Psychology Chapter: Consciousness and Altered States

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Questions and Answers

What is the role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus in sleep regulation?

Controls rapid eye movement during sleep

Initiates the sleep cycle

Regulates hormonal changes in response to light (correct)

Maintains circadian rhythms through temperature regulation

Circadian rhythms influence only body temperature and not alertness.

False

What percentage of life do individuals spend sleeping?

25%-33%

The type of sleep characterized by relaxation and some awareness of the environment is called ______.

NREM stage 1 Signup and view all the answers

Match the stages of NREM sleep with their descriptions:

Stage 1 = Relaxed wakefulness with some awareness Stage 2 = Light sleep with no awareness of the environment Stage 3 = Slow wave sleep, difficult to awaken Stage 4 = Disorientation and shock when awakened Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a consequence of sleep deprivation?

Hallucinations Signup and view all the answers

All individuals experience altered states of consciousness in the same way.

False Signup and view all the answers

What happens to melatonin production when exposed to bright light?

It stops producing melatonin. Signup and view all the answers

Which sleep stage is characterized by eye movements and increased heart rate?

REM Signup and view all the answers

Dreams are generally well understood and can consistently be interpreted.

False Signup and view all the answers

What theory suggests that dreams are symbolic representations of our desires and fears?

Wish-fulfillment Theory Signup and view all the answers

_________ is a common altered state of consciousness characterized by sleepy attentiveness.

Hypnosis Signup and view all the answers

Match the following dream theories with their descriptions:

Wish-fulfillment Theory = Dreams represent our desires, beliefs, and fears Cognitive Theory = Dreaming helps consolidate memories Physiological Function Theory = Stimulates the brain to keep it healthy Apex Dreaming = Involves fantastical events Signup and view all the answers

What do cultural variations in dreams often reflect?

Animal characters in rural societies Signup and view all the answers

Meditation and hypnosis are similar in that both involve a state of relaxed focus.

True Signup and view all the answers

In research by Ghandi and Oakley, what was the independent variable?

Name of Exercise (Hypnosis for Relaxation) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Consciousness

Consciousness is the perception of one’s own mental life at different levels of awareness
It’s a psychological representation of something that happened in the past which appears continuous and perfect, but it also delayed and subject to error
The “BIG Problem" of Psychology is deciding where neural activity becomes conscious experience
Neural activity is a brain’s response to a stimulus
The psychological interpretation of that neural activity is perception
There are three key features of consciousness:
- Qualitativeness - feeling of what it is like to be you
- Subjectively - Everyone has their own experience that cannot be experienced by anyone else
- Unity - Single and unified experience

Altered States of Consciousness

Susan Blackmore earned a PhD in Parapsychology and is a significant contributor to the understanding of consciousness
She stated “We don’t think of consciousness because it doesn't feel like anything special”
Blackmore uses the idea of altered states of consciousness to understand normal consciousness
Perceptual time dilation occurs when our perception of the time is stretched out during extreme stress or excitement.
Time appears to slow down because cognition speeds up

Sleep & Dreams

We spend 25% - 33% of our lives sleeping
College students average about 7 hours of sleep a night
Sleep deprivation leads to poor concentration, reduced self-control, exhaustion, fatigue, lethargy, and eventually hallucinations after long periods of sleep deprivation
Sleep regulation is controlled by circadian rhythms
Circadian rhythms regulate several activities in the body including body temperature, alertness, bowel movements, and hormone levels
The suprachiasmatic nucleus and the pineal gland are responsible for the circadian pacemaker:
- Low light triggers the pineal gland to produce melatonin which makes us sleepy
- Bright light stops the production of melatonin promoting wakefulness
Sleep homeostasis is the balance of sleep and wakefulness
There are two types of sleep:
- NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement): This type of sleep has 4 stages:
  - Stage 1: relaxed wakefulness with some awareness of the environment
  - Stage 2: Light sleep with no awareness of the environment, yet perceptual responsiveness
  - Stage 3: “Slow wave” sleep where it is difficult to awaken
  - Stage 4: Deepest sleep, where awakening is difficult and results in disorientation and shock
- REM (Rapid Eye Movement):
  - Characterized by increased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration, muscle spasms, and rapid eye movement
Dreams are a poorly understood phenomenon and typically make logical sense
There are two types of dreams
- Apex Dreaming: Fantastical events
- Ordinary Dreaming: Regular or mundane events
Areas of the brain associated with disbelief are not part of the activations in dreams
We also lack the capacity to create new memories during dreams, except when just about to wake up

Theories of Dreaming

There are three primary theories for dreams
- Wish-fulfillment: Sigmund Freud theorized that dreams are symbolic representations of desires, beliefs, and fears. He called dreams the “royal road to the unconscious.”
- Cognitive: Dreaming appears random; however, it’s your mind consolidating memories and producing better memory
- Physiological Function: Brains are randomly stimulated during sleep in order to keep them healthy and to remove naturally occurring plaque
Dreams reflect the worlds in which we live and vary by age and culture
Young people generally experience themes of aggression, fear, social acceptance, social navigation, studying, grades, and sexual themes in their dreams
Cultural variations in dreams often include animals in rural societies and same-sex characters in gender-segregated societies
Idle thoughts or daydreams are often about the same themes as dreams

Hypnosis / Meditation

Hypnosis is a common alert state of consciousness that can happen between stages 1 and 2 of sleep.
It can be induced by a trained individual or by accident
Hypnosis makes us more susceptible to suggestion as we are focused and attentive in a single way
The effectiveness of hypnosis depends largely on the participant’s belief in the procedure.
Gandhi and Oakley’s study in 2005 found that hypnosis is more effective when people believe they are being hypnotized
Meditation is a self-induced state that is similar to hypnosis, between stages 1 and 2 of sleep.
It involves a relaxed focus where we are aware of the present and all else is irrelevant
Thoughts can either by suppressed or allowed during meditation
There are two types of meditation:
- Mindfulness: Thoughts are allowed
- Mantra: Thoughts are suppressed
Meditation allows calm and not thinking as we place attention on a specific thing during controlled breathing
Long-term meditation leads to altered brain functioning and unusual neurological activity, almost like sleeping on demand, which is shown through brain imaging studies
Meditation thickens the cortical region of the brain that is associated with attention and emotion regulation
Correlation evidence suggests that meditation may have these effects, or that other factors, such as lifestyle changes, may be responsible for the brain changes.

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Description

Explore the intricate concept of consciousness and its features such as qualitatives, subjectivity, and unity. Delve into altered states of consciousness, including insights from key figures like Susan Blackmore in the field of parapsychology. This quiz will challenge your understanding of psychological theories related to consciousness.