Consciousness

Ch 3

Consciousness, modern psychologists believe, is an awareness of ourselves and our environment.

Forms of ConsciousnessB

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Selective Attention

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/

Take this attention test

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo

Inattentional Blindness

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Another attention test

http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2009/12/14/how-change-blindness-works-simple-tests-show-that-humans-tend-to-be-clueless-about-very-large-changes/

Change Blindness

Change blindness is a form of inattentional blindness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBPG_OBgTWg

© 1998 Psychonomic Society Inc. Image provided courtesy of Daniel J. Simmons.

Cocktail-party phenomenon

Sleep & Dreams

Biological Rhythms and Sleep

Circadian Rhythms occur on a 24-hour cycle and include sleep and wakefulness.

What other cues can affect our circadian rhythm?

Measuring Sleep

Hank Morgan/ Rainbow

Sleep Stages

REM Sleep

A person during this sleep exhibitsRapid Eye Movements (REM)

and reports vivid dreams.

Sleep cycles

How much sleep do we need?

Sleep Deprivation

1. Fatigue.2. Impaired concentration.3. Emotional irritability.4. Depressed immune system.5. Greater vulnerability to

disease.6. Impaired creativity.7. Impaired physical strength

and endurance.

Why do we need sleep?

1. Sleep Protects2. Sleep Helps us Recover3. Sleep Helps us Remember4. Sleep may play a role in the growth

process

1. InsomniaHow can we sleep better?

2. Narcolepsy

3. Sleep apnea

Sleep Disorders

Children are most prone to: Night terrors Sleepwalking Sleeptalking

Sleep Disorders

The Function and Meaning of Dreams

• Unconscious Wish Fulfillment Theory• Dreams-for-Survival Theory• Activation-Synthesis Theory• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/

stickgold-dreams.html

Review questions

Carrie is in a pretty deep stage of sleep? Which one of these stages is

she in?A. stage 1

B. stage 2

C. stage 3

D. REM

Alex complains of chronic insomnia. He has had a medical check-up and is healthy, yet he has difficulty falling

asleep. What is the best advice you can

give in this situation? A. Have a glass of wine right before bedtime.

B. Go to the doctor and get a prescription for sleeping pills.

C. Go to bed at the same time every evening and wake up at the same time in the morning.

D. Do some strenuous exercise right before going to bed.

Your young child wakes up a few nights per month seemingly in a panic. She sits up in bed screaming and crying. You rush in to

calm her and to see what is happening. The child usually returns to sleep and doesn’t

remember this happening at all. What is the best explanation for this behavior?

A. She may be exhibiting symptoms of early onset epilepsy.

B. She has excessive anxiety during the day.

C. She has too much sugar in her diet.

D. She is probably experiencing night terrors, a fairly common event in early childhood.