Ch. 4 States of Consciousness

1
Ch. 4 States of Consciousness

• Consciousness - Our awareness of various
  cognitive processes, such as sleeping, dreaming,
  concentrating, and making decisions
• Altered state of consciousness (ASC) - mental
  state that differs noticeably from normal waking
  consciousness

2
1. Conscious Experience

• A. What is Waking Consciousness?
• Thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that arise
  when we are awake
• B. Explaining Waking Consciousness
• Stream of information resulting from the activity
  of the thalamus which analyzes and interprets
  information
• C. Daydreaming and Fantasy
• May provide stress relief and encourage creativity

3
2. Sleep

• A. Circadian Cycles The Biological Clock
• Circadian about a day
• B. The Rhythms of Sleep
• Brain waves and sleep stages
• Sleep stages 1- 4
• REM versus non-REM
• REM more vivid dreams        
• REM called paradoxical sleep

4
Research into sleep patterns shows that normal
sleep consists of several stages. Following the
initial "twilight" state, which is characterized
by irregular, low-voltage alpha waves and a state
of relaxed wakefulness, the sleeper enters Stage
1 of sleep
5
REM sleep is also called paradoxical sleep
because while brain activity and other
physiological symptoms resemble those recorded
during waking consciousness, the sleeper appears
to be deeply asleep and is incapable of moving
because of paralysis of the body's voluntary
muscles
6
Non-REM, or NREM sleep, refers to the
non-rapid-eye-movement stages of sleep that
alternate with REM stages during the sleep cycle
7

• C. Sleep Disorders
• Sleeptalking, sleepwalking, and night terrors
• More common in children
• Usually Stage 4 sleep
• Insomnia - Difficulty falling asleep or
  remaining asleep
• 35 million Americans
• May be related to stress, depression, medication

8

• Apnea
• Breathing stops momentarily during sleep
• Narcolepsy
• Suddenly falling asleep

9
3. Dreams

• A. Why Do We Dream?
• Dreams as unconscious wishes
• Freud royal road to the unconscious
• Dreams and neural activity
• Random outbursts of nerve-cell activity
• Dreams and waking life
• Housecleaning of information
• B. Do We Need to Dream?
• Reprocessing of information
• Can you learn while asleep?

10
4. Drug-Altered Consciousness

• A. Psychoactive Drugs
• Chemicals that change mood and perceptions
• Movie Clip 1
• Movie Clip 2
• B. Substance Use
• Using a substance but it does not yet interfere
  with a persons life
• C. Substance Abuse
• Using substances to the point that the person
  becomes less responsible

11

• D. Substance Dependence
• Dependence on substance leads to tolerance and
  withdrawal
• Addiction Movie
• E. Tolerance and Withdrawal
• Tolerance
• More substance is required to obtain the same
  effect
• Withdrawal
• Physical discomfort when the substance is stopped

12
Substance use may be essential for medical
reasons and it may also be culturally approved
and valued. By contrast, substance abuse is a
pattern of drug use that diminishes the person's
ability to fulfill responsibilities at home or at
work or school, that results in repeated use of a
drug in dangerous situations, or that leads to
legal difficulties related to drug use
13

• F. Depressants
• Alcohol
• 2/3 fatal crashes
• Paradoxical stimulant
• Alcohol myopia
• Click here to view the Blood-Alcohol table

14

• Barbiturates
• Downers
• For insomnia, anxiety, epilepsy, arthritis,
  bedwetting
• Opiates
• Poppy seed or synthetic
• Heroin
• Opiates Movie

15

• G. Stimulants
• Caffeine
• Alertness
• Anxiety, headaches, heart palpitations, insomnia,
  diarrhea
• Nicotine
• Highly addictive
• Brain craves
• Nicotine Movie

16
Caffeine is considered to be a benign drug, but
in large doses it can cause anxiety, insomnia,
and other unpleasant conditions
17

• Amphetamines
• Euphoria then crash, severe depression
• Amphetamines Movie
• Cocaine
• In Coca-Cola originally
• Euphoria (stim. Sympathetic NS)
• Crash leads to anxiety, depression, and cravings
• Cocaine Movie
• Click here to view the Depressants, Stimulants,
  and Hallucinogens table

18

• H. Hallucinogens and Marijuana
• Distort visual and auditory perception
• LSD
• Produces hallucinations and delusions similar to
  a psychotic state
• Can result in psychosis, memory loss, paranoia,
  panic attacks, nightmares and aggression

19

• Marijuana
• Mild hallucinations
• Euphoria, sense of well-being, relaxation
• Anxiety and paranoia
• Marijuana Video

20
5. Meditation and Hypnosis

• A. Meditation
• A technique which improves the ability to focus
  and relax
• B. Hypnosis
• Hypnotic suggestions
• Clinical application of hypnosis