Psych 1100 States of Consciousness

conscious awareness

private “inner mind” where thinking is done

metacognition

the act of thinking about thinking

awareness and arousal

two parts of consciousness

awareness = of the self, thoughts about one’s experiences

arousal = active engagement in one’s environment

brain areas associated with awareness

prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, association areas

brain areas associated with arousal

reticular activating system: brain stem, medulla and thalamus

5 levels of awareness

higher-level, lower-level, altered state, subconscious, no awareness

higher-level consciousness

controlled processing, the most alert state, requires selective attention

ex. doing a math or science problem, preparing for a debate, going up to bat at a baseball game

lower-level consciousness

automatic processing

ex. punching in a number on a cell phone, typing on a keyboard

altered state of consciousness

can be produced by drugs, trauma, fatigue, hypnosis and sensory deprivation

ex. feeling the effects of having taken alcohol or psychedelic drugs

subconscious awareness

can occur when people are awake or sleeping/dreaming, thoughts “incubate” and solve problems in the background while mind is focused elsewhere

ex. sleeping and dreaming

no awareness

freudian belief - some unconscious thoughts are too laden with negative emotions for the conscious to admit them

ex. call of the void, being knocked out by a blow or anesthetized

biological rhythms

period physiological fluctations in the body like temperature, hunger, sleep/wake cycle, blood pressure, etc.

circadian rhythm is powered by the _______, a brain structure that uses input from retinas to register daylight and moonlight

supra chiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

describe the process of regulating circadian rhythm performed by the SCN

retinas give information to SCN about daily cycles of light and dark

SCN sends this information to the hypothalamus and pineal gland to regulate daily rhythms like temperature, hunger and melatonin release