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Consciousness

and Its Altered

statesPsychology Department

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Consciousness

Is the state of awareness

Awareness of internal and external stimuli / (thoughts andfeelings)

All our experiences, reality and sense of self when we areconsciously aware of it is our consciousness.

William James

One of the earliest psychologists who dealt with consciousness

e esta!lished the "rst la!oratory of experimental psychology

in ar#ard $ni#ersity.

e !elie#es that our e#eryday conscious experience is onlyone of the possi!le forms of consciousness.

e argued that there are uncharted regions of the humanconsciousness %hat can !e explored !y studying mental illness,dreams, religious ecstasy and drug use. According to &ames,these are other forms of consciousness are hidden in all of usand are separated from the normal wa'ing consciousness.

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Normal WakingConsciousness Direct Consciousness

A state of awareness where in you pay close attention towhat you are doing.

hen your awareness is directed to a single focus

Flowing Consciousness

Our awareness drifts from one thought to another

e.g. reading to daydreaming

Day Dreaming

A period of focused, directed thin'ing and feeling a!outfantasies

(mind wandering)

Add color and intrigue to our li#es, ma'e them more exciting

Day dreams helps us ma'e our li#es more creati#e and original

$se the past to explore the future

elp de#elop your personality

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Normal WakingConsciousness

Di#ided onsciousness%he splitting of two conscious acti#ities

simultaneously

*.g. performing + acti#ities at the same time wal'ingwhile thin'ing a!out pro!lems

CONSCIOUSNESS AND ATTENTION

Selectie attention

%he cogniti#e mental process that limits the amountof information into consciousness

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Su!conscious "entalActiity

Su!conscious #rocess

-ental and !eha#ioral acti#ities thatta'es place outside of conscious

awareness. #reconscious $rocess

u!conscious acti#ities that can !e !rought intoawareness !y paying attention to them

Unconscious $rocess u!conscious mental acti#ities that are more or

less permanently una#aila!le to consciousness

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Slee$ing andDreaming leep

/0 life Physiological acti#ity called ircadian rhythms

Circadian %&yt&m' !iological cloc' that regulates !odyrhythms on a +1 hour cycle2.lar's #s. owls.

(iological %&yt&ms' periodic physiological 3luctuations

!uilt into human !eings. E)' +4 day menstrual cycle, +1 hourAlertness cycle, annual cycle, 56 minute sleep cycles.

7ooted !iologically

8ot a single, continuous state9complexcom!ination of states

7e#itali:e and restore our !odies and minds

EE* Electroence$&alogram

"easures electrical !rain actiity

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Stages o+ Slee$

N%E", Non,%a$id Eye"oement ststage lightest le#el of

sleep (when we drift tosleep) irregular low

#oltage wa#es ;%wilight< state we are

neither day dreamingnor dreaming -y$nagogic state

a relaxed state ofdreamli'e awareness!etween wa'efulness andsleep

"yoclonia=a suddenmo#ement (a!ruptmo#ement) ;sudden >er'ection;Out@of !ody experience