States of Consciousness - Cognitive Psychology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Cognitive Psychology

Download States of Consciousness - Cognitive Psychology - Lecture Slides and more Slides Cognitive Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! Chapter 7 States of Consciousness Docsity.com Some Early Definitions Consciousness: All the sensations, perceptions, memories, and feelings you are aware of at any instant  Waking Consciousness: Normal, clear, organized, alert awareness Altered State of Consciousness (ASC): Changes that occur in quality and pattern of mental activity Docsity.com Measuring Sleep Changes 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 Docsity.com Fig. 7.5 Changes 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. Docsity.com Stages of Sleep Stage 1: Small, irregular waves produced in light sleep (people may or may not say they were asleep)  Hypnic Jerk: Reflex muscle contraction Stage 2: Deeper sleep; sleep spindles (short 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 Docsity.com Fig. 7.4 These Siamese twins share the same blood supply, yet one sleeps while the other is awake. (Photo by Yale Joel, Life Magazine. © Time, Inc.) Docsity.com States of Sleep Rapid Eye Movements (REM): Associated with dreaming; sleep is very light  Body is very still during REM sleep  Lack of muscle paralysis during REM sleep is called REM Behavioral Disorder Non-REM (NREM) Sleep: Occurs during stages 1, 2, 3, and 4; no rapid eye movement occurs Seems to help us recover from daily fatigue Docsity.com Fig. 7.6 (a) Average proportion of time adults spend daily in REM sleep and NREM sleep. REM periods add up to about 20 percent of total sleep time. (b) Typical changes in stages of sleep during the night. Notice that dreams mostly coincide with REM periods. Docsity.com Sleep Disturbances Sleepwalking (Somnambulism): Occurs in NREM sleep during Stages 3 and 4 Sleeptalking: Speaking while asleep; occurs in NREM sleep Docsity.com Some Other Sleep Disturbances Nightmares: Bad dreams  Occur 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 Docsity.com Night Terrors Night Terrors: Total panic occurs; hallucinations may occur  Occurs during Stage 4 sleep  Most common in childhood; may occur in adults  Not remembered Docsity.com Fig. 7.7 Infants at risk for SIDS are often attached to devices that monitor breathing and heart rate during sleep. An alarm sounds to alert parents if either pulse or respiration falters. SIDS rarely occurs after an infant is 1 year old. Babies at risk for SIDS should be placed on their sides or on their backs. (Photo courtesy of Healthdyne, Inc.) Docsity.com Dreams Psychodynamic (Freudian) Theory: Emphasizes internal conflicts, motives, and unconscious forces Wish Fulfillment: Freudian belief that many dreams are expressions of unconscious desires  Much evidence to refute this Dream Symbols: Images that have a deeper symbolic meaning Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis: Dream content may be affected by motor commands in the brain that are not carried out Docsity.com Hypnosis 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 Docsity.com Hypnosis Can’s and Cannot’s 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 Docsity.com Stage Hypnosis Simulation of hypnotic effects Tricks of the Trade:  Waking Suggestibility: People on stage do not want to spoil the act, so they will follow any instruction  Selection of Responsive Subjects: Any “volunteer” who does not get hypnotized in the group on stage and does not follow instructions is “thrown off”  The Hypnosis Label Disinhibits: On stage, once you are “in a hypnotic trance,” your responsibility for actions is removed; you can do whatever you want! Docsity.com More Stage Hypnosis “Tricks of the Trade” Hypnotists as Director: Once they are in a trance, the “volunteers” are suddenly the show’s stars, and they will act like it. The hypnotists only need to direct them Stage Hypnotists Use Tricks: Stage hypnosis is 50% deception and 50% taking advantage of the situation Conclusion: Stage hypnotists entertain; they rarely hypnotize Docsity.com Drugs and Altered States of Consciousness Psychoactive Drug: 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 Docsity.com Fig. 7.11 Spectrum and continuum of drug action. Many drugs can de 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 os such hallucinogens is the mind altering quality. Docsity.com Physical Dependence 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 a drug Docsity.com Cocaine 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 (Inability to Feel Pleasure): Common after cocaine withdrawal Docsity.com Designer Drugs Chemically engineered version of an existing drug; made to skirt drug laws MDMA (Ecstasy): Chemically similar to amphetamine; created by small variations in the drug’s structure  Risks of using MDMA are unclear  May cause severe liver damage and fatal heat exhaustion  Repeated use damages serotonergic brain cells Docsity.com Caffeine 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; may cause birth defects  Caffeinism: Physiological dependence on caffeine  Symptoms: Insomnia, irritability, loss of appetite, chills, racing heart, elevated body temperature Docsity.com Tranquilizers Tranquilizers: Lower anxiety and reduce tension  Valium, Xanax, Halcion, and Librium are four types  Rohypnol: Related to Valium; lowers inhibitions and produces relaxation or intoxication. Larger doses can induce short-term amnesia and sleep  Date rape drug because it’s odorless and tasteless (“Roofies”) Drug Interaction: One drug significantly enhances the effect of another Docsity.com Alcohol Ethyl Alcohol: Intoxicating element in fermented and distilled liquors  NOT a stimulant but DOES lower inhibitions  Depressant Binge Drinking: Consuming five or more drinks in a short time, or four or more for women  Serious sign of alcohol abuse  May lead up to 10 percent loss of brain power, especially memory Docsity.com Fig. 7.12 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.) Docsity.com Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Alternatives Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): Worldwide self- help organization composed of recovering alcoholics; emphasizes admitting powerlessness over alcohol usage and wanting to recover  Spiritual component  Free; around for over 70 years! Rational Recovery, and Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS): Non- spiritual AA Alternatives Docsity.com Some Hallucinogens Hallucinogen: Substance that alters or distorts sensory perceptions Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD): Hallucinogen that can produce hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms Mescaline (Peyote) and Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms) PCP (Angel Dust): Initially can have hallucinogenic effects; also an anesthetic and has stimulant and depressant effects Docsity.com Marijuana (Pot) Cannabis Sativa (Marijuana; Pot): Leaves and flowers of the hemp plant  Active Chemical: THC  Effects: Relaxation, time distortion, perceptual distortions  Psychologically, NOT physiologically, addictive Hashish: Resinous material scraped from leaves of the hemp plant; higher concentration of THC Docsity.com Dream Interpretation Freud: 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: Expressing feelings or ideas symbolically in dreams; not literal expression  Secondary Elaboration: Making a dream more logical and adding details while remembering it Docsity.com Dream Interpretation: A Different View 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 Docsity.com Lucid Dreaming Person feels fully awake within the dream and feels capable of normal thought and action Docsity.com