain.

30. Figure 5.4 Activation-Synthesis Theory. According to activation-synthesis theory, the pons transmits random signals to the thalamus, which relays information to the forebrain of the cerebral cortex. The forebrain in turn attempts to create a story from the incomplete information it receives.

31. Activation-Synthesis TheoryLO 5.5 Explain three major modern theories of dreaming. • Alternatives to AST emphasize role of forebrain in dreaming. • Damage to forebrain can eliminate dreams completely, even if the pons is intact. • Also, dreams are consistent over time, not random as AST would expect.

32. Neurocognitive TheoryLO 5.5 Explain three major modern theories of dreaming. • Dreams are a meaningful product of our cognitive capacities, which shape what we dream about. • This is why dreams of adults are more complex than those of children.

33. Alterations in ConsciousnessLO 5.5 Explain three major modern theories of dreaming. • Hallucinations are realistic perceptual experiences in the absence of external stimuli. • Brain activates in the same way for hallucinations as for "real" sensory experiences. • Quite normal: 10-35% of people report having had at least one.

34. Alterations in ConsciousnessLO 5.6 Determine how scientists explain unusual and seemingly "mystical" alterations in consciousness. • Out-of-body experience is the sense that our consciousness has left our body • More commonly reported by those who have other unusual experiences • A scrambling of sensory information, not actually leaving the body, may be the reason

35. Alterations in ConsciousnessLO 5.6 Determine how scientists explain unusual and seemingly "mystical" alterations in consciousness. • Near-death experiences are OBEs reported by people who've nearly died or thought they were going to die. • Differ cross culturally, in response to expectations about the afterlife • Can be experimentally triggered via stimulation of temporal lobes and other means

36. Alterations in ConsciousnessLO 5.6 Determine how scientists explain unusual and seemingly "mystical" alterations in consciousness. • Déjà vu is the feeling of reliving an experience that is actually new. • Very common; up to 2/3 of people experience at least one episode • May be due to seizures; events resembling past events; or unconscious processing

37. Alterations in ConsciousnessLO 5.6 Determine how scientists explain unusual and seemingly "mystical" alterations in consciousness. • Mystical experiences involve a sense of unity or oneness with the world. • Often religious in nature, and can be induced via fasting, seizures, prayer, or hallucinogenic drugs

38. HypnosisLO 5.7 Distinguish myths from realities concerning hypnosis. • A set of techniques that provides people with suggestions for alterations in perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors • Widely used to help treat pain, obesity, anxiety, and habit disorders • 15-20% of people are of high suggestibility; another 15-20% are low-suggestibility

39. Hypnosis MythsLO 5.7 Distinguish myths from realities concerning hypnosis. • MYTH 1: It produces a trance state in which "amazing" things happen. • Doesn't have a great impact on suggestibility • Doesn't turn people into mindless robots • MYTH 2: Hypnotic phenomena are unique. • No biological difference between hypnosis and wakefulness

40. Hypnosis MythsLO 5.7 Distinguish myths from realities concerning hypnosis. • MYTH 3: Is it a sleeplike state. • Not biologically similar to sleep • MYTH 4: People are unaware of their surroundings. • Most people are fully aware of their surroundings and what happened during hypnosis

41. Hypnosis MythsLO 5.7 Distinguish myths from realities concerning hypnosis. • MYTH 5: People forget what happens during hypnosis. • Rare and mostly limited to people who expect to be amnesic following hypnosis • MYTH 6: Hypnosis enhances memory. • Increases the amount we recall, but much of it is inaccurate • Does increase confidence by eyewitnesses

42. Theories of HypnosisLO 5.7 Distinguish myths from realities concerning hypnosis. • Sociocognitive theory - A person's approach to hypnosis is based on their attitudes, beliefs, and experiences. • Dissociation theory - Hypnosis is based on a separation between personality functions that are normally well integrated.

43. Drugs and ConsciousnessLO 5.8 Identify possible influences on alcohol abuse and dependence. • Legal and illegal drugs can cause large changes in our state of consciousness. • These psychoactive drugs contain chemicals similar to those found naturally in our brains. • Physical and psychological effects depend on the type of drug and the dosage.

44. Substance Use DisordersLO 5.8 Identify possible influences on alcohol abuse and dependence. • Substance abuse disorder – significant impairment or distress occurs with drug use. • Involves tolerance and withdrawal • tolerance – more of the drug is needed to achieve intoxication • withdrawal – physical symptoms when use is stopped or reduced

45. Substance Use DisordersLO 5.8 Identify possible influences on alcohol abuse and dependence. • Physical dependence • Drug is used to avoid withdrawal symptoms • 6% of college students physically dependent on alcohol • Psychological dependence • Drug use is motivated by cravings

46. Explanations for Drug UseLO 5.8 Identify possible influences on alcohol abuse and dependence. • Sociocultural influences and acceptance • Addictive personality is not true, but certain personality traits to influence use • Reinforcing "self-medication" cycle • Genetic influence

47. DepressantsLO 5.8 Identify possible influences on alcohol abuse and dependence. • Alcohol and sedative-hypnotics depress the effects of the CNS. • Alcohol is the most widely used and abused drug in our society. • Has a stimulating effect at low doses, but depressant effects at higher doses

48. AlcoholLO 5.8 Identify possible influences on alcohol abuse and dependence. • Females experience effects more heavily. • Research shows that what we expect to happen when drinking also plays a role in social behavior.

49. Figure 5.6 Influences on BAC. A person's blood alcohol content (BAC) depends on a variety of factors beyond the number of drinks consumed. The person's weight, gender, and stomach contents all play a role. This graph shows how body weight and gender infl uence BAC. For both men and women, heavier people have a lower BAC, but at both 120 pounds and 160 pounds, women have a higher BAC than men.

50. Figure 5.7 The Four Groups of the Balanced Placebo Design. The balanced-placebo design includes four groups in which participants (a) are told they're receiving a drug and in fact receive a drug, (b) are told they're receiving a drug but actually receive a placebo, (c) are told they're receiving a placebo but actually receive a drug, and (d) are told they're receiving a placebo and in fact receive a placebo.