Chapter 5: States of Consciousness

Understanding Consciousness

Consciousness (an organism’s awareness of its own self and surroundings)

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Question: What is consciousness?CONSCIOUSNESS Sensory awareness – conscious or aware of things

outside yourself You are aware of sights, sounds, and smells that are all

around you Focusing on a particular stimulus is referred to as selective

attention and it makes our senses keener We tend to be more conscious of some things than others.

Section 1: The Study of Consciousness

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CONSCIOUSNESS Direct inner awareness – being aware of things inside

you Imagine jumping into a lake or a swimming pool on a hot

day. Can you feel the cool, refreshing water all around you?

You do not hear, see, smell, or touch thoughts, images, emotions, or memories. Yet you are still conscious of them. This meaning of consciousness, then, is being aware of things inside yourself.

Sense of self – aware of ourselves and our existence. Consciousness is the sense of self in which we are aware

of ourselves and our existence.

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Levels of Consciousness—Unconscious Sigmund Freud theorized that people have an unconscious mind. Information stored in the unconscious (sometimes called the

subconscious) is unavailable to awareness under most circumstances Imagine that you are planning to go to a party. Without realizing why,

you find yourself continually distracted from getting ready. First, perhaps, you cannot find a pair of shoes, Then maybe you become involved in a lengthy phone call, Can you guess what information was stored in your unconscious?

It may be that you did not want to go to the party. According to Freud’s theory this desire to avoid the party was

unconscious and you were not aware of it. We use various mental strategies, called defense mechanisms, to push

painful or unacceptable ideas out of our consciousness. In this way, we protect ourselves from feelings of anxiety, guilt and shame.

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in

Action (8e)

Sleep and Dreams

What happens to humans and other animals while we sleep and dream?

Functions of Sleep: Why Do We Sleep and What If We Don’t?

Sleep always wins Microsleep

Why? Restores body tissues and facilitates body

growth Increases immunity to disease Keeps mind alert Helps process memories Enhances mood

How Much Sleep Do We Need?

People differ in the amount they need Age

Older we get, less sleep we need Lifestyle and Environment

Habits, responsibilities, stressors Genetics

May be genetically predisposed to getting up early or going to bed late

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in

Action (8e)

Sleep and Dreams: Stages of Sleep NREM (Non-Rapid-Eye-Movement) Sleep:

Stage 1(lightest sleep) Stage 2 (deeper sleep) Stages 3 and 4 (deepest sleep)

REM (Rapid-Eye-Movement) Sleep: Light sleep--also called paradoxical

sleep

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FIVE STAGES OF SLEEP Stage 1 is light sleep that produces the alpha waves typical of relaxation Stages 2, 3, and 4 are deeper and during stages 3 and 4 the brain produces delta waves Stage 4 is the stage of deepest sleep meaning the one that would be the most difficult

to wake up from Final stage is rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, in which dreams and nightmares

occur During a typical 8-hour night of sleep, most people go through these stages about 5

times each of which constitutes one sleep cycle. The final period of REM sleep toward morning may last half an hour or longer.

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in

Action (8e)

Sleep and Dreams: Average Daily Hours of Sleep for Different Mammals

©John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007 Huffman: Psychology in

Action (8e)

Psychology in Action (8e)

by Karen Huffman

PowerPoint Lecture Notes Presentation

End of Chapter 5: States of Consciousness

Karen Huffman, Palomar College