definitions “internal mental processes of which a person is aware” process behind mental model...
TRANSCRIPT
CONSCIOUSNESS
Definitions “Internal mental processes of
which a person is aware” Process behind mental model
○Created by ourselves○ Involves awareness
Tools Imaging devices
PET, fMRI, EEG Show areas that “light up” Don’t show how it works
Extremes Wide range of mental processes
Information readily availableWhat’s 9 · 5?
Operations deep in the brainBiological functions
What is it? Anima – spirit or life force
Not terribly scientific Structuralists – tried to get subjects to
report on their own conscious experienceHow do you prove you have
consciousness? Behaviorists – you can’t, so leave it
alone
Try again in the 60’s
Behaviorism couldn’t explain drug-induced states
New technologies let scientific inquiry back into the picture
Cognitive Neuroscience Psychology Neurology Biology Computer science Linguistics
Big Picture Consciousness
Doesn’t multitaskProcesses info serially
Nonconscious processCan multitaskProcesses in parallel
Mental Rotation Do we “turn things over” in our
minds? If so, bigger differences
should take more time to figure out
Shepard and Metzler
Zooming In Imagine object Ask about details Smaller details require more
time Why? Stephen Kosslyn
The Conscious and Nonconscious Minds
William JamesStream of consciousness
Sigmund FreudConsciousness is just tip of
mental iceberg
Functions
1. Restriction 2. Combination 3. Manipulation
Two kinds of nonconscious Preconscious
Can easily return to consciousness Unconscious
Absence of consciousness (medical)Cognition without awareness
CYCLES IN CONSCIOUSNESS
Daydreaming Sleep Dreaming Disorders
Daydreaming
Mildly altered state Often with vivid imagery Very common (“normal”) “White bear” experiment
To stop obsessing, must allow mind to roam freely, don’t try to suppress thoughts
Different from sleeping dreamsNot as vividMore under controlNot part of biological cycle
Sleep How do we view sleep? Waste of time? Welcome rest? Mystery? Now understood as part of
biological cycle
Circadian Rhythms Means “approximately a day” Hypothalamus regulates Sensitive to light and dark Without cues, cycle will be
about 25 hours for most
Work schedules
All-nighters Jet lag
Events of Sleep Eugene Aserinsky REM – Rapid Eye Movement every 90 minutes Sleep paralysis NREM (non-REM)
Three Main Ideas
1. 90-minute cycles 2. deepest sleep, early in
cycle 3. REM duration increases,
the longer we sleep
REM Rebound REM deprivation - tired,
irritable Then get more REM next time Suggests need for REM sleep
Function of Sleep Conserve energy, stay safe? Helps mental functioning
Problem solvingMemory
Restorative function Replenish energyPurge toxinsFix damaged brain cells
Sleep to dream to forgetNeural networks formed can be
chaoticNeed to “take out mental trash”
Don’t really know how it makes us feel restored
Need for sleep Short vs long sleepers Developmental changes
Dreams …as meaningful
events …as random brain
activity …as a source of
creativity
Meaningful Events: Freud
Dream interpretation is the cornerstone of psychoanalysis
“royal road to the unconscious” Dreams guard the self
Disguise thoughts with symbolsWish fulfillment
Manifest content1. narrow passage, diving2. bed too small3. thirsty, drink from urn
Latent (symbolic) content1. birth2. wish fulfillment to be grown up3. made him get up and drink
Problems with Freud No scientific support
Trobriand Island boys dream about uncles more than fathers
Kids dream of big scary animals College age – tame critters People who don’t wear clothes, don’t
dream about public nakedness So, dreams are culturally variable
So…
Rosalind Cartwright Dreams just reflect life events Especially first dream Later dreams harder to link to
day’s events
Dreams and Cognition NREM vs REM deprived REM deprived did worse on
memory tasks So REM sleep may be
necessary for optimum memory
Dreams as Random Flashes
Activation-synthesis theoryDreams are result of trying
to make sense of spontaneous bursts
REM gives source of stimulation
Story line of dream is accidental
Dreams as source of Creative Insight
Frankenstein Otto Loewi - chemical
transmission of the nervous impulse
Elias Howe Robert Louis Stevenson
Sleep Disorders Insomnia Sleep apnea Infants – “Back To Sleep” Night terrors Narcolepsy
Altered States Modification of ordinary
consciousness Mental, behavioral, or
chemical means
Hypnosis State of awareness characterized by:
deep relaxation heightened suggestibility and focused attention
Hypnotizability Most important factor “recovered memories”
unreliable Hypnotic analgesia
Mechanisms Distinct state of consciousness? Heightened motivation?
Hypnotized because they expect or want to be
Just role playing – seeking to please
“Hidden observer” theory
Practical Uses Research Treatment Anesthetic
Meditation State of consciousness Often induced by:
Repetitive behaviorBody positionReducing outside stimuli
East vs West
Effects Brain waves Frontal lobe activity – positive Lower blood pressure Lower stress hormones Meaning of life?
Drugs Psychoactive drugs
Chemicals that affect mental processes and behavior by their effects on the brain
Why?Euphoria, stupor,
hallucinations, Relaxation, “social lubricant”
Impairs brain mechanismsjudgement
Stimulates reward center of brain Cultural trends General decline since early 1990’s Increase among young teens
Categories Hallucinogens Opiates Depressants Stimulants