Download Exploring Consciousness: Neuroscience, Biological Rhythms, and Sleep and more Study notes Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! 1 1 History of Consciousness 1. Psychology began as a science of consciousness. 2. Behaviorists argued about alienating consciousness from psychology. 3. However, after 1960, mental concepts (consciousness) started reentering psychology. 2 Consciousness, modern psychologists believe, is an awareness of ourselves and our environment. Forms of Consciousness B ill L in g/ D ig ita l V is io n/ G et ty Im ag es C hr ist in e Br un e St ua rt Fr an kl in / M ag nu m P ho to s A P Ph ot o/ R ic ar do M az al an 3 Neuroscience & Consciousness Neuroscientists believe that consciousness emerges from the interaction of individual brain events much like a chord that is created from different musical notes. 2 4 Biological Rhythms 1. Annual cycles: On an annual cycle, geese migrate, grizzly bears hibernate, and humans experience seasonal variations in appetite, sleep, and mood. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder people experience during dark winter months. Biological rhythms are controlled by internal “biological clocks.” 5 Biological Rhythms 2. 28‐day cycles: The female menstrual cycle averages 28 days. Research shows menstruation may not affect moods. 6 Biological Rhythms 3. 24‐hour cycles: Humans experience 24‐hour cycles of varying alertness (sleep), body temperature, and growth hormone secretion. 4. 90‐minute cycles: We go through various stages of sleep in 90‐minute cycles. 5 13 Sleep Deprivation 1. Fatigue and subsequent death. 2. Impaired concentration. 3. Emotional irritability. 4. Depressed immune system. 5. Greater vulnerability. 14 Sleep Theories 1. Sleep Protects: Sleeping in the darkness when predators loomed about kept our ancestors out of harm’s way. 2. Sleep Recuperates: Sleep helps restore and repair brain tissue. 3. Sleep Helps Remembering: Sleep restores and rebuilds our fading memories. 4. Sleep and Growth: During sleep, the pituitary gland releases growth hormone. Older people release less of this hormone and sleep less. 15 1. Somnambulism: Sleepwalking. 2. Nightmares: Frightening dreams that wake a sleeper from REM. 3. Night terrors: Sudden arousal from sleep with intense fear accompanied by physiological reactions (e.g., rapid heart rate, perspiration) that occur during SWS. Sleep Disorders: Insomnia 6 16 4. Narcolepsy: Overpowering urge to fall asleep that may occur while talking or standing up. 5. Sleep apnea: Failure to breathe when asleep. Sleep Disorders: Insomnia 17 Dreams The link between REM sleep and dreaming has opened up a new era of dream research. 18 Dream Theories Summary 7 19 Is Hypnosis an Altered State of Consciousness? 1. Social Influence Theory: Hypnotic subjects may simply be imaginative actors playing a social role. 2. Divided Consciousness Theory: Hypnosis is a special state of dissociated (divided) consciousness (Hilgard, 1986, 1992). (Hilgard, 1992) C ourtesy of N ew s and Publications Service, Stanford U niversity 20 Both Theories M im i F or sy th 21 Mind‐Body Problem 1. Dualism: Dualists believe that mind (non‐ physical) and body (physical) are two distinct entities that interact. 2. Monism: Monists believe that mind and body are different aspects of the same thing. Near‐death experiences raise the mind‐body issue. Can the mind survive the dying body?
