Psych: States of Consciousness

William James

initial scholar who described consciousness as a flow (stream of consciousness)

stream of consciousness

a constantly moving stream of thoughts, feelings, and emotion

• cannot be divided up for analysis; always changing

• purpose is aid the individual in adapting to the environment

sigmund freud

focused on the unconscious causes of behavior and personality information; founded psychoanalysis

• believed dreams are the royal road to the unconscious

• two levels of dreams = manifest and latent

manifest dreams

part of Freud’s theory

• the remembered storyline of a dream

latent dreams

part of Freud’s theory

• the underlying meaning of a dream

wish-fulfillment dream theory

dreams provide “psychic safety valve” to express otherwise unacceptable feelings (created by Freud)

• contains manifest and latent content

• lacks scientific support —> dreams may be interpreted in many different ways

conscious, preconscious, unconscious mind

3 levels of Freud’s view of the human mind

circadian rhythm

biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle, such as body temperature and wakefulness

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

a pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls the circadian rhythm

• responds to light by adjusting melatonin production

melatonin

a sleep-inducing hormone

• SCN causes pineal gland to regulate melatonin production

adenosine

neurotransmitter that causes drowsiness and the slowing of nerve cells

sleep

a periodic, natural loss of consciousness

• body experiences many sleep cycles each one lasting around 90 minutes (each cycle has 4 stages)

beta waves

waves of someone who is wide awake

alpha waves

relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

nREM 1

first stage that lasts about 5 minutes, emits theta waves, may experience hallucinations and hypnagogic sensations

hypnagogic sensations

feelings of floating or falling

hallucinations

fake sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

nREM 2

the second stage of sleep that lasts for about 20 minutes, clearly asleep and experience sleep spindles

sleep spindles

random bursts of brain wave activity which occurs in sleep stage nREM 2

nREM 3

deepest stage of sleep in which it is hard to wake, lasts for about 30 minutes, emission of delta wave,s sleep walking, bed wetting, etc occur

delta waves

larger, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

REM sleep/paradoxical sleep

a reoccuring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur

• muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active (brain cortex is active but brain stem blocks signals)

REM rebound

the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation (created by repeated awakenings during REM sleep)

insomnia

a sleep disorder in which a person has recurring problems in falling or staying asleep

narcolepsy

a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks

• may be caused by excitement

• lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times

sleep apnea

a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings

• associated with obesity

• may wear air pump

night terrors

a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during stage 3 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered

dreams

a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind during REM sleep

lucid dreams

a dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming

information-processing dream theory

dreams help us sort out the day’s events and consolidate our memories

• does not consider why we dream about things we have not experienced

physiological function dream theory

regular brain stimulation from REM sleep may help develop and preserve neural pathways

• does not explain why we experience meaningful dreams

activation-synthesis dream theory

REM sleep triggers neural activity that evokes random visual memories, which our sleeping brain weaves into stories

cognitive development dream theory

dream content reflects dreamers’ cognitive development (their knowledge and understanding)

• does not address the neuroscience of dreams

consciousness

subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment

cognitive neuroscience

interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating)

dual processing

principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks (affects perception, memory, attitudes, and other cognitions)

blindsight

a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it

• visual perception track (thinking, recognizing, planning)

• visual action track (movements)

parallel processing

processing multiple aspects of a stimulus or problem simultaneously

• used for “routine processing”

sequential processing

processing one aspect of a stimulus or problem at a time —> used to process new information or solve difficult problems

functions of consciousness

1. consciousness restricts our attention (prevents brain from being overwhelmed by stimulation by limiting what we notice and think about)

2. consciousness provides us with a mental “meeting place” where sensations combines with memory, emotions and motives

3. creates mental model of world that we can manipulate (set goals)

ultradian rhythms

cycles which occur more than once a day

infradian rhythms

cycles which occur once a month or season

jet lag

condition characterized by various psychological and physiological effects (fatigue and irritability)

• results from disruption of circadian rhythms in the human body

shift work sleep disorder

• circadian rhythm sleep disorder that can affect people who work nontraditional hours

• causes issues with falling asleep, staying asleep and sleepiness at unwanted times

• tratabel with lifestyle changes, light medication

memory consolidation

• refers to stages that occur when memories become permanent

• acquisition and recall happen only when awake

• this process occurs during sleep by strengthening the brain connections that produce memories

somnambulism

sleepwalker can walk, talk and see, but will have little or no memory of the event when they wake up

REM sleep behavior disorder

physically and vocally act out vivid, unpleasant dreams

• occurs due to loss of sleep atonia (temporary paralysis of muscles)

psychoactive drug

chemical substance that alters perception and mood

addiction

a state of psychological and/or physical dependence on the use of drugs or other substances

physical dependence

physiological need for a drug

• marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms

psychological dependence

psychological need to use a drug

• ex. to relieve negative emotions

tolerance

diminishing effect with regular use

• body begins to stop producing these chemicals naturally

withdrawal

discomfort and distress that follow discontinued psychoactive drug use

depressants

drugs that reduce neural activity

• slow body functions

depressants

examples of what kind of psychoactive drug?

• alcohol, barbiturates, opiates, heroin

stimulants

examples of what kind of psychoactive drug?

• caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, cocaine

stimulants

drugs that excite neural activity

• speed up body functions

hallucinogens

psychedelic (mind-manifesting) drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of Sensory input

• LSD

marijuana

drug classified as a mild hallucinogen, but has effects of both stimulants and depressants

alcohol

drug causing initial high followed by relaxation and disinhibition

• effects: depression, memory loss, organ damage, impaired reactions

• depressant

heroin

drug causing rush of euphoria and relief from pain

• effects: depressed physiology, agonizing withdrawal

• depressant

caffeine

drug causing increased alertness and wakefulness

• effects: anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, uncomfortable withdrawal

• stimulant

methamphetamine

drug causing euphoria, alertness, energy

• effects: irritability, insomnia, hypertension, seizures

• stimulant

cocaine

drug causing rush of euphoria, confidence, energy

• effects: cardiovascular stress, depressive crash

• stimulant

nicotine

drug causing arousal and relaxation, sense of well being

• heart disease, cancer (from tars)

• stimulant

ecstasy

drug causing emotional elevation, disinhibition

• effects: dehydration and overheating, depressed mood and cognitive functioning

• stimulant and mild hallucinogen

insomnia

the sleep disorder causes the effects:

• chronic tiredness, increased risk of depression, obesity, hypertension, and arthritic and fibromyalgia pain

narcolepsy

the sleep disorder causes the effects:

• risk of falling asleep at dangerous moments,

• lasts fewer than 5 minutes but can happen at worst and most emotional times

sleep apnea

the sleep disorder causes the effects:

• fatigue and depression (as a result of slow-wave sleep deprivation)

• associated with obesity (especially among men)

sleepwalking

repeated episodes of complex motor behavior, such as walking while asleep

• occurs in stage 3 sleep

alpha waves (awake)

theta waves (stage 1)