Lecture 10
Lecture 10
Lecture 10
Consciousness
Consciousness:
The process underlying
the mental model we
create of the world of
which we are aware;
allows us to retrieve a
fact, an idea, an emotion,
or a memory and
combine it with critical
thinking.
The Conscious Mind
The conscious mind can take on a variety of roles, but
it must focus sequentially on one thing and then
another. Multi-tasking is not all it is cracked up to be.
Picture a cat.
The Results
Is the cat black? Does it have a long tail?
Does it have a collar on? Does it have short
hair? Does it have white paws?
Unconscious: Freud felt that this part of the mind was not directly
accessible to awareness.
A dump box for urges, feelings and ideas that are tied to anxiety, conflict and
pain.
These feelings and thoughts have not disappeared and are exerting influence
on our actions and our conscious awareness
Freud’s Views
Freud said that the unconscious mind had an
especially important role in our relationships.
problem solving.
Brain scans of a
wondering mind
The White Bear Experiment
Speak continuously for one minute
about anything that comes to your
mind. DO NOT think about a white
bear, however.
Results
This experiment was done with college students in the
USA. The vast majority of them could not speak for a
minute without talking about the white bear? Why?
As you relax and try to go to sleep, your brain waves cycle
more and more slowly.
3
REM
4
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Hours of sleep
Stages in a Typical Night’s Sleep
Minutes
of Decreasing
25 Stage 4
Stage 4
and
REM 20
15 Increasing
REM
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Hours of sleep
Stage 1
You will not know the exact moment when you enter Stage
1 of sleep.
You are easily awaken from this stage and will probably
insist that you were never asleep.
The first time you enter this stage it will last about 20
minutes.
Over the course of the night, you will spend ½ of your sleep
in this stage.
Stages 3 and 4
After about 30 minutes of sleep, your brainwaves slow
down a lot.
2,700 4,200
2,600 4000
2,500 3,800
2,400 3,600
Spring time change Fall time change
(hour sleep loss) (hour sleep gained)
Monday before time change Monday after time change
Dreaming
Freud had many prominent thoughts on dreaming, as
well as the non-conscious mind.
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Truth About Dreams
Despite his theories there is no solid evidence to support
Freud’s interpretations of latent dream content.
Children are more likely to dream about animals that are large
and threatening, while adults dream more about pets.
Women are more likely to dream about men and women; men
are more likely to dream about men.
Culture and Dreams
Many studies have supported the theory that culture plays
a large role in dream content.
Ghana: Attacking cows
Americans: Public nakedness
Mexican-Americans: Death
There is strong support for the idea that dreams reflect life
events that are important to the dreamer.
Dreams
Why do you have dreams that seem random?
There are lots of “remedies” which may actually worsen the problem.
Sleeping pills: addicting, prevent Rem sleep
Alcohol: Prevents Rem Sleep
Sleep Disorders
Sleep apnea: A sleep disorder characterized by a
temporary stoppage in breathing forcing the person to
wake up.
Roughly 4 % of Americans have sleep apnea
Sleep Disorders
Narcolepsy: A sleep disorder characterized by
uncontrollable sleep attacks.
Does it work?
To a degree everyone is suggestible
20% are highly suggestible
PET Scans
Hypnos: Greek
god of sleep
An Altered State of Consciousness?
We know hypnosis involves a heightened state of
suggestibility, but some suggest it is more of a social
phenomenon.
Some believe the hypnotic phenomenon is simply the
workings of normal consciousness and the power of social
influence-social influence theory
Not suggesting anyone is faking, but rather they get caught up in
the role/moment. The more they trust the hypnotist, and feel
motivated to demonstrate those behaviors, the more they allow
that person to direct their attention
A Diverted Consciousness?
While most agree that hypnosis involves normal social and
cognitive processes, some think it is more than “acting.”
The divided-consciousness theory is controversial, but
suggests we can run on autopilot for well rehearsed tasks,
while consciously working on another task.
One thing we know for sure, we process a lot of information
outside of our conscious awareness…much of our behavior
occurs on autopilot.
Explaining Hypnosis
Drugs and Consciousness
Psychoactive Drug
A chemical substance that alters perceptions and mood
Physical Dependence
Physiological need for a drug
Marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms
Psychological Dependence
A psychological need to use a drug
For example, to relieve negative emotions
Dependence and Addiction
Big
effect Tolerance
Response to Diminishing effect with
Drug
effect
first exposure regular use
The body begins to stop
producing these
After repeated chemicals naturally
exposure, more
drug is needed Withdrawal
to produce Discomfort and distress
same effect
Little
that follow discontinued
effect use
Small Large
Drug dose
Psychoactive Drugs
Depressants
Drugs that reduce neural activity
Slow body functions
alcohol, barbiturates, opiates
Stimulants
Drugs that excite neural activity
Speed up body functions
caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, cocaine
Hallucinogens
Psychedelic (mind-manifesting) drugs that distort
perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of
sensory input
LSD
Effects of Drugs
Research tells us that the effects of drugs depends not just
on its biological effects, but also on the psychology of the
user’s expectations (Ward, 1994).
Opiates
Opium and its derivatives (morphine and
heroin)
Opiates depress neural activity, temporarily
lessening pain and anxiety
Psychoactive Drugs-
Stimulants
Amphetamines
Drugs that stimulate neural activity,
causing speeded-up body functions and
associated energy and mood changes
Results in short term energy and euphoria
Eventually reduces baseline dopamine
level, leaving user permanently depressed
Cocaine
Stimulants
Images of Addiction
Images of Addiction
Image of Addiction
Drug Addiction
One of the most major psychological problems in America.
Millions of Americans depend heavily in drugs—they hurt
themselves physically, socially & psychologically.
Abuse of drugs involves psychological dependence.
Users come to depend so much on the feeling of well-being
that they get from the drug they feel compelled to continue
using it.
People can become psychologically dependent on a wide
variety of drugs—alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, cocaine,
marijuana, amphetamines, etc.
Cocaine Euphoria and Crash
Neurotransmitters carry a The sending neuron reabsorbs By binding to the sites that normally reabsorb
message from a sending the excess neurotransmitters neurotransmitters, cocaine blocks the reuptake
neuron across a synapse to molecules, a process called of dopamine norepinephrine, and serotonin. The
receptor sites on a receiving reuptake extra neurotransmitters therefore remain in the
neuron synapse, intensifying their normal mood.
Psychoactive Drugs-Hallucinogens
Ecstasy (MDMA)
Synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen
Both short-term and long-term health risks
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide
A powerful hallucinogenic drug
Also known as acid
THC
The major active ingredient in marijuana
Triggers a variety of effects, including mild
hallucinations