States of consciousness Waking, Sleep, Dreaming

What is consciousness? Root of psychology as a science State of awareness

Waking conscious Awareness of self and environment –Active thought Selective attention –Inattentional blindness –Change blindness –Mindsight

Levels of information processing Conscious awareness Unconscious processing –Priming

Alterations in consciousness Deviation from normal alertness Why do human alter their conscious?

Biological rhythms Rest-wake cycles Circadian rhythms Sleep

Sleep stages Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 REM sleep

Sleep stages throughout the night Sleep stages Awake Hours of sleep REM

Why do we sleep? Non-REM sleep –Survival –Rest REM sleep –Brain development –Memory consolidation

Sleep loss Teenagers today get nearly 2 hours less sleep every night than teens 80 years ago Gallup poll: 61% of men and 47% of women said they get enough sleep 2005 study: life satisfaction correlated with getting enough sleep Recurrent insomnia affects 10-15% of adults 1 in 20 has sleep apnea

What is “enough” sleep? Varies from person to person Subjective evaluation

Insomnia Persistent inability to fall asleep or stay asleep –Subjective –Subjects overestimate time awake Drug-dependent insomnia

Narcolepsy Neurological disorder characterized by sleep at inappropriate times –Sleep attacks –Cataplexy Treatments

Sleep apnea Inability to breathe while sleeping –Caused by airway obstruction –Sleeper wakes, gasping for air Treatment

Night terrors Disorder marked by heightened arousal, activity and fear –Children –Slow-wave sleep

Dreams REM vs. daydreams Dream content Theoretical reasons for dreaming –Wish fulfillment –Activation-synthesis –Memory consolidation