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Consciousness

Consciousness. www.ablongman.com/lefton9e. Consciousness . I. What is Consciousness? II. What Happens When We Sleep? III. What Are Dreams and What Do They Mean? IV. Is it Possible to Control Consciousness by Using Biofeedback, Hypnosis and Meditation? V. How do Drugs Alter Consciousness?.

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Consciousness

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  1. Consciousness www.ablongman.com/lefton9e

  2. Consciousness • I. What is Consciousness? • II. What Happens When We Sleep? • III. What Are Dreams and What Do They Mean? • IV. Is it Possible to Control Consciousness by Using Biofeedback, Hypnosis and Meditation? • V. How do Drugs Alter Consciousness?

  3. What is Consciousness? • A general state of being aware of and responsive to events in the environment and one’s own mental processes • Are mind and body separate? • Yes: Doctrine of Dualism • No: Materialism

  4. Levels of Consciousness Alert Attention Unconscious Awake, but on “Automatic Pilot” Asleep • Altered state of consciousness • A state of consciousness that is dramatically different from ordinary awareness • Metacognition • The ability to think about and regulate one’s own thinking

  5. Sleep • The Sleep–Wakefulness Cycle: Circadian Rhythms • Internally generated patterns of bodily functions that vary over a ~24-hour period • Function even in the absence of normal cues

  6. Sleep Sleep Stages: REM and NREM Sleep • 1. Studying Sleep • Electroencephalograms (EEGs) These differ in frequency: These differ in amplitude:

  7. Sleep Stages Two types of sleep • a. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep • High-frequency, low amplitude brain-wave activity • Systematic eye movements • Occurs only after four stages of non-REM (NREM) sleep

  8. Two types of Sleep b. NREM Sleep • Increasing bodily relaxation • Slower EEG activity • Slower heart rate and respiration • More difficult to awaken as the four stages of NREM sleep progress

  9. Sleep Stages 3. Typical Sleep Cycle • a. Stages • i. Stage 1 • ii. Stage 2

  10. Delta Activity Delta Activity Stages iii. Slow Wave Sleep • a) Stage 3 • b) Stage 4

  11. Typical Sleep Cycle b. Sequence and Timing • Sleepers take about 30 to 40 minutes to go through the four stages of NREM sleep • They then go from stage 4, back through stages 3, 2, and 1 • Then they nearly awaken before going into REM

  12. Sleep Stages 4. REM Sleep • Physiologically similar to being awake • Difficult to awaken from • Paralysis of the postural muscles • Vivid, long-lasting, detailed dreams • Sometimes called paradoxical sleep

  13. Sleep C. Sleep Deprivation • The longer a person is deprived of sleep, the greater the effect will be • Sleep deprivation is comparable to the effects of alcohol on driving • Sleep debt is a common—and dangerous—problem • Rats totally deprived of sleep die

  14. Sleep F. Sleep Disorders • 1. Narcolepsy • Sudden, uncontrollable episodes of sleep • Affects about 1 in 2,000 people • Has a genetic component • Effective drug treatment has been developed

  15. Sleep Disorders 2. Sleep Apnea • Causes airflow to stop for at least 15 seconds • Loud snoring is a symptom • Can be life threatening • Several effective therapies that keep the airway clear have been developed

  16. Sleep Disorders 3. Insomnia • Problems in getting or staying asleep • Affects as many as 1 in 10 people • Behavioral treatments for insomnia include relaxation training, thought restructuring, and self-hypnosis • 4. Night Terrors • Panic attacks that occur within 60–90 minutes of falling asleep • They occur in NREM sleep, usually stage 4

  17. Sleep Disorders 5. Sleepwalking • Runs in families • Occurs in stage 4 sleep • Motor portions of the brain are active • Cognitive portions of the brain show little activity in this stage • It is NOT dangerous to wake a sleepwalker

  18. Dreams and Dreaming A. What is a Dream? • A state of consciousness that occurs during sleep • Do occur during NREM sleep, but tend to be less bizarre and contain less action imagery

  19. Dreams and Dreaming B. The Content of Dreams • Dreams are mostly visual, and most are in color • Tend to focus on events and people a person comes into contact with • Environmental stimuli that do not awaken a sleeper are incorporated into dreams

  20. The Content of Dreams • Lucid dreaming occurs when one is aware of dreaming as it happens

  21. Dreams and Dreaming C. Dream Theories • 1. Psychodynamic Views • a. Freud • Freud believed dreams expressed desires, wishes, and unfulfilled needs that exist in the unconscious • Two types of content • Manifest content • Latent content

  22. Psychodynamic Views b. Carl Jung (1875 – 1961) • Three purposes of dreams • Make sense of life’s tasks • Compensate for unconscious urges • Predict the future • Dreams give expression to the collective unconscious - storehouse of ideas and images inherited from out ancestors • Archetypes - the actual ideas and images inherited from our ancestors

  23. Dream Theories 2. Cognitive View • Dreams reflect the same kind of thinking people do when they are awake • Cross-cultural studies demonstrate life events affect dream content

  24. Dream Theories 3. Biological View • Activation-synthesis theory of dreaming • Research support • REM activity is important for memory • REM initiates cognitive processing, not vice versa

  25. Dream Theories 4. Evolutionary View • Dreams are practice for dealing with real threats

  26. Controlling Consciousness • A. Biofeedback • A process in which people receive information about the status of a physical system • Feedback used to learn to control the activity of the system • Uses electronic equipment

  27. Biofeedback • It provides awareness of systems people are not normally aware of (such as heart rate) • Allows control of physical responses not normally under conscious control • Greatest success is in treating chronic headaches (especially migraines) • Many benefits are related to relaxation

  28. Controlling Consciousness • B. Hypnosis • A procedure during which a person’s sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behaviors change because of suggestions made to the person

  29. Hypnosis • Factors in hypnosis • Good hypnotic participants have • Good visual imagery abilities • High concentration • Practice • Suggestibility

  30. Hypnosis • Effects of hypnosis • Not very good at improving memory • Suggestibility under hypnosis leads to distorted memories • Makes recovered memories very controversial

  31. Hypnosis • Uses of hypnosis • Aids relaxation • Helps control pain • Helps people cope with stress and anxiety

  32. Controlling Consciousness • C. Meditation • Use of a variety of techniques to produce a state of consciousness characterized by a sense of detachment • Types of meditation: • Mindfulness • Concentrative • Leads to relaxation • Helps manage heart disease

  33. Drugs • A drug is a chemical substance that alters biological or cognitive processes • Psychoactive drugs • Alter behavior, thought, or perception • Therefore, can affect consciousness • Properties of drugs • Tolerance • Dependence • Withdrawal • Addiction

  34. Psychoactive Drugs • 1. Sedative–Hypnotics • A class of drugs that relax and calm a user • Can induce sleep at higher doses • Depress neural activity • Sometimes called sedatives or depressants

  35. Sedative–Hypnotics • a. Alcohol • Produces tolerance and dependence • Crosses blood–brain barrier • Depresses brain activity • Dampens arousal • Decreases inhibitions • Slows reaction time • Women metabolize alcohol more slowly than men

  36. Sedative–Hypnotics • b. Tranquilizers • c. Barbiturates • d. Opiates • Derived from the opium poppy • Opium, morphine, and heroin • Synthetic opiates • Oxycodone (OxyContin) and hydrocodone (Vicodin) • Chemically similar and have similar effects • Their medical uses include pain relief

  37. Opiates • In the brain, opiates occupy endorphin receptors • Neurochemicals manufactured in the brain • A natural mechanism of pain relief • Opiates produce high tolerance and dependence in those who use them for pleasure • Few people given opiates for pain relief in hospitals become addicted

  38. Psychoactive Drugs • 2. Stimulants • Drugs that increase alertness, reduce fatigue, and elevate mood states • Also tend to increase blood pressure, heart rate, metabolic rate, and decrease appetite • All stimulants have tolerance and dependence properties

  39. Stimulants • a. Caffeine • b. Nicotine • Addictive drug in tobacco • Does lead to strong dependence and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms

  40. Stimulants • c. Amphetamines • Produce arousal and alertness • Also produce strong dependence and tolerance • Some people use amphetamines for their appetite-suppressing effects • Continued use can cause altered thoughts • Unfounded suspicion • Symptoms similar to schizophrenia

  41. Stimulants • d. Cocaine • Increases alertness • Rapidly creates positive feelings • These effects are short-lived, creating an urge to use more • Strong potential for abuse

  42. Psychoactive Drugs • 3. Psychedelic Drugs • Affect mood, thought, memory, judgment, and perception • Sometimes called hallucinogens • Alter perception and produce vivid imagery • Their impact varies widely depending on the user and the particular drug

  43. Psychedelic Drugs • a. LSD • Lysergic acid diethylamide • Produces altered visual and auditory perception • Sometimes causes changes in time and distance perception

  44. Psychedelic Drugs • b. Ecstasy • Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) • Causes massive release of serotonin in the brain • May lead to prolonged problems regulating serotonin levels • May contribute to depression and memory problems

  45. Psychedelic Drugs • c. Marijuana • Most widely used illicit drug • Reactions vary widely • Affects judgment and coordination • May produce “psychological dependence” in some

  46. Drugs • B. Drug Use and Abuse • Alcohol and tobacco present the biggest drug problems in the United States • 51% of adolescents are current drinkers and 27% are current smokers • Only 6% of the total population are current users of marijuana • Only 4% use other illicit drugs • Indirect effects cause most problems associated with drug use

  47. Drug Use and Abuse • What is Substance Abuse? • When use leads to negative consequences • When drugs are overused and relied on to deal with everyday life • A person is a substance abuser if: • The person has used a substance for one month • Use has caused legal, personal, social, or vocational problems • The person repeatedly uses the substance even in situations when doing so is hazardous

  48. What is Substance Abuse? • If dependence has developed • Withdrawal symptoms will occur if use is decreased or stopped • Withdrawal symptoms are typically the opposite of a drug’s effects • Typically unpleasant • Can be stopped by taking more drugs • Doing so often considered addiction

  49. What is Substance Abuse? • Genetic factors in drug use • Alcoholism is not inherited • Genetic factors do relate to the metabolism of alcohol • These create a genetic predisposition • Does not automatically lead to development of alcoholism

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