1. States of Consciousness
Chapter 5
States of Consciousness

2. Lecture Overview
Issues in Consciousness
Sleep and Dreams
Drugs that Influence Consciousness
Alternate States of Consciousness

3. Consciousness: an organism’s awareness of its own self and surroundings
Levels of awareness:
HIGH: Controlled processes that require attention (and interfere with other functions)
MIDDLE: Automatic processes requiring minimal attention (such as riding your bike)
LOWEST: Minimal or no awareness of the environment

4. Levels of awareness:
HIGH: Controlled processes that require attention (and interfere with other functions)
MIDDLE: Automatic processes requiring minimal attention (such as riding your bike)
LOWEST: Minimal or no awareness of the environment

5. Sleep Sleep is a behavior AND an altered state of consciousness
The nature of consciousness is changed during sleep
We experience some dreaming during sleep
We may recall very little of the mental activity that occurred during sleep
We spend about a third of our lives in sleep

6. EEG Changes During Sleep
Summated brain wave activity (EEG)
Wakefulness: beta activity (13-30 Hz)
Eyes closed: alpha activity (8-12 Hz)

7. EEG Changes During Sleep
Stage 1: Light Sleep – Alpha Waves
Stage 2: Eye movements & brain waves slow; sleep spindles

8. EEG Changes During Sleep
Stage 3: very slow waves - delta waves appear
Stage 4: almost all delta waves
Very hard to wake during this stage
REM stage: rapid, irregular and shallow breathing, eyes jerk rapidly, both wake and sleep waves (sawtooth pattern)

9. EEG Changes During Sleep
Stage 3: very slow waves - delta waves appear
Stage 4: almost all delta waves
Very hard to wake during this stage
REM stage: rapid, irregular and shallow breathing, eyes jerk rapidly, both wake and sleep waves (sawtooth pattern

10. Theories of Sleep Repair/Restoration Evolutionary/Circadian
Sleep allows for recuperation from physical, emotional, and intellectual fatigue
Evolutionary/Circadian
Sleep is part of a circadian cycle
Sleep evolved to conserve energy and protect our ancestors from predators

11. Sleep Duration in Mammals

12. “Sometimes,a cigar is just a cigar.”
Sleep and Dreams
Psychoanalytic: Dreams represent disguised symbols of repressed desires and anxieties (Freud)
Manifest Content: symbols used to disguise true meaning of dream
Latent Content: true unconscious meaning of a dream
“Sometimes,a cigar is just a cigar.”
- Freud, on the
meaning of dreams

13. Cognitive: Dreams help to sift and sort the events of the day
WHY DO WE DREAM!?
Biological:
Activation-synthesis hypothesis:
Dreams represent random activation of brain cells during sleep
Cognitive: Dreams help to sift and sort the events of the day

14. Insomnia - difficulty in getting to sleep or remaining asleep
Dyssomnias
Insomnia - difficulty in getting to sleep or remaining asleep
Situational: related to anxiety or excitement
Drug-induced: sleeping pills (tolerance)

15. Dyssomnias
Sleep apnea: person stops breathing and is awakened when blood levels of carbon dioxide stimulate breathing
Narcolepsy: Sleep appears at odd times
Sleep attack: urge to sleep during the day
Cataplexy: REM paralysis occurs, person is still conscious

16. Myths of Sleep
Everyone needs 8 hrs of sleep per night to maintain good health
Learning of complicated subjects such as calculus can be done during sleep
Some people never dream
Dreams last only a few seconds
Genital arousal during sleep reflects dream content
It is unrelated to sexual content
May be a useful index of physical versus psychological causes of impotence in males

17. Hypnosis Hypnosis is an altered state of heightened suggestibility
The hypnotic state is characterized by
Narrow and focused attention
Imagination and hallucinations
Passive receptive attitude
Reduced reaction to pain
Heightened suggestibility

18. Myths of Hypnosis People can be hypnotized against their will
People will do immoral things while hypnotized
Hypnosis improves memory recall
Hypnotized persons have special strength
Hypnosis involves a form of role playing

19. Altered States
Meditation refers to a set of techniques that promote a heightened sense of awareness
Can involve body movements and posture, focusing of attention on a focal point, or control of breathing
Meditation can induce relaxation, lower blood pressure, and can be associated with a sense of euphoria