Chapter 5: States of consciousness Flashcards
What is consciousness
Consciousness means being aware
American Psychologist William James & Stream of Consciousness (1893) - An uninterrupted flow/stream of changing sensations, images, thoughts, and feelings
Levels of Awareness
- High-level consciousness
- Lower level consciousness
- Altered states of consciousness
- subconscious awareness
- No awareness
High-level consciousness
involved controlled processing, in which individuals actively focus their efforts on attaining a goal EX: doing a math or science problem
Lower level consciousness
Including automatic processing that requires a little attention as well as daydreaming EX: typing on a keyboard,writing number in cellphone
Altered states of consciousness
can be produced by drugs, trauma, fatigue possibly hypnosis, and sensory deprivation EX: feeling the effects of having taken alcohol or psychedelic drugs and going under hypnosis to quit smoking or to lose weight
subconscious awareness
This can occur when people are awake as well as when they are sleeping and dreaming EX: sleeping and dayreaming
No awareness
freud’s belief that some unconscious thoughts are too laden with anxiety and other negative emotions for consciousness to admit them EX: Having unconscious thoughts
Why do we sleep and why sleep is necessary?
Sleep is an innate biological rhythm that cannot be entirely ignored
Sleep helps keep the body and brain healthy by regulating temperature and immune system, conserving energy, and aiding the development and repair
Improves memory, boosts creativity, etc.
Sleep is a necessity & each has their own circadian rhythm (physiological sleep-wake
cycle)
circadian rhythm
physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle
Patterns of Brain during Sleep
Brain doesn’t shut down during sleep, rather the pattern of activity changes.
Does the brain rest or shut down during sleep?
The brain doesn’t shut down during sleep, rather the pattern of activity changes Changes in tiny
electrical signals (brainwaves) can be measured during sleep by (EEG)
brainwaves: Types
Beta waves
Alpha waves
Beta waves
Beta waves: small, fast waves associated with alertness and wakefulness
Alpha waves
Alpha waves: larger, slower waves associated with relaxation and falling
asleep
Sleeping Stages
There are four sleeping stages
stage 1 of sleep
Light sleep
Small irregular waves
Hypnagogic jerk
Stage 2 of sleep
Deeper sleep
Sleep spindles on EEG
Brief bursts of high frequency waves
Stage 3 of sleep
Even deeper sleep
Delta waves emerge
Very large & slow
Stage 4 of sleep
The deepest level of normal sleep
Almost purely delta waves
Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Stage
eyeballs go nuts, associated with dreaming, marked by a return of fast, irregular EEG patterns similar to stage 1 of sleep.
Sleep Paralysis
experience of waking up while muscles remain frozen
What are some of the things that disturb sleep?
- Insomnia: difficulty falling asleep
- Hypersomnia: excessive daytime sleepiness or prolonged nighttime
- Nightmares:
- Sleepwalking sleeptalking & sleep sex
- Sleep apnea difficulty breathing during sleeping
- Narcolepsy irresistible sleep attacks e.g. falling asleep while standing,
Dreams theory: Sigmund Freud’s: psychodynamic theory
Talked about ‘wish fulfillment’ – dreams disguising an expression of unconscious desires or conflicts.
EX: Stealing the wedding ring of best friend (jealousy) = wanting to sleep with her husband/his wife
Activation synthesis hypothesis
Hobson & McCarle
is a neurobiological way to explain the origin of dreams.
Feeling of running in a dream but the legs remain motionless (activation),
so the brain creates a ‘dramatic chase scene’ (synthesis).
Dreams
Dreams are usually meaningless
neurocognitive dream theory: William Domhoff
That dreams have much in common with our waking thoughts and emotions
Most dreams in fact do reflect what we think and how we feel during the day
E.g. dreams of arguing with a teacher in class if the student was upset with
him/her
Hypnosis
altered state of consciousness characterized by intensely narrowed attention and increased openness to suggestion.
Brain activity recorded during hypnosis is different from sleep (hypnosis ≠ sleep).
Realities of Hypnosis
- People must cooperate in order to be hypnotized – cannot be done against
one’s will - Hypnosis cannot produce acts of superhuman strength, or aggression (unless maybe you are already aggressive)
- Through research, hypnosis found to possibly improve memory, relieve pain,
experience sensory changes, help someone relax, etc.
Drug Altered Consciousness
One of the most common ways of altering consciousness is to administer psychoactive drugs
Psychoactive drugs
a substance capable of altering attention, judgment, memory, time sense, self-control, emotion, or perception
EX: Coffee, nicotine, and alcohol are mildly psychoactive
Psychoactive drugs stimulants or depressants based on how they act upon the CNS
Substance Use
may not be a problem or lead to
abuse or dependency
Substance Abuse
Overusing or using in a manner other than its intended use are signs of abuse.
Addiction
continued use of substances no matter what negative effects there may be, which is also characterized by physical or physiological dependence
Withdrawal Symptoms
physical illness or discomfort following withdrawal from a drug
Tolerance
a reduction of the body’s response
to a drugs
what is circadian rhythm
Circadian rhythm is the 24-hour internal clock in our brain that regulates cycles of alertness and sleepiness by responding to light changes in our environment.
ultradian sleep cycle
REM: Rapid eye movement
muscles become inactive and that is why you feel stuck or trapped you can’t move if you wake up in this stage
EM sleep is when you tend to have vivid dreams you can dream in other stages but It wont be as vivid
REM: Rapid eye movement
muscles become inactive and that is why you feel stuck or trapped you can’t move if you wake up in this stage
EM sleep is when you tend to have vivid dreams you can dream in other stages but It won’t be as vivid
non REM
its the the 4 stages of sleep are called non-rem
What is Sleep Hygiene?
Sleep hygiene’ is the term used to describe good sleep habits
Sleep Hygiene Tips
Get regular.
Sleep when sleepy.
Get up & try again.
exercise
eat right
