Unit 5 - Consciousness Flashcards
awareness of self and environment
Consciousness
Consciousness is a psychological construct meaning it…
can’t be seen or felt but is
known because how it affects behavior
to focus on one thing
Selective attention
awareness of environment
Sensory awareness
aware of what’s going on
inside of you e.g. feelings and emotions
Direct inner awareness
awareness of ourselves and our
existence
Sense of self
the here and now (thoughts, perceptions)
Conscious Level
information that can easily be recalled (memories, stored knowledge)
Preconscious Level
hidden information – unknown
motivations – too painful or socially unacceptable (fears, violent motives, selfish needs)
Unconscious/subconscious Level
Basic biological functions that we do not sense such as your fingernails growing or your pupils adjusting to light
Nonconscious Level
Refers to states in which a person’s sense of self changes. These states can include:
sleep
being under the influence of drugs
meditation
hypnosis (maybe??)
Altered States of Consciousness
Why do we sleep
Sleep protects—evolutionary perspective
Sleep helps us recuperate—restore and repair brain tissue
Restore and repair our day’s memories
Feeds creative thinking
Sleep supports growth—pituitary gland releases growth hormone in NREM-3
24 hours: sleep-wake cycle
Changes in body temp., blood pressure
Cycle responds to light - more tired during the winter? More melatonin being released by the pineal gland in the dark
Long flights, change in sleep schedule, and exposure to bright lights can reset clock
Circadian Rhythms
Lightest sleep
From beta to alpha wave patterns
Vivid- can easy recall thoughts if awaken at this time
Lasts about 30 minutes
NREM-1
Characterized by sleep spindles – burst of rapid brainwave activity
Somniloquy (sleep-talking) starts at this stage
Lasts about 20 minutes
NREM-2
Deep sleep – release delta waves
Last about 30 minutes then restart to hit reverse in the cycle
Somnambulism (sleep walking) and night terrors occur at this stage
Still some brain processing – awareness – ex. Not crushing babies while asleep
NREM-3
Rapid-eye movement
Beta Waves
Breathing irregular, blood pressure rises, faster heart beat
Motor cortex active but brainstem blocks messages/paradoxical sleep
Most dreams occur during this stage (over 100,000 dreams within a lifetime)
REM Sleep
Sleep cycle
awake, 1, 2, 3,2, rem, 2, 3, 2, rem, 2, 3, 2, rem
*do not hit 1 again unless you wake up
What happens when we don’t sleep
Learn slower – forget more – impaired concentration
Fatigue
Depressed immune system – get sick quicker
Depression
Impaired creativity and communication
Irritability (cranky)
Chronic deprivation – can change your biology leading to obesity, hypertension and memory impairment
inability to sleep, racing thoughts
Insomnia
sudden uncontrollable sleepiness or
lapse into REM sleep
Narcolepsy
stop breathing while asleep
Sleep Apnea
Night terrors/nightmares
Sleep walking and talking
other sleep problems
dreams reflect unconscious wishes and desires, uses symbols to hide latent content
freud
neural activation; random neurons firing and brain trying to make sense by creating a story (making sense of neural static)
Hobson and McCarley
organizing/sorting out the day and fixing them to memory
Information-Processing
develops the brain and neural pathways
Physiological function
reflects awake cognitive abilities
Cognitive development
an altered state of heightened
suggestibility
Everyone is susceptible to some degree but some things help:
- Can totally focus on task
- Have active imaginations
- Fanciful possibilities
- Believe/want to be hypnotized
hypnosis
Benefits of hypnosis
Get the Monkey off Your Back
- Posthypnotic suggestions
- Quit bad habits
- Conditioning (next chapter) associate bad habit with something nasty
Personal Motrin Pain Reliever
- Yes it is possible
- But technically pain is still there, sensory input not disturbed
- Theories = Dissociation and Selective Attention
tries to narrow consciousness to put stress outside of one’s self peaceful and repetitive
Meditation
ex. alcohol, barbiturates/tranquilizers, opiates - heroin
- Slow neural activities and body function
- Two key aspects of addiction = tolerance and withdrawal
- Opiates stop your brain from producing endorphins – highly addictive; narcotics- including codeine & morphine
Depressants
ex. amphetamines, nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine, caffeine
- Speeds up brain activity and body functioning
- Meth most addicting because it can permanently reduce brains normal output of dopamine – can reduce production by 90%
- Ecstasy (MDMA) = also a hallucinogen – released stored serotonin and blocks reuptake
Stimulants
ex. LSD, Marijuana
- THC = active ingredient in marijuana
- Unlike other drugs marijuana can stay in your system for months so habitual users can get high quicker than non-users
Hallucinogens
