Consciousness: An Introduction

Chapter 7 Introduction

• Consciousness is defined as the subjective awareness of oneself and the surrounding environment.
• Personal philosophical considerations about consciousness inform the current study of behavior and mental processes.
• Socrates posited that free will is limited, terming the lack of self control "akrasia."
• Plotinus alluded to unconscious psychological processes, suggesting mental activity proceeds without conscious perception.
• Rene Descartes proposed dualism, suggesting physical bodies and the mind are two separate entities, but psychologists disagree, siting all conscious processing as a product of the brain.
• Different states of consciousness depend on the brain's current activities and state.
• Sigmund Freud's personality theories differentiate conscious and unconscious behavior.
• Subconscious accounts for things like memories and motivations that remain outside of consciousness.
• Preconscious refers to things you could pay attention to if desired and where memories are easily retrieved.
• Awareness operates on levels of high and low thinking states.
• Psychologists are increasingly certain that much of our behavior stems from unconscious processes beyond our control
• Experience of consciousness helps guide our actions and solve problems.
• The feeling of free will informs our sense of morality and influences behavior.
• Automatic behaviors are unconscious, while controlled behaviors are conscious.
• Implicit memory is unconscious, and explicit memory is conscious.
• Psychoactive drugs change states of consciousness, including perceptions and moods.
• Opioids cause euphoria, analgesia, constipation, and reduced breathing rate.
• Hallucinogens alter perceptions, often causing visions or hallucinations.
• Depressants reduce Central Nervous System activity and slow mental and physiological processes.
• Stimulants increase mental and physiological processes via blocking dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine reuptake in the Central Nervous System.
• It is normal to overuse stimuli like work, gambline, overeating, and sex as an "addiction."
• The story of Kenneth Parks, who killed his mother-in-law and attacked his father-in-law while sleepwalking, highlights the complexities of consciousness and legal responsibility, resulting in him being acquitted.

Levels of Awareness

• Low awareness is when subtle influences impact an individual without them realizing it.
• A marketing researcher falsely reported a large increase in popcorn sales in 1957 when the words "Eat Popcorn" where inserted into frames in a film, and he later admitted he made the data up.
• High awareness includes focused attention and careful decision-making.
• Mindfulness is heightened awareness that focuses and evaluates thoughts.
• Awareness exists on a continuum, and our thinking exists at both ends.

Priming

• Priming consists of readily activating certain memory concepts and associations.
• Drinking from a warm glass can influence people to act more warmly toward others.
• Implicit Association Tests (IAT) assess reaction times to stimuli which can indicate hidden bias.
• The Flexible Correction Model is when people are aware of undue influences, and self-correct their attitude to fight it.

Hypnosis

• Stage hypnotists and TV shows sensationalize a false "control" exerted on hypnotized people.
• Hypnosis reduces peripheral awareness while increasing the focus on a single stimulus.
• Hypnosis is used to focus attention solely to the hypnotist's voice for it to be effective.
• Hypnotized persons are more open to suggestion but can choose to refuse suggestions.
• Hypnotic influence is more effective for individuals that test higher for empathy.
• Dissociation is separation of focus from outside awareness.
• As an effect of dissociation, a person in hypnosis has less self-awareness.
• Hypnosis will never induce someone to do something they wouldn't consent to while in a normal state.

Hypnotherapy

• Hypnotherapy consists of suggestion, expectancies, motivation and relaxation to create a desired mental state.
• Although there is some evidence of it being able to help with addiction reduction, there is evidence it can be helpful for pain reduction.
• Pseudo-hypnosis experienced 16% pain reduction, while a hypnosis condition reduced pain by 50%.
• Hypnosis can disassociate a person from their environment with higher suggestibility to the clinician's recommendations.

Trance State

• Similarly to hypnosis, a trance state involves a dissociation of self.
• In a trance state, individuals have less voluntary control over actions and behaviors.
• Religious ceremonies often induce trance states, in which individuals believe they are "possessed" by an otherworldly presence/force.
• Many researchers reject that altered consciousness comes about while having a trance state.
• Trance exists in a shifting of the standard conscious experience and can be described via factors such as expectation, interpretation, and socio-cognition.

Sleep

• As people sleep, they sometimes experience the feeling of falling before awakening with a sudden jerk.
• Sleep provides a unique state of consciousness with the brain still active.
• The hormone melatonin naturally is created more at night promoting sleep.
• A circadian Rhythm impacts when people feel more drowsy and naturally awaken, and it can be influenced by amount of daylight.
• Overcome jetlag through being in synch with amount of daylight.

Brain Waves

• Betawaves mark the brain when you are awake and alert characterized by high frequency but low in intensity
• Alpha waves characterize the transitioning to relaxation during sleep by being lower frequency and of higher intensity.
• Scholars have different opinions on characterizing sleep stages, but all agree, there is Rapid Eye Movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM).
• Theta marks Stage 1 of NREM.
• Stage 2 NREM accounts for 55% of entire sleep with musclular activity further decreased.
• Delta mark sleep in stage 3 NREM with muscle activity reduced.

REM

• Brainwaves similar to person being very awake.
• Accounts for 20% of sleep.
• Genitals become aroused including spontaneous morning erections.
• There are normally several phases of REM and NREM in each night from 90 minutes each.
• REM portions grow throughout the night.

Sleep Disorders

• Six in ten Canadian adults report feeling tired most of the time.
• Insomnia is defined as regularly not getting to sleep or difficulties staying asleep.
• Disorders like pain due to injury or illness, stress, or psychological issues can cause Insomnia.
• Barbiturates, Sedatives, and Benzodiazepines are often promoted as sleep aids, but these generally just disrupt normal stages of sleep.
• Sleep apnea involves breathing pauses for 10 seconds or longer, and machines/surgical procedures are used to keep the airway open.
• Narcolepsy is daytime sleepiness with nodding off, and lack of neurotransmitters play a factor in it.
• Somnambulism is sleepwalking.
• Sleep terrors, bruxism (teeth grinding in the evening), periodic limb movement, and uneasy legs syndrome are other sleep disorders, or restless leg syndrome where there is constant uncomfortable feeling down the leg.

Effects of Not Sleeping

• Sleep needs can vary depending on your life stage.
• Newborns tend to sleep 16-18 hours a day.
• There are individual differences with needing sleep.
• Lack of sleep could cause irritability or slower reaction time, including problems when attentiveness is neede.
• Studies show that it increases automobile accidents and leads towards poor choices in doctors and a variety of other accidents due to deprivation of sleep.
• It is important for health and longevity
• It fights infections.

Dreams

• A dream is a succession of emotions, images, and thoughts.
• A report has found that people are awaken several times at night, with the suggestion that dreams in fact do not occur only at those moments during sleep,
• The dreams and desires link to our daily concerns and experiences.
• Freud said that the main role of a dream was wish fulfillment and distinguishes meanings as both latent (Underlying Meaning) and manifest (Literal Actions).
• He also believed real meaning of dreams is suppressed in order to protect feelings.

Theories on Dreaming

• Dreams help provide a sort of consolidation so memories can go into long-term (Alvarenga).
• Brain will attempt to interoperate the signals, therefore these random bursts of neuronal stems (Theory of Dreaming).
• Sleep needs to be obtained and that by neglecting the important tasks of daily life, you can lead to fatigue or problems to dream.

Hallucinogens and mind-altering drugs

• In 1943, Albert Hoffman accidentally discovered LSD.
• In traditional cultures, it has been that there are substances with powerful effects onto the conciousness.
• There are 3 categories of drugs named Hallucinagions, Sedatives, and Stimulants
• Some of the substances were used most often was the former.
• Substances are altered from their perspectives, by hallucinations or visions.
• Examples: LSD, Ecstasy, & Marijuana.

Marijuana

• It is often smoked.
• One of the ingredients have been often smoked to have a Euphoria.
• Cause: Distortions around time, increased hunger, unrelated thoughts sometimes associated with laughter.
• Trend: being legalized for medical uses in places like Uruguay, United States, and Bangladesh.

Depressants

• It slows down metal and physical processes.
• An example, is alcohol.
• Also stem from interference with the motor and coordination with visuals of the brain.
• Is a toxic; over a certain of amount can mean death.
• lack of judgment cause of actions with dangerous.
• Over time. it is linked to interference problems.

Opiates

• Synthesized from the Poppy Flower.
• Common is Oxytocin which does produce euphoria.
• Can be abused.

Stimulants

• Caffeine or Nicotine.
• Many attract because of the alertness.
• One can undergo insomina in such cases.
• Nicltonie is linked to dangerous diseases.
• Cigarettes are common, nicotine are associated with smoking.

Amphetamine

• They are illegal drugs used frequently.
• Act by blocking the dopamine while creating euphoria.
• Stimulant: Cocaine & Methamphetamine ("Ice)

Conclusion (Drugs)

• One can get lulled into the belief that consciousness is always the same every day.
• Similar to switch.
• It determines our judgment as we try and understand the process.

Attention (7.2)

• No matter what is being used our decision and actions all relate with our consicousness.
• Discuss varying amounts: High / Low etc. with affect.

Objectives (Introduction)

• Understand varying states of conscioness.

• Explain bias and conscioness

• Therapeutically difference and portrayals through hypnosis.

Attention

• Always occurs time but refers or relies to what concept.
• Selective parts and ignorance what are needed.
• Limited amount of one thing as you act.

Attention (What are you doing?)

• All that are in red right or near the place attention takes
• Take action which leads towards conscionness.

Sustained vs Vigilonce

• What maintains it (Vigilence for sustained)
• One can maintain over can occur at once.

Level and Sustained

• Sustain one can maintain of exploration to source.
• Divide exploration
• Source at level one with all the rest.

Selective Attention

• the important that can be occur then how it maintain.

Dichotic Analysis

• It evaluate and used select process
• To one as person which gives in ear message

Attention (Low)

• You are to receive.

• Evaluating and constantly to receive.

Cues to be automatic

• Startle or jump and elicit reflex information
• ohman and Sonres.

Study

• bargh, Chen
• Elderly or others.