Chapter Outline
1. When we are awake: Conscious awareness
2. Preconscious and unconscious states3. When we are asleep4. Hypnosis 5. Meditation6. Psychoactive drugs
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When We Are Awake: Conscious Awareness
What is consciousness? Everything you are thinking about right now! Your awareness of your surroundings and yourself
Stream of consciousness—a continuing flow of
changing thoughts (William James, 1890)Consciousness involves
Attention Monitoring Remembering Planning
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Conscious Awareness and the Brain
Different areas of the brain are responsible for attention and for one’s awareness of that attention Cerebral cortex Thalamus
Intralaminar nuclei and midline nuclei
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Conscious Awareness and the Brain
Inattentional blindness—failure to notice things around us to which we are not paying attention
Blindsight—being unaware of what has reached our attention
Conscious awareness—being aware of what has reached our attention
Conscious awareness of self develops around 18 months
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Preconscious and Unconscious States
• Preconscious—information from your past that is stored in your long-term memory and can be easily accessed • Example: What you did last weekend
• Unconscious—information from your past that is stored in your long-term memory but cannot be easily accessed• Freud: a repressed memory of a significant
traumatic event
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Cognitive View of the Unconscious
We have two types of memory: Explicit—memories that we are consciously aware of
Examples include memories of things we have done and facts
Implicit—memories that we are unconsciously aware of Examples include knowing how to ride a bike; it is
difficult to consciously explain how to balance on a bike
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When We Are Asleep
Why do we sleep? Adaptive theory of sleep—humans can
conserve energy while it is dark and they can’t hunt for food. Also, keeps humans away from predators that are more active at night
Restoration theory—holds that sleep restores our brains and bodies
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Circadian Rhythm
Circadian rhythm is a 24-hour sleep/wake cycle Controlled by the
suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
What causes our circadian rhythm? Genetic differences
Morning people vs. evening people
Some people need more sleep than others
Environmental differences Low sunlight triggers
production of melatonin, which helps to induce sleep
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Sleep Cycle
90–100 minute sleep cycle One cycle goes through Stage
1, 2, 3, 4, and REM sleep We have about five cycles a
night
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Stages of Sleep
Stage 1—a transition into sleep (5 min) At sleep, alpha waves change to theta waves HR slows, BP decreases
Stage 2—harder to wake (15-20 min) More relaxed Sleep spindles (burst of rapid brain waves)
Stage 3—deeper sleep (5-15 min) Theta waves and delta waves
Stage 4—deepest sleep (20-30 min) Slow HR, brain and body in total relaxation (20-30 min) Deepest sleep Mostly delta waves Sleep walking and bed wetting are more likely
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REM Sleep
Rapid eye movement sleep (REM) stage of sleep is associated with rapid and jagged brain wave patterns, increased heart rate, rapid and irregular breathing, rapid eye movements, and dreaming Paradoxical sleep
Non-REM sleep (NREM)—Stages 1 through 4 of normal sleep pattern
Hypnagogic state—vivid sensory phenomena during presleep Myoclonic jerk—sharp muscular spasm
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Why Do We Dream?
Freudian theory of dreams Wish fulfillment and conflict resolution
Manifest and latent contentInformation processing theory
Dreams involve processing information from the day (i.e., encoding memory and problem solving)
Dreams could be a mental realm where we can solve problems and think creatively
Activation-synthesis theory During sleep the brain has a lot of random activity Dreams are an attempt to make sense of this Dreams reflect the brains efforts to make sense out of or
find meaning in the neural activity that takes place during sleep
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Sleep Deprivation
If we could sleep as long as we wanted, most people would sleep 9–10 hours
Chronic sleep loss results in General depressed state Lower immune system Lower ability to concentrate Higher incidence of accidents Lower productivity and higher likelihood of making mistakes
Circadian rhythm sleep disorder–excessive sleepiness or insomnia as a result of a mismatch between their own sleep-wake pattern and the sleep-wake schedule of most other people in their environment
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Common Sleep Disorders
Insomnia Most common Difficulty going to sleep, staying asleep, or wake
early Caused by stress, drug dependence, pain,
depressionSleep apnea
Second most common Repeatedly stops breathing during night Possible to have hundreds of attacks per night Can lead to cardiac arrest
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Sleep Disorders
Narcolepsy Excessive daytime
sleepiness Suddenly fall into REM
sleep during the day Can last up to 15 minutes Genetic factors involved No cure
Sleepwalking Most common in children Occurs in Stages 3 or 4 Appears to be inherited
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Sleep Disorders
Night terrors Stages 3 or 4 Child screams in panic; goes back to sleep
immediately and does not remember the event in the morning
Resolves by adolescenceNightmare disorder
Experience frequent nightmares Nightmares are more common when stressed
and in children
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Hypnosis
Hypnosis—altered state of consciousness with heightened suggestibility, deep relaxation, and intense focus
Posthypnotic responses Posthypnotic amnesia Hypnotic hallucinations Decreased activity in
anterior cingulate cortex when used to reduce pain
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Meditation
Meditation—group of technique designed to turn one’s consciousness away from the outer world toward one’s inner cues and awareness Benefits include: relaxing and pleasant
feelings; treating pain, asthma, high blood pressure, heart problems, skin disorders, diabetes, and viral infections
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Types of Meditation
Yoga—different poses Regulates blood flow, heart rate, and digestive processes
Opening-up approach—clear one’s mind in order to receive new experiences
Concentrative meditation—actively concentrate on an object, word, or idea, called a mantra Koan—a riddle, such as “What is the sound of one hand
clapping?” Mindfulness meditation—pay attention to one’s
feelings, thoughts, and sensations Being in the moment Being mindful, but not judgmental
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Psychoactive Drugs
Psychoactive drugs—any substance that alters mood, perception, awareness, or thought Includes coffee, cigarettes, and alcohol
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Three Categories of Psychoactive Drugs
Depressants—act on the central nervous system (CNS) to suppress bodily processes Alcohol, sedative-hypnotic drugs, opioids
Stimulants—act on the CNS to increase bodily processes Caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines
Hallucinogens—produce sensory or perceptual distortions called hallucinations LSD, marijuana
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Psychoactive Drugs and the Brain
Psychoactive drugs activate a reward learning pathway, or “pleasure pathway,” in the brain. Reward-deficiency syndrome—pleasure
pathway is not activated readily by daily events, so these people are prone to abuse drugs
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