Consciousness Chapter 5

Section 1

Consciousness: Awareness of things inside and outside of ourselves

• Behaviorist View– John Watson– Not important to

consider consciousness

• Constructionist view– A concept used to talk

about something we cannot see, touch, or measure directly

Awareness 3 types

1. Sensory• aware of your environment through

sight, taste, smell, hearing• ex: smell food cooking, seeing the

sun rise, and hearing your mother calling you

• Not always aware of your environment= not paying attention in class, listening to a song on the radio

Continued…..

2. Direct inner awareness• Being aware of things inside of yourself• Thinking abstract concepts, memories

ex: feeling angry, love, fairness,

( no hearing, touching or smelling involved)• Imagine jumping into a lake or swimming in

a pool on a hot day

Continued…..

3. Sense of self (each person experiences)

• Aware of ourselves and our existence

• A child does not use his name until he realizes I am an Unique individual separate from other people

3 Levels of Consciousness

Preconscious level

• What you can recall if you had to– What you wore last night– Where you went on vacation

Unconscious level (subconscious)

• is unavailable to awareness

• Information is hidden– Allowing things to interfere with your plans

Non-conscious level

• Biological functions– Blinking of your eyes– Breathing– Nails and hair growing– Pupils adjusting to light

Section 2Sleep and Dreams

Freud’s theory

• Certain memories are painful or considered unacceptable.

• We develop defense mechanisms to push things from our conscious mind into our unconscious mind

Altered states of consciousness

• In which a person’s sense of self or sense of the world changes– Sleeping– Under the influences of drugs– Meditation– Biofeedback– Hypnosis

Sleep and Dreams

• Circadian Rhythms– Biological clocks

• Body temperature, blood pressure and sleepiness and wakefulness during a 24 hour period

Sleep

• Defined in terms of brains wave patterns which can be measured by a EEG (electroencephalograph)

• YouTube - Scary snoring woman

Stages of sleephttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fk2PJOxTwc

1. Lightest sleep- Brief dream like images that resemble vivid photographs 30-40 minutes

2. Starting deeper sleep

3. Deep sleep stage-- slow brain waves

4. Deepest sleep stage-- hardest to wake up in

5. REM (rapid eye movement sleep)

Continue…..

• The first 4 stages are known as NREM --non rapid eye movement or

• Most people go through these stages 5 X during the night

• Periods of REM become longer each cycle

• Morning REM may last as long as 30 minutes

Why do we sleep?

• Revive the tired body

• Build up resistance to infection

• Brain development in babies and young children

• Exercise the brain in babies

• Release growth hormone

• No sleep– irritable, memory lapses, and speech

difficulties

• REM rebound from no sleep– learn slower, forget more rapidly

• Can you catch up on your sleep?

DREAMS

• During REM most vivid• Black and white and Color• Every time we sleep we dream• People dream in real time

Sleep Problems

• Insomnia– the inability to sleep– Use drugs to relax and

sleep

• Nightmares– common for most

people

• Night Terrors– same as nightmares

but much more sever– Children have them

Continued…..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmXSJooA6T4&feature=fvst http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmXSJooA6T4&feature=fvst

• Sleep walking– usually out grow this with age

• Sleep Apnea– breathing is interrupted (linked to SIDS)

• Narcolepsy– rare sleep problem– Suddenly falling a sleep– no matter what time it is or where you are– No known cause

Meditation, Biofeedback and HypnosisSection 3

Meditation

• narrow their consciousness so that the stresses of the outside world fade away

• Egyptians gazed into oil burning lamps

INDIA

• yoga– stare at an intricate

pattern on a vase

• can suspend pain, worry and stress.

• Buddhism– one with the universe

• Repeat pleasing sound– mantras—om---focus

on sound

Biofeedback

• feeds back information about something happening in the body.

• Used to relax, slow the heart, lower blood pressure, and release muscle tension.

Hypnosis

• Is an altered state of consciousness during which people respond to suggestions and behave as though they are in a trance.

• Used to reduce anxiety, manage pain and overcome fears

You can only be hypnotized?

• Maybe if you want to be.

• Might be effective

• Hypnosis and memory not very reliable.

• Used to manage pain and to quit bad habits

Section 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hSW67ySCio

Drugs and consciousness

• Addiction– Distorts people’s perceptions– change their moods– see or hear things that are not there

• Depressants– Slow down the activity of the nervous system.

• Alcohol- is a depressant– Intoxication= drunkenness

• Narcotics– Addictive, depressant used to reduce pain

and induce sleep– Morphine– Heroin– codeine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBWcRMonvWA

Stimulants Raise blood pressure, increase heart rate, distorts

brain activity “hallucination and delusions”

– Nicotine

– Amphetamines

– Cocaine

Hallucinogens

– Marijuana, LSD, flashbacks

Treatment for drug abuse

• Detoxification – the removal of the harmful substance from the

body

• Maintenance programs– Counseling – support groups---AA

Dream Away

• The end!!