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Consciousness Chapter 6

What is consciousness? Consciousness – Awareness of one’s self and one’s environment

Types of Conscious Experience External sensory perception Awareness of sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touch sensations in the environment

Internal sensory perception – Ability to internally experience sensory information from a remembered event or to create sensory representations of events we’ve never experienced, but only imagined

Abstract awareness – involves symbols we use to represent big ideas Example – thinking of the Statue of Liberty to represent freedom

Awareness of self – Means you are aware of yourself as an individual apart from other individuals and objects in your environment. You not only have thoughts and feelings but you are aware that you have them

Levels of Consciousness Normal and Waking Consciousness This state includes whatever we are aware of in the present Can range from daydreaming to intense concentration

Subconscious Thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are available to us, but not presently in our awareness Preconscious – knowledge and memories are present in our minds but are not being accessed Nonconscious – behaviors and thoughts we process automatically without conscious effort and sometimes without control

Unconscious According to Freud, the unconscious mind contains desires, conflicts, or memories with which our conscious mind cannot easily deal.

Altered States of Consciousness Daydreaming Fanciful imagery or unfocused thoughts that may be different from a person’s reality Drug-Induced The result of chemicals that alter the mental state, often through physiological changes and various on the brain

Hallucinations Meditative State Experiencing sights and sounds that do not occur. The person is unable to distinguish his or her perceptions from those produced by real experience Meditative State Highly focused state of consciousness achieved by concentrating on a repetitive, peaceful stimulus

State induced by Biofeedback Self-monitoring of one’s physiological states to control certain bodily functions such as heart rate Lucid Dreaming Dreaming while you’re aware that you’re dreaming. One might control the direction of the dream

Chronobiology Circadian Rhythms – natural cycles that occur throughout the day Based on a 25 hour period Can be affected 3rd shift work Jet lag

Why we sleep 3 theories Physical and Mental Recuperation Produce new cell and chemicals the body needs Consolidation of Thoughts and Experiences No environmental distractions Adaptation Sleeping at night was a way to avoid predators

Stages of Sleep Awake, but drowsy NREM Stage 1 – 30min Stage 2 – 30min Body is relaxed, HR slower NREM Stage 1 – 30min HR slows further, muscle tension decreases Stage 2 – 30min Body relaxes further Stage 3 – 30 min Transition into deep sleep Stage 4 – 30 min Little perception of external sounds, deep sleep REM Sleep Dreaming occurs

Sleep Disorders Sleep Apnea Sleepwalking Insomnia Hypersomnia REM Behavior Disorder Narcolepsy Night Terrors Nightmares

Dreaming Longest, most visual dreams occur during REM sleep Events in dreams may take as long as the actual events Most dreams are of ordinary experiences

Why We Dream Freud – dreams are creations of the unconscious mind, symbolic of what a person can’t deal with consciously Brains attempts to make sense of random firing of neurons Allows brain to consolidate information

? What do dreams mean? http://www.thecuriousdreamer.com http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/

Hypnosis

Hypnosis An induced state of consciousness in which one person responds to suggestions by another person for alterations in perception, thinking, and behavior Originated in the later half of the 18th century by the physician Anton Mesmer Claimed he could cure illness

Self Hypnosis Video

Goal of Hypnosis Create a relaxed, passive, highly focused state of mind Highly dependant on the susceptibility of the subject

Effects of Hypnosis Perceptual Effects Cognitive Effects Used to induce alterations in perception Originally used for pain relief Cognitive Effects Hypermnesia – enhancement of recall May just increase confidence in accuracy Hypnotized people are just as inaccurate as no hypnotized most courts do not accepted testimony of hypnotized witnesses

Behavioral effects Posthypnotic suggestions direct subjects to carry out particular behaviors after leaving hypnosis Quit smoking Relaxation Diet Dangerous behavior

Age Regression Repressed Memories I'm twelve years old.... Adults under hypnosis do not really act that age, instead they act as an adult believes someone that age would act Memories are only as good as they were at their formation Many children misinterpret meaning of events and keep that in their memory