States of Consciousness Textbook Chapter 3 Difficult to define Behaviorists rejected it completely Interest in consciousness faded through 1960s Technology helped revive an interest in it Today ID: 310940
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Slide1
Unit 3
States of Consciousness
Textbook Chapter 3Slide2
Difficult to define!
Behaviorists rejected it completely
Interest in consciousness faded through 1960sTechnology helped revive an interest in itToday, consciousness is defined as our awareness of ourselves and our environmentActive mode involves controlled, heightened awareness such as planning and decision makingPassive mode involves minimal awareness and includes states such as daydreaming and sleeping
What is Consciousness?Slide3
Naturally occurring altered states of consciousness
Sleep
DreamingDaydreamingArtificially induced altered states of consciousnessHypnosisMeditationDrug-altered consciousness
Altered States of ConsciousnessSlide4
Scientists have given various reasons for the purpose of consciousness
Reproductive advantage
Long-term planning (considering various outcomes and consequences)Reading others’ behavior and altering how we present ourselves for survivalHowever, how does our brain create conscious experience?Brain and ConsciousnessSlide5
Defined as the branch of psychology that examines the relationship between the brain and cognitive processes
Can use fMRI to see what parts of the brain are active when we are conscious
Beginning to map out neural patterns to correspond with conscious processesDual processingWe seem to have two neural systems at workOne system is used for conscious processing, the other is for unconscious processingThe two systems function simultaneously, though we are only aware of the conscious one
Cognitive NeuroscienceSlide6
Selective attention
is the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
we are bombarded with tens of thousands of stimuli per secondwe only focus on a small fraction of these stimuliCocktail Party PhenomenonSelective attention and accidentsCell phones and driving?Cell phones and walking!?
Selective AttentionSlide7
Neisser (1979) Experiment
When we focus on one thing, we “miss out” on others
Inattentional blindness occurs when we fail to see things because we are focused on other stimuliChange 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)
Selective InattentionSlide8
Something we don’t try to pay attention to catches our attention.
Pop outSlide9
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 sleepSleepSlide10
Circadian Rhythms
24-hour cycle of biological functioning (circa-diem)
Humans naturally wake with sunlight and sleep when it gets darkStimulation of SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus in hypothalamus) by bright light striking retina’s photoreceptive cellsSCN triggers pineal gland to decrease melatoninExposure to artificial light and the circadian cycle?Biological Rhythms and SleepSlide11
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 shorter stage 4 and 3 sleep and longer periods of REM sleepOver a third of people report never dreaming, though they do – they just do not recallWhen these sleepers are awakened during REM, they can usually remember their dreamsWe spend 20-25% of our sleeping time in REM, dreaming away…
Sleep Stages: General TrendsSlide12
Awake and alert
: beta waves dominate
Stress, anxiety, high activity events (like the HIGHEST gear that our brain is every in)CaffeineAwake but relaxed: alpha waves dominate Creativity, healthy immune systemFirst waves ever discovered
If we skip over Alpha Waves (i.e. alarm clock pulls us out of Delta Waves (deep sleep) and immediately creates anxiety (beta waves)), then we may see a decrease in health and creativity.
The Sleep Stages: Specifics Slide13Slide14
Stage 1 Sleep
: slowed breathing, irregular, larger brain waves (
theta waves), hallucinations, feelings of falling, paralysis, “Hyponogogia”Stage 2 Sleep: deeper sleep, more difficult to awaken, larger theta waves, sleep spindles, sleeptalkingStage 3 Sleep
: even deeper sleep, difficult to awaken,
delta waves
begin
Stage 4 Sleep: very deep sleep, delta waves, sleepwalking, bedwettingREM: rapid brain waves, dreaming, increased heart rate, cortical activity, sexual arousal, “paradoxical sleep” In general, as sleep deepens, sleep waves increase in amplitude and decrease in frequency
Sleep Stages (Cont.)Slide15
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.Slide16Slide17Slide18
Protective Value
: we sleep at night, as we are not adapted for hunting/gathering in darkness. Sleeping in darkness keeps us away from dangerous nocturnal predators. Animals who need less protection sleep less.
Restorative Value: we restore and repair brain tissue and prune unused neural pathwaysMemory: we recall better after a good night’s sleep (don’t pull all-nighters!!!!!!)Creativity: the break that sleep (and dreams) provide allows us to awaken with a fresh new approach (Friedrich August Kekule von
Stradonitz
and his chemistry break through)
Growth
: Pituitary releases more growth hormone during deep sleep – may explain why we spend less time in deep sleep as we age (or that we grow less because we sleep deeply less)Why Do We Sleep?Slide19
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 DeprivationSlide20
1 in 10 adults; 1 in 4 older adults
Inability to fall asleep or remain asleep
Role of Ventrolateral Preoptic NucleusIn hypothalamus - “shut off” brain activity associated with wakefulness by releasing inhibitory NTs (example???)Degenerates with age
Treatments
Sleeping pills and alcohol?
Exercise but not before bed
Avoid caffeine and rich foods before bed; milk for serotonin insteadUnwind before bed – dim lights, no TV- WHY?Keep regular sleep schedule with no naps- WHY?
Avoid stressors – looking at clock, ruminating, etc.
Hypersomnia? (excessive sleepiness, never “refreshed”)
Sleep Disorders: InsomniaSlide21
Sudden lapse into sleep – in severe cases, REM
Usually brief – 5 minutes
Linked to lack of neurotransmitter linked to alertness, orexin, produced in hypothalamus.Rusty the narcoleptic dog
Sleep Disorders: NarcolepsySlide22
Temporary cessation of breathing during the night
Puts great stress on heart- arrhythmia and heart attack more likely
Irritability, fatigue- work-related/driving injuries increaseLinked with obesityChildren w/ enlarged tonsilsCPAP and BiPAP; Surgery“Positive Airway Pressure”
Sleep Disorders: Sleep ApneaSlide23
Uncontrollable screaming and arousal without the ability to be awakened
Seen only in children or adults on drugs
Linked to CNS overactivity; Rare (3-6%)Occur during stage 4 sleep typically, not REM like nightmaresWhat does this tell us about the disorder?
How can you tell the difference b/w a NM and NT?
Sleep Disorders: Night TerrorsSlide24
Stage 4
sleep disorder
Individuals walk and talk in sleep and do not recall anything in the morningSeems to run in familiesMore likely to have children w/ night terrorsMore common in childrenWHY?Linked to fatigue, anxiety, alcohol, sedatives
Sleepwalkers (somnambulists) usually return to bed on their own
Don’t wake them up?
Sleep Disorders:
Sleepwalking and SleeptalkingSlide25
Occurs in REM sleep
and
Stage 4?Difference in types of dreams?We spend 6 years of our lives in dreams!DreamingSlide26
Manifest Content
– actual story line of the dreams – often reflect our experiences and preoccupations (e.g. Tetris dreams) – (vs. Freud’s Latent)
Sensory stimuli from the outside may intrude – alarm clock, smells – indicating some level of awareness even when unconsciousOnly stimulus-response learning seems to occur in dreamsTone + puff of air, no foreign languageTo remember dreams, write them down, talk about them before going back to sleep. Dreaming (cont.)Slide27
Freud’s
Wish Fulfillment
Interpretation of Dreams (1900)Manifest and Latent ContentLacks any scientific backingInformation ProcessingSort out our dayImprove and organize memories
Does not explain dreams about places we have never seen/things never experienced
Correlation b/w sleep & grades
Physiological Function
REM sleep brain stimulation develops and preserves/prunes neural pathwaysInfants with developing brains spent much time in REMGives no explanation about the meaning of dreams
“Mental Housekeeping” Crick and
Mitchison
– “reverse learning”
Activation Synthesis
Hobson and
McCarley’s
Theory
REM sleep causes neural activity that the brain weaves into stories
Does not explain meaning of dreams (no meaning)
Cognitive Development
Dreams reflect the dreamer’s knowledge; development; affect
Dreams often continue waking consciousness
Problem
Solving
Fails to address role of physiological brain activity in dreams
Rosalind Cartwright and depression
BIOLOGICAL
and
PSYCHOLOGICAL
explanations of dreams work together, not against one another
Theories
of DreamingSlide28
Identify the Dream Theory Represented:Slide29
Lucid Dreaming
A person is aware
that they are dreaming while the dream is in progressA.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.Slide30
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”- DementCats and REM Deprivation90 Hours- Decrease in sensory acuity, slowed reaction time, decreased memory ability, hallucinations
.
201 Hours- Peter Tripp- Mental agility tests were intolerable, visual hallucinations, conspiring doctors (could’ve been partially caused by stimulants)
11 days- Randy Gardner- decline in concentration, motivation, perception, analytical abilities, memory, motor control, reaction time, hallucinations, delusions, forgetting tasks,
microsleepsSpeculation of Sleep Deprivation for those involved in: Exxon Valdez, Chernobyl, ChallengerSlide31
Greek root:
hypnos
, meaning “sleep”Anton Mesmer (1732-1815) and “mesmerism” as a cureHypnosis is a systematic procedure used to produce a heightened state of suggestibilityNot an “altered state”?Not everyone can be hypnotized
Hypnotic Susceptibility Scales
Willingness to be hypnotized
Those with good imagination and fantasy life, who are able to concentrate, and who have a favorable opinion of hypnosis
Hypnotism as entertainment
HypnosisSlide32
Age Regression
: acting like of reliving one’s child-state
Hypnosis may cause hypnotized people to feel like children, but they often still have adult abilitiesMemories that have been “hypnotically refreshed” are often a combination of fact and suggestionActing against one’s will?People do not do this because they are hypnotizedThey may perform unlikely acts simply because anyone in authority can induce people – hypnotized or nor – to act against one’s will
Spanos
article from reading
Power of Hypnosis…?Slide33
Hypnotherapists try to help clients heal themselves
Posthypnotic suggestions
: suggestion made to hypnotized client that influence client’s later behaviorPosthypnotic amnesia: client told they will not remember anything that happened while they were hypnotizedHypnotherapy as a supplement to therapy has been shown to be helpful – particularly in managing obesity, but not for drugs, smoking or alcoholHypnosis has been successful in pain management
Hypnotized people can endure things from ice baths to surgery without anesthesia!
Hypnosis can be used for pain management in lieu of addictive pain killers
In Europe, the surgical use of hypnosis is on the rise
Hypnosis as TherapySlide34
Role Theory
Hypnotized individuals are playing a role
If they trust the hypnotist, they will behave accordingly – as expectedDissociation TheoryA dissociation is a split in consciousness which allows thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously but separately The hypnotized individual gives some control over these processes to the hypnotistAutomatic writing: subject writes one thing and discusses an unrelated thing at same time
State Theory
Hypnosis is a special state of consciousness
Specific, distinct changes in mental processes take place during hypnosis
Combining theories?The Hypnotized StateSlide35
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.Zen: Focused breathing (Buddhism)Transcendental : Repetition of a
mantra
(Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
)Sufi: Frenzied dancing and prayer (e.g. whirling dervishes)Alpha waves predominate- EFFECTS?!?Can be used for relaxation,
suppression of sympathetic nervous system
MeditationSlide36
Drugs and Consciousness
Psychoactive drugs
are chemicals that influence the brain, alter consciousness, and produce psychological changesRecreational 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 schoolSlide37
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 effectReverse 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 withdrawalSlide38
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?Slide39
Dependence
(4 of the following 7 symptoms)
Developing a toleranceExperiencing withdrawalUsing substance for a longer period or in greater quantities than intendedPresence 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 effectsSlide40
Depressants
aka “Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs”
Depress the functioning of the CNS, reduce neural activity and slow body functionsWithdrawal: tremors, nausea, sweating, restlessness, irritability, anxiety, possibly death (stroke, heart attack)….Why???
Long term: Addiction, Tolerance Slide41
Depressants: Alcohol
Increases
Serotonin, GABA, Dopamine, causing:mild euphoria, relaxation, lowered inhibitions (misperceived as stimulant)Slowed neural processing (don’t drive!)
Perception, motor processes, judgment, visual acuity, cognitive functioning are impaired
Memory disruption (“black outs”)**
Withdrawal: Delirium Tremens- Death by heart attack??Slide42
Depressants: Alcohol
Behavioral tolerance
?- Vogel-SprottPromiscuity/Driving and alcohol?
Highly physically and psychologically addictive
~14
million Americans
abuse alcohol (NIAAA)1 in 13 adults, or 7% of adult populationMen are 3x
more likely to become alcoholics than
women
Brain shrinkage; Memory disruption;
Korsakoff’s
Syndrome- B1 deficiency
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
We will return to this in “development” unitSlide43
Depressants: Barbiturates
Sleeping pills
and TranquilizersBind to GABA (inh.) receptors and block Glutamate (Exc
.)
Calming, sedative effect – reduce
inhibitions
e.g. Nembutal (Exorcism of Emily Rose)Slide44
Depressants: Benzodiazepine
Like Barbiturates, they enhance the effects of GABA (inhibitory neurotransmitter)
Used to treat anxiety, insomnia, agitation, seizures, muscle spasms, alcohol withdrawalTolerance and physical dependence result after timeEx: Diazepam (Valium),
Lorazepam
,
XanaxSlide45
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 anesthesiaSlide46
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:
DiazepamSlide47
Stimulants
Increase central nervous system activity and speed up body functions; arousal responseSlide48
Stimulants: Meth
Methamphetamine (Speed)
Euphoria, triggers release of dopamineIrritability, insomnia, seizures, depression, violence, psychosis
HIGHLY addictiveSlide49
Stimulants: Nicotine
Euphoria
, triggers epinephrine and norepinephrine releaseSuppresses hunger and increases alertnessStimulates release of dopamine: highly addictive!Withdrawal leads to insomnia, anxiety, irritability and weight gain
Philip Morris- “Death saves $$”
Depression, divorce, disabilitiesSlide50
Stimulants- Caffeine
Caffeine
Wakefulness, increased metabolism (3-4 hours)Withdrawal leads to fatigue and headachesSlide51
Stimulants- Cocaine
Fast
euphoria – fast crashBlocks _________ reuptake (pleasure)HIGHLY addictive
Withdrawal leads to fatigue, irritability, increased appetite,
depression
Blow (Johnny Depp)Slide52
Stimulants- Ecstasy
Ecstasy (MDMA)
Stimulant and mild hallucinogenTriggers release of serotonin and prevents its reabsorptionDestroys serotonin-producing neurons – permanent depressionSuppresses immune system
Romeo and Juliet
(4:30)
Ecstasy and Death articleSlide53
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.Slide54
Hallucinogens
Drugs that alter perceptions of reality and distort sensory and perceptual experiencesSlide55
Hallucinogens: LSD
lysergic acid diethylamide
Albert Hofmann (Bicycle Day), Timothy LearyGov’t experimentation- “Truth Serum”- KK
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 aggressionAssociation with
Counterculture/Beatniks- KK, JK, TL
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
“Turn on, Tune in, Drop out
”; Question Authority
Ken
Kesey
and the Merry Pranksters
RN- TL is “the most dangerous man in America”Slide56
Marijuana
THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, produces symptoms such as
Mild hallucinationsEuphoriaEnhanced sense of well-beingRelaxationDistortion of
time
Memory disruption
Brain shrinkage
Intensified sensory experiences(munchies)ALSO a stimulant at higher doses/depressant at lower doses
Some users may experience anxiety and
paranoia
Marijuana use and the frontal lobe development?Slide57
PCP (“angel dust
”)
(Phencyclidine)Loss of contact with realityaggression, insensitivity to pain
Binds to potassium channels in brain and muscle-activating neurons
Aaron Hernandez on PCP?Slide58
Narcotics
Used to relieve pain and induce sleep – also called
opiatesOpium, morphine, heroinLaudanum- combo of opiates and alcohol for headaches?Oxycodone
Stimulate
endorphin
receptors to produce euphoric numbness
Highly addictiveTolerance and the lethal doseWithdrawal symptoms include chills, sweating, anxiety, diarrhea, spasmsSlide59Slide60Slide61Slide62
Biological Influences
Hereditary tendencies: twin and adoptive studies
Dopamine deficiencies may provoke usageSelf medicating for biologically-based disorders?Psychological InfluencesFeeling life is meaninglessPeople under stress or experiencing depressionSocial InfluencesPeer pressure
Teenage rebellion and thrill-seeking
Seeking social networks with similar interests can perpetuate usage or help to quit
Influences on Drug UseSlide63
Altered state of consciousness
Temporal lobe seizures
Oxygen deprivation induced “tunnel vision”“hallucinatory activity of the brain?”No way to really know…Near Death ExperiencesSlide64
Drugs that alter perceptions of reality and distort sensory and perceptual experiences
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
Derived from fungus ergotAbbie Hoffman, Albert Hofmann, Timothy LearyHours of mild euphoria, hallucinations, sensory distortion, and “mind expansion”Non-addictive, but can produce “bad trips” and flashbacks
PCP (“angel dust”)
Loss of contact with reality, aggression, insensitivity to pain
Binds to potassium channels in brain and muscle-activating neurons
High psychological dependenceMarijuana (THC)Several hours of euphoria, relaxation, hallucinations
ALSO a stimulant at higher doses/depressant at lower doses
Low physical addiction/moderate psychological addiction
Impairs motor skills and perception, may trigger paranoia, disrupts memory, shrinks brain, intensifies sensory experiences (like taste – “munchies”)
HallucinogensSlide65
Increase central nervous system activity and speed up body functions; arousal response
Methamphetamine (Speed)
Euphoria, triggers release of dopamine (long-term deficiency)Irritability, insomnia, seizures, depression, violence, psychosisHIGHLY addictiveNicotineEuphoria, triggers epinephrine and norepinephrine releaseSuppresses hunger and increases alertness
Stimulates release of dopamine: highly addictive!
Withdrawal leads to insomnia, anxiety, irritability and weight gain
Philip Morris- “Death saves $$”
Depression, divorce, disabilities
Caffeine
Wakefulness, increased metabolism (3-4 hours)
Withdrawal leads to fatigue and headaches
Cocaine
Fast euphoria – fast crash
Blocks dopamine reuptake
HIGHLY addictive
Withdrawal leads to fatigue, irritability, increased appetite, depression
Ecstasy (MDMA)
Stimulant and mild hallucinogen
Triggers release of serotonin and prevents its reabsorption
Destroys serotonin-producing neurons – permanent depression
Suppresses immune system
Stimulants