States of Consciousness Chapter 9

An Early Pioneer: William James  Teacher of psychology  He was interested in the nature of consciousness

Definition of Consciousness State of awareness of ourselves and our world It includes our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions Levels of awareness

Focused Awareness Concentrate only on task at hand

Drifting Awareness Daydreaming When not engaged

Divided Consciousness The ability to divide consciousness allows us to perform more than one task at a time Dangers

Unconsciousness Examples: sleeping and dreaming Definition: lack of awareness of one’s surroundings or loss of consciousness

Loss of Consciousness Head trauma Head trauma Surgical anesthesia Surgical anesthesia Coma Coma

Altered States of Consciousness DaydreamingMeditationHypnosis Drug use

Body Rhythms Module 20: Sleep, Dreams, and Body Rhythms

Biological Rhythms  Periodic physiological fluctuations  Fall into three main categories –Circadian Rhythms –Ultradian Rhythms –Infradian Rhythms

Circadian Rhythms  Biological rhythms that occur approximately every 24 hours  Example: Sleep- wake cycle

Ultradian Rhythms Biological rhythms that occur more than once each day Ex: Stages of sleep throughout the night

Infradian Rhythms Biological rhythms that occur once a month or once a season Ex: Women’s menstrual cycle

Sleep and Sleep Deficit Module 20: Sleep, Dreams, and Body Rhythms

Sleeping and Dreaming  1/3 of our lives we are asleep

Reasons for Sleep  Two primary reasons: –Preservation: keep us protected from the dangers of the night –Restoration: recuperate from the wear and tear of the day

Sleep Deprivation Decreases immune system functioning Safety issues Contributes to hypertension, impaired concentration, irritability...

Stage 1 Sleep Breathing is slowed. Breathing is slowed. Brain waves become irregular. Brain waves become irregular. It is easy to wake the person, who will insist they are not asleep. It is easy to wake the person, who will insist they are not asleep. Person will report they have dreamlike sensations, such as falling. Person will report they have dreamlike sensations, such as falling.

EEG

Stage 2 Sleep  Brain wave cycle slows.  EEG spindles (small brain wave bursts) develop.  First time through stage 2 last about 20 minutes.

Stages 3 and 4 Sleep  Increase in delta waves (large and slow waves per second)  First time through stage 4 is about 30 minutes

REM Sleep Stages considered N-REM (non-REM sleep) Rapid eye movement (REM Sleep) - eyes move quickly back and forth Most dreaming occurs in REM sleep

Paradoxical Sleep During REM sleep brain wave patterns are similar to when a person is awake During REM sleep brain wave patterns are similar to when a person is awake

Why Do We Dream? Module 20: Sleep, Dreams, and Body Rhythms

Freud and Dreams  Dreams = wish fulfillment  The road to the unconscious  Manifest versus latent

Information-Processing Theory  Dreams serve an important memory- related function by sorting and sifting through the day’s experiences  Research suggests REM sleep helps memory storage.

Physiological Function Theory  Neural activity during REM sleep provides periodic stimulation of the brain.

Activation-Synthesis Theory  Dreams are the mind’s attempt to make sense of random neural firings in the brain as one sleeps.

Insomnia Insomnia affects 15% of the adult population 3 types: 1. Trouble getting to sleep 2. Trouble staying asleep 3. Trouble returning to sleep after awakening

Increase your quality of sleep: Don’t consume caffeine Get up at the same time every morning Avoid nighttime activities that rile you up Try not to worry when you can’t get to sleep.

Sleep Apnea  Stop breathing as many as 500 times a night  Overly thick palate or enlarged tonsils that block a person’s airways  Male, overweight, over 40 years old  Risks: hypertension, high blood pressure

ci/Diseases/SleepApnea/SleepA pnea_WhatIs.html

Narcolepsy A mirror image of insomnia Rapid onset of REM sleep May last up to 15 minutes Dangers

Sleepwalking More common among children than adults Persistent sleepwalking is an indication of a sleep disorder Occurs in deep sleep

Nightmare Disorder Disturbing nightmares that are very vivid and intense Common themes: falling, fleeing REM sleep

Night Terrors  More intense than nightmares  They occur in deep sleep, not REM sleep  Affects boys and men more

Other Sleep Disorders  Bruxism – teeth grinding  Enuresis – bed wetting  Myoclonus – sudden jerk of a body part occurring during stage 1 sleep –Everyone has occasional episodes of myoclonus

What is Hypnosis? Module 21: Hypnosis

 A form of altered consciousness in which a person becomes highly suggestible  Open to commands What Is Hypnosis?

Inducing a Trance Braid method Eye method Machine method

Social Influence Theory The theory that powerful social influence can produce hypnosis Ex. Stages with a group of people

Divided Consciousness During hypnosis our consciousness splits so that one aspect of consciousness is not aware of the role of the other parts playing

Age Regression Under hypnosis, the supposed ability to remember earlier periods of time in one’s life Under hypnosis, the supposed ability to remember earlier periods of time in one’s life Psychologists consider age regression demonstrations unreliable. Psychologists consider age regression demonstrations unreliable.