States of Consciousness

Aiyana Cruz

Jedd De Luna

Reicelene Ignacio

Aurora Nivera

2JRN3

ConsciousnessIndividual awareness of one’s

unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations and environment

Continuum of Consciousnesswide range of experiences from

being aware and alert to being unaware and unresponsive

Continuum of Consciousness1. Controlled ProcessesFull awareness, alertness, and

concentrationUsually interferes with other

ongoing activities2. Automatic ProcessesLittle awareness and take minimal

attentionDo not interfere with other

ongoing activities

Continuum of Consciousness3. DaydreamingLow level of awarenessOften occurs during automatic

processesInvolves fantasizing/dreaming

while awakeOccurs in situations that are

boring or require little attention

Continuum of Consciousness4. The Unconscious“It contains all sorts of significant

and disturbing material which we need to keep out of awareness because they are too threatening to acknowledge fully” – Sigmund Freud

Continuum of Consciousness4. The UnconsciousProcess of Free Association - a

method of exploring a person's unconscious by eliciting words and thoughts that are associated with key words provided by a psychoanalyst

Dream Interpretation -  the process of assigning meaning to dreams

Continuum of Consciousness5. UnconsciousnessTotal unawareness and loss of

responsiveness to one’s environment

6. Altered StatesAwareness that differs from

normal consciousnessResults from using any

procedures: meditation, hypnosis, or psychoactive drugs

Altered StatesA. MeditationThe practice of focusing attentionTo enhance awareness and gain more

control of physical and mental processesIncreased alpha & theta rhythm – Feeling

deeply relaxed and free from being stressed

B. HypnosisTrance-like stateA procedure that opens people to the

power of suggestion

Altered StatesC. Psychoactive Drugs“recreational drugs”A chemical substance that acts

primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior

Altered States4 Types of Psychoactive Drugsa. Stimulants: drugs that stimulate

the central nervous system. b. Sedatives: drugs that slow down

the central nervous systemc. Narcotics: also called opiates;

drugs that can relieve paind. Hallucinogens: drugs that cause

sensory and perceptual distortions

Continuum of Consciousness7. Sleep and DreamsSleep – involves different levels

of consciousness and psychological arousal, which occurs in 5 stages.

Dreams – astonishing visual, auditory and tactile images in sleep, which occurs in the REM stage.

Sleep

Stages of SleepDistinctive changes in the

electrical activity of the brainREM stands for Rapid Eye

Movement, because eyes move rapidly back and forth behind closed lids.

NREM stands for Non-Rapid Eye Movement

Stages of Sleep

*Alpha Stage Relaxed and drowsy stageAlpha Waves – low amplitude and

high frequency

Stages of SleepTwo Major Categories of SleepA. Non-REM SleepApproximately 80% of sleep timeStage 1 (Theta Waves)Transition from wakefulness to sleepLasts 1-7 minutesGradually lose responsiveness to stimuli

and experience drifting thoughts and images

Theta Waves - lower amplitude and lower frequency than alpha waves

*Hypnic Jerk – falling sensation

Stages of Sleep

Stage 2 (Spindles)Muscle tension, heart rate,

respiration, and body temperature gradually decrease

Difficult to be awakenedSleep Spindles – brief high

frequency bursts of brain activity

Stages of Sleep

Stage 3 (Delta & Theta Waves)Approximately 30-45 minutesDelta Waves - very high amplitude

and very low frequency (slowest & largest waves)

20-50% of brain-wave pattern

Stages of Sleep

Stage 4 (Delta Waves)Delta Waves - very high amplitude

and very low frequency (slowest & largest waves)

Deepest stage of sleepHeart rate, respiration, body

temperature and blood flow reducedSecretion of Growth Hormone (controls

levels of metabolism, physical growth and brain development)

Most difficult stage to be awakened

Stages of SleepB. REM SleepRemaining 20% of sleep timeStage 5Brain waves have fast frequency and low

amplitude Brain waves are very similar to beta waves (when

awake & alert)Heart rate and blood pressure 2x as high than

Non-REMHighly associated with DreamingPardoxical Sleep – both asleep and highly

aroused*Awake and AlertBeta Waves – high frequency and low amplitude

SleepSleep Architecture - represents

the cyclical pattern of sleep as it shifts between the different stages

DreamsImpulses and desires of the id are

suppressed by the superego. Because the guards are down during

sleep, the unconscious has the opportunity to act out and express the hidden desires of the id.

However, the desires of the id can, at times, be so disturbing and even psychologically harmful that a "censor" comes into play and translates the id's disturbing content into a more acceptable symbolic form.

4 Major Questions About Sleep1. How much sleep?There is a gradual change in the

total time spent sleeping.A. Infancy & ChildhoodNewborn – Approximately 17 hours

(50% in REM)Toddler – Approximately 10 hours

(25-30% in REM)Time spent in sleep and in REM

gradually declines

4 Major Questions About Sleep1. How much sleep?B. Adolescence & AdulthoodMaintain same amount of sleep timeApproximately 7.5 hours a day (same

amount of REM sleep, 20% or less)However, adolescents need more sleep

(about 10 hours) to aid body changes in puberty stage

C. Old AgeTotal sleep time drops to about 6.5 hours a

day, but same amount of REM sleep (20%)

4 Major Questions About Sleep2. Why do I sleep?1/3 of each day in sleepA. Repair TheoryDay-time activities deplete key

factors in brain or body that are repaired in sleep

Sleep is a restorative process

4 Major Questions About Sleep

2. Why do I sleep?B. Adaptive TheorySleep evolved to prevent early

humans and animals from wasting energy and exposing themselves to nocturnal predators

Humans have little night vision so sleep is evolved to avoid becoming prey

4 Major Questions About Sleep

3. What if I miss sleep?Physiological functions (e.g. heart

rate, blood pressure, hormones secretion) are not significantly disrupted

Affects immune systemInterfere with performance and

cause moodiness

4 Major Questions About Sleep

4. What causes sleep?‘Master Switch’ found in VPN

(Ventrolateral Preoptic Nucleus)Sleep and awake involve a

complex interaction between circadian rhythms, brain areas, sleep-inducing chemicals, and body temperature

4 Major Questions About Sleep

4. What causes sleep?VPN – nucleus in hypothalamus that acts as

master switch for sleepo On – VPN secretes GABA (neurotransmitter

that turns off areas that keeps the brain awake)• Reticular Formation – one of areas

turned off. A column of cells that stretches the length of the brain stem, arouses and alerts the forebrain (receive and process info. from senses)

o Off – Certain brain areas become active and the person wakes up

Rythms of Sleeping and Waking

Biological Clocks Internal timing devices that

regulates physiological responses for different periods of time.

Circadian Rhythms physical, mental and behavioral

changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment

Rythms of Sleeping and Waking

Circadian Rhythms regulates sleep-wake cycle, hormone

release, body temperature and other important bodily functions

controlled by the Master Clock that consists of a group of nerve cells in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus – regulates secretion of melatonin

Melatonin – hormone that promotes sleep

Sleep DisordersSomnambulism/Sleep Walking –

sitting, walking or performing complex behavior while sleeping.

Night Terrors – extreme fear, agitation or screaming while asleep. A state of panic experienced when sound asleep.

Restless Leg Syndrome – uncomfortable sensations in legs causing movement and loss of sleep

Nocturnal Leg Cramps – painful cramps in calf or foot muscles

Sleep DisordersCircadian Rhythms Disorders –

disturbances of sleep-wake cycle such as jet lag and work shifts.Jet Lag – experienced by travelers

whose internal clock is not synced with the external clock time in their new location, which results in fatigue, disorientation, lack of concentration and reduced cognitive skills

Sleep DisordersHypersomnia – Excessive day time

sleepinessEnuresis – urinating while asleep in

bedInsomnia – inability to get to sleep,

stay asleep or get good quality sleep. Sleep Apnea – consist of loud snoring

and stopped breathing.Nacrolepsy – consist of sudden onset

of REM sleep during otherwise waking hours.

ReferencesCiccarelli, S. & White, J. (2012). Psychology

(3rd. Ed.). Upper Sadle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Cherry, K. (2013). What is Consciousness. About.com. Retrieved, July 1, 2013, from: http://psychology.about.com/od/statesofconsciousness/f/consciousness.htm

Dietrich, A. (2007). Introduction to Consciousness. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan

Dream Moods. (2012). Dream Theorists: Sigmund Freud. Dreammoods.com. Retrieved, July 20, 2013, from: http://www.dreammoods.com/dreaminformation/dreamtheory/freud.htm

ReferencesMcLeod, S. (2009). Unconscious Mind.

SimplyPsychology. Retrieved, July 1, 2013, from: http://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html

Peters, B. (2011). What is sleep architecture?. About.com. Retrieved, July 18, 2013, from: http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/doihaveasleepdisorder/a/What-Is-Sleep-Architecture.htm

Plotnik, R. (1998). Introduction to Psychology (5th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

National Sleep Foundation. (2013). How much sleep do we really need?. NationalSleepFoundation.org. Retrieved, July 18, 2013, from: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need