Consciousness: All the sensations, perceptions, memories and feelings you are aware of in any instantWaking Consciousness: Normal, alert
awareness Altered State of Consciousness:
Awareness that is distinctly different in quality or pattern from waking consciousness
Some Early Definitions
Microsleep: Brief shift in brain wave patterns similar to those during sleep
Sleep Deprivation: Sleep loss; being deprived of needed amounts of sleep
Sleep-Deprivation Psychosis: Confusion, disorientation, delusions and hallucinations occur because of sleep loss
Sleep
Figure 8.3 Development of sleep patterns. Short cycles of sleep and waking gradually become the night-day cycle of an adult. Although most adults don’t take naps, midafternoon sleepiness is a natural part of the sleep cycle. (After Williams et al., 1964.)
Electroencephalograph (EEG): Brain wave machine; amplifies and records electrical activity in the brain
Beta Waves: Small fast waves associated with alertness and awakeness
Alpha Waves: Large, slow waves associated with relaxation and falling asleep
Measuring States of Consciousness
Figure 8.5Changes in brain wave patterns associated with various stages of sleep. Actually, most wave types are present at all times, but they occur more or less frequently in various sleep stages.
Stage 1: Small, irregular waves produced in light sleep. People may or may not say they were asleep
Stage 2: Deeper sleep; sleep spindles (bursts of distinctive brain wave activity) appear
Stage 3: Deeper sleep. Delta waves appear; very large and slow
Stage 4: Deepest level of normal sleep; almost purely delta waves
Stages of Sleep
Rapid Eye Movements (REM): Associated with dreaming. Sleep is very light here
Non-REM (NREM) Sleep: Occurs during stages 2, 3 and 4; no rapid eye movement occurs Seems to help us recover from daily
fatigue Body is very still during REM sleep
Lack of muscle paralysis during REM sleep is called REM Behavioral Disorder
States of Sleep
Insomnia: Difficulty in getting to sleep or staying asleepSleeping pills exacerbate insomnia; cause
decrease in REM and Stage 4 sleep and may cause dependency
Drug-Dependency Insomnia: Insomnia that follows withdrawal from sleeping pills
Tryptophan: Amino acid (chemical) that produces sleep
Sleep Walking (Somnambulism): Occurs during NREM Sleep
Sleeptalking: Speaking while asleep; occurs in NREM Sleep
Sleep Disturbances
Nightmares: Bad dreamsOccur during REM sleep. May occur once or twice a month; brief and
easily (unfortunately) remembered Imagery Rehearsal: Mentally rehearse the
changed dream before you go to sleep again; may help to eliminate nightmares
Night Terrors: Total panic and hallucinations may occurOccurs during Stage 4 sleepMost common in childhood; may occur in
adults
Sleep Disturbances Continued
Narcolepsy: Sudden irresistible sleep attackRare; runs in families Lapse immediately into
REM sleep
Physiological Sleep Problems
Sleep Apnea: Interrupted breathing during sleep; cause of very loud snoringHypersomnia: Extreme daytime sleepinessApnea can be treated by
SurgeryWeight lossBreathing mask
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS; Crib Death): Sudden, unexplained death of healthy infant. Infants should sleep on back or on side to try to prevent
Other Physiological Sleep Problems
REM Rebound: Extra rapid eye movement sleep following REM Sleep deprivation
Psychodynamic (Freudian) Theory: Emphasizes internal conflicts, motives and unconscious forces
Wish Fulfillment: Freudian belief that many dreams are expressions of unconscious desiresMuch evidence to refute this
Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis: Dream content may be affected by motor commands in the brain that are not carried out
Dreams
Altered state of consciousness characterized by intensely narrowed attention and increased openness to suggestion Mesmer: Believed he could cure diseases by passing
magnets over body; true “animal magnetism.” Mesmerize means to hypnotize
Must cooperate to become hypnotized Hypnotic Susceptibility: How easily a person can be
hypnotized Basic Suggestion Effect: Tendency of hypnotized people to
carry out suggested actions as though they were involuntary Hidden Observer: Detached part of the hypnotized subject’s
awareness that silently observes events
Hypnosis
Hypnosis CAN: Help people relax Reduce pain Get people to make better progress in therapy
Hypnosis CANNOT: Produce acts of superhuman strength Produce age regression Force you to do things against your will
Hypnosis Can’s and Cannot’s
Any major reduction in amount or variety of sensory stimulation
Benefits include: Sensory enhancement Relaxation Changing habits
Hypnogogic Images: Images similar to those that occur just before sleep
Sensory Deprivation
Figure 8.10 A sensory isolation chamber. Small flotation tanks like the one pictured have been used by psychologists to study the effects of mild sensory deprivation. Subjects float in darkness and silence. The shallow, body-temperature water contains hundreds of pounds of Epsom salts, so that subjects float near the surface. Mild sensory deprivation produces deep relaxation.
Psychoactive Substance: Substance capable of altering attention, judgment, memory, time sense, self-control, emotion, or perception
Stimulant: Substance that increases activity in body and nervous system
Depressant: Substance that decreases activity in body and nervous system
Physical Dependence: Physical addiction based on drug tolerance and withdrawal symptoms Drug Tolerance: Reduction in body’s response to a drug Withdrawal Symptoms: Physical illness following withdrawal of
the drug Psychological Dependence: Drug dependence based on
psychological or emotional needs
Drugs and Altered States of Consciousness
Figure 8.11 Spectrum and continuum of drug action. Many drugs can be rated on a stimulation-depression scale according to their effects on the central nervous system. Although LSD, mescaline, and marijuana are listed here, the stimulation-depression scale is less relevant to these drugs. The principal characteristic of such hallucinogens is their mind-altering quality.
LaunchVideo
Amphetamine: Synthetic stimulants that stimulate nervous system Dexedrine and Methamphetamine are two types of
stimulants Amphetamine Psychosis: Loss of contact with reality
because of amphetamine use; user tends to be paranoid
Stimulants
Central Nervous System stimulant derived from leaves of coca plant; also used as local anesthetic From 1886-1906, Coca-Cola did indeed have cocaine in it! Highly addictive drug Anhedonia (Loss of pleasure): Common after short-term
cocaine use
Cocaine
Most frequently used psychoactive drug in North America; present in colas, chocolate, coffee, tea
Causes tremors, sweating, talkativeness, tinnitus, suppresses fatigue or sleepiness, increases alertness May be hazardous to pregnant women if used
excessively
Caffeine
Natural stimulant mainly found in tobacco; known carcinogen May cause stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion,
tremors Nicotine is addictive Responsible for 97% of lung cancer deaths in men, 74% in
women Sum: DON’T SMOKE; SMOKING KILLS (SO DOES
CHEWING TOBACCO)
Nicotine
Barbiturates: Sedative drugs that depress brain activity Seconal and Amytal are two types
Tranquilizers: Lower anxiety and reduce tension Valium, Xanax and Librium are some types Rohypnol: Related to Valium; lowers inhibitions and
produces relaxation. In larger doses can induce short-term amnesia and sleep
Date rape drug because it’s odorless and tasteless Drug Interaction: Combined effect of two drugs that exceeds
the addition of one drug’s effects to the other
Sedatives
Ethyl Alcohol is the intoxicating element in fermented and distilled liquors Alcohol is NOT a stimulant but it DOES lower inhibitions
Detoxification: Withdrawal of the person from alcohol; occurs in a medical setting and is tightly controlled. This is oftentimes necessary before long-term treatment begins
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): Worldwide self-help organization comprised of recovering alcoholics; emphasizes admitting powerlessness over alcohol usage and wanting to try to recover. Has a spiritual component Free; around for over 70 years!
Alcohol
Figure 8.12 The behavioral effects of alcohol are related to blood alcohol content and the resulting suppression of higher mental function. Arrows indicate the typical threshold for legal intoxication in the United States. (From Jozef Cohen, Eyewitness Series in Psychology, p. 44. Copyright © by Rand McNally and Company. Reprinted by permission.)
Hallucinogen: Substance that alters or distorts sensory perceptions
Cannabis Sativa (Marijuana; pot): Leaves and flowers of the hemp plant Active chemical is THC
Effects include relaxation, time distortion, perceptual distortions
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD): Hallucinogen that can produce hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms
Hashish: Resinous material scraped from leaves of the hemp plant; has higher concentration of THC
Marijuana (Pot) and Other Hallucinogens
Freud identified four dream processes (mental filters) that hide true purposes of dreams Condensation: Combining several people, objects, or
events into a single dream image Displacement: Directing emotions or actions toward safe
or unimportant dream images Symbolization: When feelings or ideas are expressed
symbolically in dreams; not literal expression Secondary Elaboration: Making a dream more logical and
adding details while remembering it Perls: Most dreams are a special message about what is
missing in our lives, what we avoid doing when awake, or feelings that we need to re-own
Dream Interpretation