Unit VI Consciousness

What is “Consciousness”? “I feel tired today” – who is this “I”? The earliest psychologists (Wundt, Titchener, James) focused on either describing or explaining the various elements or purposes of conscious experience. How did Pavlov, Watson and Skinner change this? The “cognitive revolution” Aspects of consciousness Awareness of sensory experience Awareness of internal experience Awareness of individual being States of Consciousness

Cognitive Neuroscience The “hard-problem”: How do brain cells create our conscious experience? Bjorn Merker’s research with children with hydranencephaly fMRI brain scan studies Vegetative patients Conscious patients

Dual Processing Emerging research suggests that we have essentially two minds. Split brain patients Explicit and implicit memories Subliminal priming Parallel processing in the brain Goodale and Milner research Ability to “see” and point to different items Facts and personal experience vs. Procedures and C.C. You have heard about this almost too much Blindsight

Is “I” in Charge? We are conscious of only a fraction of the brain’s activity Neural activity can precede conscious awareness Benjamin Libet’s researchresearch Action potential vs. Readiness potential? Philosophy vs. Psychology and Phenomenology Do we need to be conscious of a decision to have “made” that decision? Serial processing in the brain

Selective Attention Selective Attention: The focus of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus. The Cocktail Party effect, driving and other examples Selective Inattention InattentionalInattentional blindnessblindness ChangeChange BlindnessBlindness Change Deafness Choice Blindness The Pop-out effect

Levels of Consciousness Conscious Nonconscious Preconscious Subconscious Unconscious

Biological Rhythms Circadian Rhythm A biological clock that regulates body temperature, wakefulness, blood pressure, respiration and heart rate. Biological Components Circadian rhythms and sleep Disruptions to the circadian rhythm Jet lag, shift work, SAD

Brain Waves Gamma: Hz Beta: Hz SMR: Hz Alpha: 8-12 Hz Theta: 4-7 Hz Delta: 1-4 Hz

Stages of Sleep Stage 1: Alpha to Theta waves – 5-10 minutes Sleep onset and the hypnagogic state William Dement Stage 2: Theta waves – 20 minutes Sleep Spindles; Sleep talking Stages 3 and 4: Delta waves – 30 minutes Slow-wave sleep Sleep walking and bed wetting

Stage 1 Sleep

Stage 2 Sleep

Stage 4 Sleep

REM Sleep Eugene Aserinsky’s discovery After about 65 minutes of sleep, we move towards lighter levels of sleep and enter REM sleep. Physical signs Dreams REM rebound phenomenon Changes in sleep cycles

Nightly Sleep Cycles

Why Do We Sleep? Age-related differences Cultural differences The Effects of Sleep Deprivation The Sleep debt and rebound phenomena Psychological effects Physiological effects Sleep deprivation experiments

5 Theories About Sleep Sleep protects Evolutionary perspective Sleep renews Biologically driven theory Sleep builds memories A correlational and causal theory Sleep fosters creativity A correlational theory Sleep fosters physical growth A glandular theory

Sleep Disorders Insomnia Prevalence and sub-types Symptoms and solutions Narcolepsy Symptoms and treatment Sleep Apnea Symptoms, types and treatment Night Terrors Prevalence and symptoms Sleep Walking and Talking Sleep Paralysis

The Content of Dreams Dream statistics Manifest content Typical dream experiences External stimuli Dement and Wolpert experiment Dreams, sleep and memory Nightmares

The Meaning of Dreams Dreams fulfill wishes A Freudian theory – the latent content Dreams store memories A cognitive neuroscience theory Dreams exercise the mind A biological and physiological theory Dreams mean nothing A biological theory Dreams help brains develop A biological and cognitive theory

Hypnosis: Myths The process of hypnosis Who can be hypnotized? Common traits Hypnosis and memory “Recovered memories” Hypnosis and free will Post-hypnotic amnesia

Hypnosis: Realities Hypnosis and therapy Post-hypnotic suggestions Common uses Common uses that may not be useful The placebo effect? Hypnosis and pain management Research Use of hypnosis as anesthetic

So, what is Hypnosis? Role-Theory Also called the social- influence theory Hypnosis is not an altered state at all Dissociation theory Also called the divided consciousness theory Sees hypnosis as a splitting of consciousness Ernest Hilgard’s work

Drugs and Consciousness Psychoactive drugs Tolerance Withdrawal Dependence Addiction (Abuse) Myths of addiction

Depressants General Characteristics Alcohol Physical and psychological effects Alcohol and expectation Barbiturates Physical and psychological effects Opiates Physical and psychological effects Uses

Stimulants General Characteristics (Meth) Amphetamines Physiological effects Psychological effects History Caffeine Consumption rates Effects Nicotine General effects Smoking and cancer Cocaine Effects Cocaine and the brain Ecstasy Effects

Hallucinogens Lysergic Acid Diethylamide Physiological and psychological effects History Marijuana - THC Physiological and psychological effects Controversies Dependence and withdrawal? Merits of medical usage?

Influences on Drug Use Biological influences Genetic components Correlational research Psychosocial influences Common psychological traits Social influence (peer pressure) Correlational research Prosocial pressures

A Random Add-On Near-Death Experiences Why is this in this chapter? Is it on the AP Exam? Q: What is a near-near- death experience? A: This is OK – to be fair, there are parallels to drug-induced hallucinations. Physiological explanations