Unit 4States of Consciousness

Textbook Chapter 4

What is Consciousness?

Our awareness of ourselves and our environment o Includes various cognitive processes, such as sleeping, dreaming,

concentrating, and decision making!o Behaviorists rejected it completely but technology helped revive an interest

in it- Why??? (next slide)

Waking consciousness o Encompasses thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that occur when we’re

awake and alert

Altered states of consciousnesso Mental state the differs noticeably from normal waking consciousness

• Naturally occurring:o Sleepo Dreamingo Daydreaming

• Artificially induced altered:o Hypnosiso Meditationo Drug-altered consciousness

Cognitive Neuroscience

• Defined as the branch of psychology that examines the relationship between the brain and cognitive processes o Can use fMRI to see what parts of the brain are active when we

are consciouso Beginning to map out neural patterns to correspond with

conscious processes

• Dual processingo We seem to have two neural systems at worko One system is used for conscious processing, the other is

for unconscious processing (autopilot)- function simultaneously

o Writing and typing, Driving and talking- sometimes there is interference

Part 1: Waking Consciousness

Selective Attention

• Selective attention is the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimuluso we are bombarded with tens of thousands of stimuli per

secondo we only focus on a small fraction of these stimulio Take a second to pay attention to how your shoes feel on

your feet or how your back feels against the chairo Cocktail Party Phenomenon

• Selective attention and accidentso Cell phones and driving?o Cell phones and walking!?

Cindy thought she’d call Bambi while taking Junior out for a stroll across Route

4, when suddenly an 18-wheeler…

Selective Inattention• Neisser (1979) Experiment

o When we focus on one thing, we “miss out” on otherso Inattentional blindness occurs when we fail to see things because we are

focused on other stimuli• Change Blindness (Simons, 1996) occurs when we fail to notice a change in

a the environment when we are focused elsewhere (change deafness exists, too!)

• Choice Blindness (Johansson, 2005) occurs when we fail to recognize the choice we have made moments after doing so (and choice-choice blindness…?)

• In some instances, a stimulus may demand our attention (e.g. hearing our name in noisy room)

Pop out• Something we don’t try to pay attention to

catches our attention.

Part 2: Altered States of Consciousness

Daydreaming• Effortless, spontaneous shifts in attention away

from the here and now- “a momentary escape”• Urge surges every 90 minutes- peak between 12

and 2pm• We spend half of our waking hours daydreaming• Help us to reflect on our daily dilemmas and our

unfulfilled goals and wishes (relieve or increase guilt/frustration?)

• TV, Daydreams, and Creativityo TV increases daydreaming and decreases creativity… Why?

Sleep• We may not be conscious, but our brain is

active• We continue to process information while we

sleep• Technology has given researchers a greater

understanding of brain activity during sleep

Why Do We Sleep?• Protective Value- Sleep to escape harm from

environment

• Restorative Value- Regenerate tissues/ neural connections and “clean out” memories and connections we don’t use

• Memory- reinforce what we’ve learned (NO ALL- NIGHTERS!)

• Creativity- Solve problems in our sleep?!

• Growth- Growth hormone is released (more so when we’re younger)

Biological Rhythms and Sleep• Circadian Rhythms

o 24-hour cycle of biological functioning (circa-diem)

o Humans naturally wake with sunlight and sleep when it gets dark

• Bright lights stimulate the SCN, which tells the _______________ gland to decrease production of melatonin and the adrenal gland to produce epinephrine (adrenaline)- So we’re awake in the morning!!!!!!!!!

• Exposure to artificial light and the circadian cycle?

• Blind people?• Jet lag?

Sleep Stages: General Trends• Every 90-Minutes, we cycle through 5

sleep stages several times during the night (Stages 1, 2, 3, 4, and REM)

• Researchers monitor brain waves, eye movement, and facial muscle tension to study these stages

• Generally, as the night progresses, we experience more REM sleep

• Over a third of people report never dreaming, though they do – they just do not recall!o When these sleepers are awakened

during REM, they can usually remember their dreams

o We spend 20-25% of our sleeping time in REM, dreaming away…

The Sleep Stages: Specifics

• Stage 1 Sleep: slowed breathing, irregular, larger brain waves (theta waves), hallucinations (alarm clock becomes part of dream), feelings of falling, paralysis, “Hyponogogia”

• Stage 2 Sleep: deeper sleep, more difficult to awaken

• Stage 3 Sleep: even deeper sleep, difficult to awaken

• Stage 4 Sleep: very deep sleep, sleepwalking, sleep talking, bedwetting- decreases with age

• REM: rapid brain waves, dreaming, increased heart rate, cortical activity, sexual arousal, “paradoxical sleep”- Infants spend most time here

Alpha/Beta

Theta

Theta

Delta

Sleep Stages

REM is important, and when we are deprived of it, we may experience REM Rebound. The loss of muscle tone/paralysis that occurs during REM helps us avoid acting out our dreams. Sleepwalking and talking must therefore occur during nREM in most people. REM decreases with age.

Sleep Deprivation• Nearly half of all Americans are

sleep deprived!• Sleep deprivation is linked with

concentration difficulties, irritability, unhappiness, fatigue, illness, obesity, hypertension, and poor motor performance

• William Dement’s research on sleep: “Sleep deprivation makes you stupid!”

• If you need an alarm clock…if you fall asleep in class…you are sleep deprived!

• People who report getting enough sleep also are more likely to report feeling satisfied with their lives!

Sleep Disorders: Insomnia

• 1 in 10 adults; 1 in 4 older adults• Inability to fall asleep or remain asleep • Mostly temporary and result of stress• Role of VPN

o “shut offs” brain activityo Degenerates with age

• Treatmentso Sleeping pills and alcohol?o Exercise but not before bedo Avoid caffeine and rich foods before bed;

milk for serotonin insteado Unwind before bed – dim lights, no TVo Keep regular sleep schedule with no napso Avoid stressors – looking at clock,

ruminating, etc.

Sleep Disorders: Narcolepsy

• Sudden muscle paralysis – fall into sleep, and in severe cases, REM

• Usually brief – 5 minutes• Linked to lack of a neurotransmitter linked to

alertness that is produced in hypothalamus.• Genetic• Rusty the narcoleptic dog

Sleep Disorders: Sleep Apnea

• Temporary cessation of breathing during the night

• Puts great stress on heart• Irritability, fatigue• Linked with obesity• Can be inherited

Sleep Disorders: Night Terrors

• Uncontrollable screaming and arousal without the ability to be awakened

• Seen only in children or adults on drugs

• Occur during stage 4 sleep typically, not REM like nightmares

• Alfie's Night Terrors

Sleep Disorders:

Sleepwalking and Sleeptalking• Stage 4 sleep

disorder where individuals walk and talk in sleep and do not recall anything in the morning

• Seems to run in families

• Because children experience longer stage 4 sleep, it is more common in children

• Sleepwalkers (somnambulists)usually return to bed on their own

Dreaming• REM sleep- EVERYONE dreams!• We spend 6 years of our lives in dreams!• Average person has 4-5/night- write them down,

talk about them before going back to sleep. • Manifest Content – actual story line of the dreams

– often reflect our experiences and preoccupations (e.g. Tetris dreams)

• Sensory stimuli from the outside may intrude – alarm clock, smells – indicating some level of awareness even when unconscious

What are dreams?• Freud’s Wish Fulfillment

o Interpretation of Dreams (1900)o Manifest vs. Latent Content (i.e. Water =

Emotion)o Dreams unleash (safely) our unconscious o Lacks any scientific backingo Example: Tidal waves often appear in our dreams when are

under a lot of pressure or when significant change is occurring. They may be a an indication that we feel a little overwhelmed, that maybe we fear we won’t be able to cope or adjust with what we see in our own future

What are dreams?• Information Processing/Cognitive Dev’t

o Manifest Content reflects our waking experiences (we dream about our lives)

o Think about our day, sort out our experienceso Improve and organize memorieso Does not explain dreams about places we have

never seen/things never experiencedo Correlation b/w sleep & gradeso Solve problems that happen throughout your day by

looking at them in a different way

What are dreams?• Activation-Synthesis

o Hobson and McCarley’s Theoryo REM sleep causes neural activity that the

brain weaves into storieso Dreams mean nothing

What are dreams?• Physiological Function

o Preserve neural pathways we use, get rid of the ones we don’t

o Infants with developing brains spent much time in REMo Gives no explanation about the meaning of dreamso “Mental Housekeeping”- clean out the dust in the brain

(info we don’t need) aka “reverse learning”

Lucid Dreaming• A person is aware that they are dreaming

while the dream is in progress• A.k.a. conscious dream. • Dreamer can actively participate in and

often manipulate the imaginary experiences in the dream environment.

• Lucid dreams can be extremely real and vivid depending on a person's level of self-awareness during the lucid dream.

Do we need to dream?• People deprived of REM sleep (and therefore in

overall sleep time) display irritability, fatigue, increased reaction time, hallucinations

• “The Men Who Did Not Sleep”- Demento Cats and REM Deprivationo 90 Hours- Decrease in sensory acuity, slowed reaction time,

decreased memory ability, hallucinations.o 201 Hours- Peter Tripp- Mental agility tests were intolerable, visual

hallucinations, conspiring doctors (could’ve been partially caused by stimulants)

o 11 days- Randy Gardner- decline in concentration, motivation, perception, analytical abilities, memory, motor control, reaction time, hallucinations, delusions, forgetting tasks, microsleeps

• Real Life: Exxon Valdez, Chernobyl, Challenger

Hypnosis• Greek root: hypnos, meaning “sleep”• Anton Mesmer (1732-1815) and

“mesmerism” as a cure• Hypnosis is a systematic procedure used to

produce a heightened state of suggestibility

• Not everyone can be hypnotizedo Willingness to be hypnotizedo Those with good imagination and fantasy life, who

are able to concentrate, and who have a favorable opinion of hypnosis

o Hypnotism

Power of Hypnosis…?• Age Regression: acting like of

reliving one’s child-stateo Hypnosis may cause hypnotized

people to feel like children, but they often still have adult abilities

o Memories that have been “hypnotically refreshed” are often a combination of fact and suggestion

• Acting against one’s will?o People do not do this because they

are hypnotizedo They may perform unlikely acts

simply because anyone in authority can induce people – hypnotized or nor – to act against one’s will (Milgram, Zimbardo)

Hypnosis as Therapy• Hypnotherapists try to help clients heal

themselveso Posthypnotic suggestions: suggestion made to

hypnotized client that influence client’s later behavioro Posthypnotic amnesia: client told they will not remember

anything that happened while they were hypnotizedo Hypnotherapy as a supplement to therapy has been

shown to be helpful – particularly in managing obesity, but not for drugs, smoking or alcohol

• Hypnosis has been successful in pain managemento Hypnotized people can endure things from ice baths to

surgery without anesthesia!o Hypnosis can be used for pain management in lieu of

addictive pain killerso In Europe, the surgical use of hypnosis is on the rise

Meditation• Techniques that attempt to focus

attention and promote relaxation• Deliberate attempt to alter

consciousness• Concentrative Meditation attempts to

focus all attention on ONE thing: a word, a sound, etc. so that the same information is cycled through the nervous system repeatedly.o Zen: Focused breathing (Buddhism)o Transcendental: Repetition of a specific,

secret mantra (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1959- Hindu)(Description)

o Sufi: Frenzied dancing and prayer (e.g. whirling dervishes)

• Can be used for relaxation, suppression of sympathetic nervous system

Drugs and Consciousness

• Psychoactive drugs are chemicals that influence the brain, alter consciousness, and produce psychological changes

• Recreational Use involves the self-administration of drugs in ways that deviate from medical or social norms

• Drug Abuse – pattern of use that diminishes fulfillment of responsibilities at home, work, or school

Results of Substance Abuse

• Tolerance refers to a person’s progressively decreasing responsiveness to a drug, leading to increased amounts required to produce the same effect

• Reverse Tolerance- Happens with certain substances- In the immediate short term, the substance will have more of an effect

• Withdrawal, the unpleasant physiological symptoms (head ache, nausea, tremors) that follow discontinued use may occur, indicating that…

• Physical Dependence has occurred• Psychological dependence may also prompt the

individual to continue using the drug• Addiction results when continued use is necessary

to prevent withdrawal

Do Now:• Jayden is a graduate student who began drinking

alcohol in college. When he first started drinking, 3-4 shots of vodka would cause him to display signs of intoxication. Now, however, he has to drink at least a half of a bottle of alcohol to feel the effects. When he ceases to drink, Jayden experiences tremors, sweating, and slight nausea. It has come to the point where he has been slacking on his graduate studies and missing class. What are some effects of drug use that Jayden is experiencing? Is he dependent?

Dependence(4 of the following 7

symptoms)• Developing a

tolerance• Experiencing

withdrawal• Using substance for a

longer period or in greater quantities than intended

• Presence of a desire or repeated attempts to cut back on use

• Spending a lot of time using/obtaining the substance

• Reduction or cessation of usual activities• Continued use despite awareness of drug’s

harmful effects

Depressantsaka “Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs”

• Depress the functioning of the CNS, reduce neural activity and slow body functions

• Withdrawal: tremors, nausea, sweating, restlessness, irritability, anxiety, possibly death (stroke, heart attack)….Why???

• Long term: Addiction, Tolerance

Depressants: Alcohol

o Increases Serotonin, GABA, Dopamine, causing:• mild euphoria, relaxation, lowered inhibitions

(misperceived as stimulant)• Slowed neural processing (don’t drive!)

oPerception, motor processes, judgment, visual acuity, cognitive functioning are impaired

• Memory disruption (“black outs”)**

Depressants: Alcoholo Behavioral tolerance?o Promiscuity/Driving and alcohol?o Highly physically and psychologically addictiveo ~14 million Americans abuse alcohol (NIAAA)

• 1 in 13 adults, or 7% of adult populationo Men are 3x more likely to become alcoholics

than women

• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Depressants: Barbiturates

• Sleeping pills and Tranquilizerso Bind to GABA (inh.) receptors and block Glutamate (Exc.)o Calming, sedative effect – reduce inhibitionso e.g. Nembutal (Exorcism of Emily Rose)

Depressants: Benzodiazepine

• Like Barbiturates, they enhance the effects of GABA (inhibitory neurotransmitter)

• Used to treat anxiety, insomnia, agitation, seizures, muscle spasms, alcohol withdrawal

• Tolerance and physical dependence result after time

• Ex: Diazepam (Valium), Lorazepam, Xanax

Depressants: Propofol• Increases effects of GABA• Blocks Sodium Channel (Think back to neural

firing!)• Short term: mild euphoria, hallucinations, and

disinhibition; Used as sedative for anesthesia

Michael Jackson: This Is It

In conclusion….• What are some reasons for why people use

depressants?• How do they work? (Mechanisms and effects)• Why are they so dangerous?• Alcohol poisoning kills 79,000/year (

College Stats)• Some celebrities who have overdosed at

least partially as a result of depressants:

Marilyn Monroe:Acute Barbiturate Poisoning (Nembutal)

Jimi Hendrix: Acute Barbiturate Poisoning

Elvis Presley:Sedatives

Anna Nicole Smith: Clonazepam, Lorazepam, Diazepam, Sleeping pills

Heath Ledger:Diazepam

Stimulants

• Increase central nervous system activity and speed up body functions; arousal response

Stimulants: Meth• Methamphetamine (Speed)

o Euphoria, triggers release of dopamineo Irritability, insomnia, seizures, depression,

violence, psychosiso HIGHLY addictive

Stimulants: Nicotineo Euphoria, triggers epinephrine and norepinephrine

releaseo Suppresses hunger and increases alertnesso Stimulates release of dopamine: highly addictive!o Withdrawal leads to insomnia, anxiety, irritability and

weight gaino Philip Morris- “Death saves $$”o Depression, divorce, disabilities

Stimulants- Caffeine• Caffeine

o Wakefulness, increased metabolism (3-4 hours)o Withdrawal leads to fatigue and headaches

Stimulants- Cocaine• Fast euphoria – fast crash• Blocks _________ reuptake (pleasure)• HIGHLY addictive• Withdrawal leads to fatigue, irritability,

increased appetite, depression• Blow (Johnny Depp)

Stimulants- Ecstasy• Ecstasy (MDMA)

o Stimulant and mild hallucinogeno Triggers release of serotonin and prevents its

reabsorptiono Destroys serotonin-producing neurons –

permanent depressiono Suppresses immune system

• Romeo and Juliet (4:30)• Ecstasy and Death article

Though Ecstasy may not be as deadly in the long run as alcohol, cocaine or heroin use, the drug "has the potential to cause death," said Washington state toxicologist Barry Logan. "Some people are more sensitive to it than others.“

Marissa Ann Napier was one of them.

Doctors who treated her and the medical examiner who performed her autopsy think the Ecstasy in Marissa's system -- .87 milligrams of MDMA per liter -- caused seizures. The convulsions in turn caused labored and irregular breathing, which eventually caused her oxygen-starved brain to shut down.

Marissa was brain dead, though her heart was just barely beating, when she arrived at Harborview, said Shawn Skerrett, the doctor who treated her there.

She was unconscious and breathing ineffectively, Skerrett said. Her pupils had become fixed and dilated. A pink frothy foam was coming out the side of her mouth, consistent with pulmonary edema, or lungs that are filled with water.

"This was a horrible case, and not one you easily forget," said Skerrett.

Though Marissa's friends later told sheriff's deputies that she also had taken hallucinogenic mushrooms at the party, medical examiners found only caffeine and MDMA in her system.

Hallucinogens• Drugs that alter perceptions of reality and

distort sensory and perceptual experiences

Hallucinogens: LSD• Albert Hofmann, Timothy Leary• Hours of mild euphoria, hallucinations, sensory

distortion, and “mind expansion”• Non-addictive, but can produce “bad trips” and

flashbacks• Can result in psychosis, memory loss, paranoia,

panic attacks, nightmares and aggression• Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Marijuana• THC, the active ingredient in

marijuana, produces symptoms such aso Mild hallucinationso Euphoriao Enhanced sense of well-beingo Relaxationo Distortion of timeo Memory disruptiono Brain shrinkageo Intensified sensory

experiences(munchies)

• Some users may experience anxiety and paranoia

Narcotics• Used to relieve pain and induce

sleep – also called opiates• Opium, morphine, heroin• Oxycodone• Stimulate endorphin receptors

to produce euphoric numbness• Highly addictive• Withdrawal symptoms include

chills, sweating, anxiety, diarrhea, spasms

Influences on Drug Use

• Biological Influenceso Hereditary tendencies: twin and adoptive studies

• Predisposed to addictiono Dopamine deficiencies may provoke usage

• Psychological Influenceso Feeling life is meaninglesso People under stress or experiencing depression

• Social Influenceso Peer pressureo Teenage rebellion and thrill-seekingo Seeking social networks with similar interests can perpetuate

usage or help to quito Expectations, social setting, and cultural beliefs and values

can affect usage patternso Attitudes and beliefs about drug use may come from family

environment

Near Death Experiences

• Altered state of consciousness

• Oxygen deprivation induced “tunnel vision”

• “hallucinatory activity of the brain?”

• No way to really know…

Intervention• http://

www.hulu.com/search?query=intervention&st=0&fs=null

Describe the following dream using Freud’s Theory, Information Processing Theory, and Activation

Synthesis.

• As I was walking down the hallway of school, I noticed that my best friend was wearing a red shirt and was walking next to my ex. Feeling overwhelmed with anger, I began running through the hall away from them, but I didn’t seem to get any further. I suddenly came across a large puddle of water that I slipped on.

• Later on in another dream, I found myself in a dark parking garage being pursued by someone. I tried running but the person pulled out a gun and shot in me in the back. I tried calling out but it turns out the person who shot me was a close friend, but I couldn’t tell who specifically it was.

Analyze this!!