Consciousness Chapter 4 Consciousness Consciousness A persons awareness

Consciousness Chapter 4

Consciousness • Consciousness − A person’s awareness of everything that is going on around him or her at any given moment

Consciousness • Waking consciousness – State in which thoughts, feelings, and sensations are clear and organized, and the person feels alert • Altered state of consciousness – State in which there is a shift in the quality or pattern of mental activity as compared to waking consciousness

Biological Rhythms • Circadian rhythm: a cycle of bodily rhythm that occurs over a twenty-four-hour period

Necessity of Sleep • Hypothalamus: tiny section of the brain that influences the glandular system – Suprachiasmatic nucleus • Hypothalamus tells pineal gland to secrete melatonin – Melatonin makes a person feel sleepy

Necessity of Sleep • Amount of needed sleep varies • Microsleeps: brief sidesteps into sleep lasting only a few seconds • Sleep deprivation: any significant loss of sleep

Figure 4. 5 • This figure illustrates some of the negative consequences of sleep deprivation. While cognitive deficits may be the most obvious, many body systems are negatively impacted by lack of sleep. (credit: modification of work by Mikael Häggström) This Open. Stax ancillary resource is © Rice University under a CC

Why do we sleep? • Adaptive theory: theory of sleep proposing that animals and humans evolved sleep patterns to avoid predators by sleeping when predators are most active • Restorative theory: theory of sleep proposing that sleep is necessary to the physical health of the body and serves to replenish chemicals and repair cellular damage

Why do we sleep? • Cognitive theory- Sleep seems to be essential for memory formation and cognitive function.

Brain waves and sleep • alpha waves: indicate a state of relaxation or light sleep • theta waves: indicate the early stages of sleep • delta waves: long, slow waves that indicate the deepest stage of sleep This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Stages of Sleep- NREM (N) • Stage 1(N 1): Light sleep; hypnogogic images, hypnic jerk • Stage 2 (N 2): Sleep Spindles; temperature, breathing and heart rate decrease • Stages 3 and 4 (N 3): Delta waves; growth hormones released; hard to wake up; deepest sleep

REM (R)- Paradoxical sleep Rapid eye movement (REM): -Eyes moving under eyelids, rest of body is still. -Vivid, more detailed, and longer dreams -Person is asleep but EEG is similar to individual that is awake. -REM rebound

Figure 4. 12 • (a) A period of rapid eye movement is marked by the short red line segment. The brain waves associated with REM sleep, outlined in the red box in (a), look very similar to those seen (b) during wakefulness. This Open. Stax ancillary resource is © Rice University under a CC

Sleep Disorders • Nightmares − bad dreams occurring during REM sleep • Night terrors- (during NREM stage 4) − the person experiences extreme fear and screams or runs around during deep sleep − Little recollection − Children

Sleep Disorders • REM behavior disorder − mechanism that blocks the movement of the voluntary muscles fails − allows the person to thrash around, or even get up and act out nightmares

Sleep Disorders • Sleepwalking (somnambulism) – – Episode of moving around or walking around in one’s sleep Occurs during deep sleep More common among children than adults Sleepwalking can be a defense against criminal charges

Sleep Disorders • Insomnia: the inability to get to sleep, stay asleep, or get a good quality of sleep • Sleep apnea: disorder in which the person stops breathing for nearly half a minute or more – Continuous positive airway pressure device (CPAP)

Sleep Disorders • Narcolepsy: sleep disorder in which a person falls immediately into REM sleep during the day without warning – Cataplexy: sudden loss of muscle tone

Dream Theories Freud: dreams as wish fulfillment manifest content: the dream itself latent content: the true, hidden meaning of a dream day residue- we dream about what happens during our day stimulus incorporation-incorporating something that is occurring in your environment into your dream. (Hear an alarm in your dream that is actually your phone ringing beside your bed. )

Dreams • Rosaline Cartwright- her researcher has supported her theory that dreams simply reflect life events that are important to the dreamer. • Lucid dreams-people become aware that they are dreaming and can control the dream’s content.

MESMER AND MESMERISM • Franz Anton Mesmer –physician in Paris in 1700’s who treated patients with medical or psychological problems in what he called magnetic séances (Tx. magnetic forces that were out of balance).

Hypnosis: State of consciousness in which a person is especially susceptible to suggestion Four steps in hypnotic induction: • Person told to focus on what is being said • Person told to relax and feel tired • Person told to accept suggestions • Person told to use vivid imagination

Facts About Hypnosis Can… Hypnosis Can’t • Produce brief amnesia • Give increased strength • Reduce pain • Reliably enhance memory • Alter sensory impressions • Regress people to an earlier age or an earlier life • Help people relax

Theories of Hypnosis as dissociation Social-cognitive theory • Works only on immediate consciousness, while hidden “observer” is aware of everything going on • Hypnotized people not in altered state but are playing situational role expected of them

Psychoactive Drugs • Psychoactive drugs: drugs that alter thinking, perception, and memory • Three major categories: 1. Stimulants 2. Depressants 3. Hallucinogens

Stimulants: • Drugs that increase the activity of the nervous system • Common stimulants: • • Amphetamines Cocaine Nicotine Caffeine

• Amphetamines- feeling of increased energy and high -psychosis Stimulants • Nicotine-active ingredient in tobacco • Cocaine- from coca plant leaves; euphoria, • Caffeine-the stimulant energy, power, pleasure, found in coffee, tea, (hx of coca cola –cocaine most sodas, chocolate, used in secret formula and even many over-theuntil replaced with counter drugs caffeine)

Depressants • Depressants: drugs that decrease the functioning of the nervous system • Common Depressants: - barbiturates- sedatives - benzodiazepines- lowers anxiety - Rohypnol- “date rape” drug - narcotics - alcohol- most widely used

Narcotics • Narcotics − opium-related drugs − suppress the sensation of pain by binding to and stimulating the nervous system’s natural receptor sites for endorphins. • opium: substance made from the opium poppy and from which all narcotic drugs are derived • morphine: narcotic drug derived from opium; used to treat severe pain • heroin: narcotic drug derived from opium that is extremely addictive

Alcohol • Alcohol: the chemical resulting from fermentation or distillation of various kinds of vegetable matter − often mistaken for a stimulant, alcohol is actually a CNS depressant

Hallucinogens • Drugs that cause false sensory messages, altering the perception of reality.

Types of Hallucinogens § LSD- powerful synthetic hallucinogen; “trips” § PCP -synthesized that can cause stimulant, depressant, narcotic, or hallucinogenic effects § Ecstasy- designer drug; stimulatory and hallucinatory effects § Marijuana- mild hallucinogen derived from the leaves and flowers of a particular type of hemp plant

• Substance use disorder is defined in DSM-5 as a compulsive pattern of drug use despite negative consequences, with physical dependence (changes in normal bodily functions) and psychological dependence (emotional rather than physical need for the drug) as associated components.

Drug Abuse § A drug is being abused when a person is psychologically or physically harmed by the drug, and the person continues to use the drug.

• Physical dependence – Tolerance: more and more of the drug is needed to achieve the same effect – Withdrawal: physical symptoms resulting from a lack of an addictive drug in the body systems ▪ Nausea, pain, tremors, crankiness, and high blood pressure

• Psychological dependence: feeling that a drug is needed to continue a feeling of emotional or psychological well-being – Any drug can cause psychological dependence