Chapter 5 Consciousness Flashcards
Consciousness
Level of awareness about ourselves and our environ
History of studies in conciousness
William James very interested in it, but no tools to look at it scientifically so the topic faded until now when there is more tech
- long argued philosophical debate- dualism vs monismo
Dualism
Believes universe consists of thought and matter
- thought in a way arises from but is still independent of the brain
- thought is eternal and exists after body dies
Monists
Believe thought is not independent of matter. Thought is brains byproduct and dies when body dies
Priming
People respond more quickly and accurately to questions they have seen before but don’t remember
Phenomenons that prove different levels of consciousness
- mere exposure effect
- priming
- Blind sight
Blind sight
Some blind people an still accurately grab objects and follow the path of a moving object. One level of consciousness doesn’t get any visual info while another does
Some levels of consciousness
- conscious
- non-conscious
- preconscious
- subconscious
- unconscious
- sleep
- experts dispute of which levels exist
Nonconscious
Body processes controlled by our mind that we are not usually aware of
Subconscious mind
Info not consciously aware of but we know exist b/ of priming and the mere exposure effect
Circadian rhythm
How our metabolic and thought processes follow a certain unique pattern
- includes our sleep cycle
tool to measure different stages of consciousness
EEG detects types of waves given off by brain during different states of consciousness
- also used in sleep studies to see sleep stages
Stages of sleep
- sleep onset
1) stages 1 and 2
2) stages 3 and 4
3) progress back to stage 1- REM
4) cycle continues, but as we get closer to awakening we spend more time in stages 1 and 2, less in 3 and 4 - about 90 min going from stage 1 to stage 4 once, 4-7 cycles
- babies get more rem sleep, aging reduces time needed to sleep and rem
Sleep onset
- stage bw wakefulness and sleep
- brain makes alpha waves
- might have mild hallucinations like Falling/rising
Stage 1 and stage 2
- in the beginning of this stage, you may not be asleep but fall asleep by the end of it
- brain makes theta waves which get slower in frequency and higher in amplitude as these stages progress
- stage 2- EEG shows short bursts of rapid brain waves
Stages 3 and 4
Aka delta sleep
- the less frequency the waves have, the deeper the sleep and less conscious we are
- body replenishes it’s chemicals, strengthens immune system, and releases it’s growth hormones(for kids)
- being deprived of delta sleep makes you more tired and easily sick
- more exercise, more delta sleep
REM sleep
In stage 1, brain has period of intense activity- almost as tho we were awake
- Rapid Eye Movement and muscles twitch, dreams most likely to occur here esp detailed ones
- rem deprivation interferes with memory and these ppl will experience more and longer periods of rem the next time they can sleep until whenever they want
- more stress, more rem
Sleep disorders
- insomnia
- narcolepsy
- sleep apnea
- night terrors
Insomnia
- most common sleep disorder 10%
- has trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep
- recommend: no caffeine or stimulants, exercise during the day, maintain good sleep pattern
Narcolepsy
- suffer from random periods of intense sleepiness
- ppl go straight into rem sleep unpredictably
- recommend- take regular naps, medication
Sleep apnea
- ppl stop breathing for short periods of time in night, wake up to gasp for air, interrupting vital deep sleep
- overweight men at risk, can be fatal
- recommend: respiration machine
Night terrors
- screaming episode, usly happening to children, during stage 4 sleep, don’t remember it when they wake up
- related to somnambulism
- stops as they get older
somnambulism
Sleep walking
Dreams
- storylike images experienced around or in rem sleep
- hard to study b/ based wholly on self reports
- freud’s psychoanalytic approach
- activation synthesis theory
- information processing theory
Freudian theories of dreams
- analyzing dreams allows us to see what’s being repressed in our unconscious
- we act out our unconscious desires, but in more subtle ways using symbols since the ego is still trying to protect you (protected sleep)
- dreams made of manifest and latent content
- theory hard to validate or test, mostly used in pop culture
Manifest content
Literal content of ones dreams
Latent content
Unconscious meaning of the manifest content in our dreams
Activation synthesis theory
- biological approach to dreaming
- dreams are just brain’s interpretations of what is happening physiologically during rem sleep, literary part of brain makes up story line explanation for intense brain wave activity
- split brain patients come up with all sprts of explanations why they are behaving a certain way when it is nothing but a physicooogical cause
Information processing theory
- theorize that brain is integrating daily stress and info during rem dreaming into memories,
- that’s why babies have longer rem sleep b they process so much more info every day
Hypnosis effects
- posthypnotic amnesia
- posthypnotic suggestion
theories on how hypnosis works
- role theory
- state theory
- disassociation theory
Posthypnotic amnesia
People report forgetting events that occurred while they were hypnotized
Posthypnotic suggestion
How a person will behave in a certain way the hypnotist suggests after they are brung out of hypnosis
Role theory
- hypnosis not a diff state of consciousness
- people with high hypnotic suggestibility are easier hypnotized
- ppl in hypnosis are just acting out what is expected for their role
Hypnotic suggestibility
Part of role theory, series of traits that some ppl have that make them easier to hypnotize
- richer fantasy lives
- follow directions well
- can focus attention for long time
State theory
- hypnosis is a different state of consciousness b we become more or less aware of our environ and some ppl report big health benefits
Dissociation theory
- hypnosis divides our consciousness voluntarily
- one part in tune with what is happening while another responds to suggestions of the hypnotist
- researched by Ernest hilgard
Psychoactive drugs
Chemicals that change nuerotransmitters levels in the brain
- 4 types- stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, and opiates
Effects of psychoactive drug after use
- Tolerance causes withdrawal
- physiological dependence if you need drug to avoid withdrawal symptoms - - - psychological dependence on drug if you need it to feel a certain way
Physiological processes when taking a psychoactive drug
- chemicals small enough to pass thru blood brain barrier
- become either antagonist, agonists, or reuptake inhibitors changing neurotransmitter levels in brain
- causes alt state of conciousness
- this and expectations cause change in behavior and cognition
Blood brain barrier
Thick walls around brain blood vessels That brain uses to protect itself from harmful chemicals
- psychoactive drugs pass thru here
Tolerance
Physiological change that produces a need for more of the same drug to achieve the same effect
- causes withdrawal
Withdrawal
- Unpleasant symptoms caused by tolerance of the brain to a drug
- plays role in physiological dependence to drugs
Stimulants
- Type of psychoactive drug
- speeds up body processes including automatic nervous system functions, sense of euphoria and confidence
- tolerance, side effects, withdrawal
- Ex: cocaine, caffeine, nicotine, meth
Depressants
- type of psychoactive drug
- ex: alcohol, barbiturates, anxiolytics
- slows down body processes like automatic nervous system
- sense of euphoria, slows down judgement and reactions
- tolerance and withdrawal
Hallucinogens
- type of psychoactive drugs
- aka psychedelics
- ex: peyote, marijuana, LSD
- sensory hallucinations, identity loss, vivid fantasies
- drug may remain in body for wks causing reverse tolerance
Opiates
- type of psychoactive drug
- ex: morphine, heroin, codeine, opium
- act as agonists for endorphins
- powerful painkillers, euphoria, drowsiness
- most physically addictive drugs b/ rapidly making tolerance and withdrawal
Opium
Opiate derived from poppy plant
