States of consciousness

Waking, Sleep, Dreaming

What is consciousness?

• Root of psychology as a science

• State of awareness

Waking conscious

• Awareness of self and environment– Active thought

• Selective attention– Inattentional blindness– Change blindness– Mindsight

Levels of information processing

• Conscious awareness

• Unconscious processing– Priming

Alterations in consciousness

• Deviation from normal alertness

• Why do human alter their conscious?

Biological rhythms

• Rest-wake cycles

• Circadian rhythms

• Sleep

Sleep stages

• Stage 1

• Stage 2

• Stage 3

• Stage 4

• REM sleep

Sleep stages throughout the night

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

4

3

2

1

Sleepstages

Awake

Hours of sleep

REM

Why do we sleep?

• Non-REM sleep– Survival– Rest

• REM sleep– Brain development– Memory consolidation

Sleep loss

• Teenagers today get nearly 2 hours less sleep every night than teens 80 years ago.

• 2001 Gallup poll: 61% of men and 47% of women said they get enough sleep

• 2005 study: life satisfaction correlated with getting enough sleep

• Recurrent insomnia affects 10-15% of adults

• 1 in 20 has sleep apnea

What is “enough” sleep?

• Varies from person to person

• Subjective evaluation

Insomnia

• Persistent inability to fall asleep or stay asleep– Subjective– Subjects overestimate time awake

• Drug-dependent insomnia

Narcolepsy

• Neurological disorder characterized by sleep at inappropriate times– Sleep attacks– Cataplexy

• Treatments

Sleep apnea

• Inability to breathe while sleeping– Caused by airway obstruction– Sleeper wakes, gasping for air

• Treatment

Night terrors

• Disorder marked by heightened arousal, activity and fear– Children– Slow-wave sleep

Dreams

• REM vs. daydreams

• Dream content

• Theoretical reasons for dreaming– Wish fulfillment– Activation-synthesis – Memory consolidation