Week 7 - Consciousness, Sleep and Dreams PDF

WEEK 7 – CONSCIOUSNESS, SLEEP AND DREAMS Consciousness – the awareness of external stimuli and our own mental activity Dualism – mind and brain as different Materialism – mind and brain are one and the same Theatre view – consciousness is a single phenomenon , a kind of stage. Parallel distributed p...

WEEK 7 – CONSCIOUSNESS, SLEEP AND DREAMS Consciousness – the awareness of external stimuli and our own mental activity Dualism – mind and brain as different Materialism – mind and brain are one and the same Theatre view – consciousness is a single phenomenon , a kind of stage. Parallel distributed processing – mind as processing many parallel streams of information, whose interactions create the unitary experience of consciousness. Analysed in separate brain regions. William james – consciousness as a stream Consciousness state – the characteristics of consciousness at any particular moment Conscious level – the level of consciousness at which mental activities that people are normally aware of occur Non-conscious level – a level of mental activity that is inaccessible to conscious awareness Pre-conscious level – a level of mental activity that is not currently conscious but of which we can easily become conscious. Eg. Doing something without realising like humming. Ready to be brought into awareness Unconscious level – a level of mental activity that influences consciousness but is not conscious Blindsight – visual processing without visual awareness Priming – stimuli presented so briefly that participants are not aware of seeing them Neuropsychology of consciousness Altered state of consciousness – a condition in which changes in mental processes are extensive enough that a person or others notice significant differences in psychological and behavioural functioning Aspects Description Definition Consciousness is the awareness of external stimuli and our own mental activity Approaches Dualism – sees the mind and brain as different, but they nteract Materialism – sees the mind and brain as the same thing Theatres – sees it as a single phenomenon Parallel distributed processing – sees it as processing many parallel streams of information, making the experience of consciousness Levels Conscious – level at which mental activities people are normally aware occur Non conscious – level of mental activity inaccessible to conscious awareness Preconscious – level of mental activity that influences consciousness but is not conscious Neuropsychology Prosopagnosia – cannot consciously recognise faces Anterograde amnesia – inability to form new memories Processing without awareness Evidence for mental processing without awareness come rom studies of anaesthesia, blindsight, hunches, ntuition, priming States of consciousness Active – waking state. Positive – daydreaming. Altered – changes in mental processes that a person or others notice. Sleep Non-REM (NREM) sleep – sleep stages N1, N2, N3, they are accompanied by gradually slower and deeper breathing, a calm and regular heartbeat, reduced blood pressure and slower brain waves. Stage N3 is called slow wave sleep. Consolidates memory Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep – the stage of sleep in which brain activity and other functions resemble the waking state but that is accompanied by rapid eye movements and virtual muscle paralysis. The EEG resembles that of someone who is awake. Restores sensitivity to norepinephrine Circadian rhythm (human biological rhythm) - a cycle, such as waking and sleeping, that repeats about once a day. Body clock is in the suprachiasmatic nuclei in the hypothalamus REM behaviour disorder – a sleep disorder in which a person does not lose muscle tone during REM sleep, allowing the person to act out dreams. Dreaming Wish fulfilment – Sigmund Freud. Satisfy unconscious urges and resolve unconscious conflicts Activation-synthesis theory – Signals from the hindbrain activate the cerebral cortex QUESTIONS Some research suggests that the automatic process helps us carry out routine and mundane daily activities Altered states of consciousness have been shown to have a spiritual role in some cultures Jet lag occurs because of a disruption in a traveler's circadian rhythm The importance of NREM sleep is suggested by its appearance early in the night