1. AP PSYCHOLOGY
Consciousness
1

2. Section 1: Rhythms and Consciousness
Learning Goals
• Students should be able to answer the following:
1. How do biological rhythms influence our daily
functioning?
2

3. MODERN LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
• Consciousness
• Selective Attention to information (Our Awareness)
• Process one thing at a time (Serial Processing)
• Preconscious
• Information you are NOT currently thinking about, but still
can recall (memories)
• Unconscious
• Nonconscious activities such as Heart rate, Breathing,
Blinking
• Information is hidden and repressed from memory. Only
evident in our behaviors
• Process many things at once (Parallel Processing)
3

4. FREUD’S THEORY OF CONSCIOUSNESS
#1
Hold up the
number of
fingers (1, 2,
or 3) which
best
represents
the
preconscious
mind.
#2
#3
4

5. BODILY RHYTHMS
Circadian Rhythm & Biological Rhythms
• Sleep, Alertness, Body Temperature
• 24 Hour sleep/wake cycle & 90 minute sleep cycle
• Jet lag can mess with rhythms
• Is it better to fly east or west?
• Bright light can reset our natural “clock”
• Suprachiasmatic Nucleus, Pineal Gland and the hormone
Melatonin
Did you know?
If all light cues and
clocks are hidden,
we will adapt to a
25-hour day
5

6. Fun Fact: What is Sleep Onset?
• SLEEP ONSET
• The point of falling asleep and the brain shutting down
• HYPNIC JERK- The feeling of falling as your body goes to
sleep- Brain and body not in congruence
6

7. Section 1: Rhythms and Consciousness
Reflect on Learning Goals
• Students should be able to answer the following:
1. How do biological rhythms influence our daily
functioning?
Good
Understanding
Fair
Understanding
Little
Understanding
7

8. Section 1: Test Your Knowledge
1. If a person spends time absent from sunlight cues
and clocks, they will likely adopt a ____ hour
schedule.
(A) 23
(B) 24.5
(C) 25
(D) 27
2. Which level of consciousness controls parallel
processing (processing several senses at once?
(A) Overt Consciousness
(B) Preconsciousness
(C) Nonconsciousness
(D) Basic Consciousness
8

9. Section 2: The Sleep Cycle
Learning Goals
• Students should be able to answer the following:
1. What is the biological rhythm of our sleep?
2. What is sleep’s function?
9

10. SLEEP STAGES BY BRAIN WAVES
• Awake- Beta Waves
• Awake, but relaxed- Alpha waves
• NREM Stage 1
• Hallucinations may take place
• Sleep Talking (may occur in stages 1-4)
• NREM Stage 2
• Sleep Spindles & K-Complexes
• NREM Stage 3 & 4
• Slow Wave Sleep (SWS)
• Delta waves help replenish body
chemicals
• Body repairs itself
• Sleepwalking and night terrors
occur
• Rapid Eye Movement (REM)
• Most vivid dreams occur
• Mind Repairs itself
10

11. SLEEP STAGES
11

12. Sleep Over the Years
12

13. WHY WE NEED REM SLEEP
• Paradoxical Sleep: Your body is paralyzed, but
your mind, hormones, heart and breathing are very
active
• REM sleep increases the longer you sleep
• Babies spend about 50% of sleep time in REM
• You do not regulate your temperature during REM sleep
• REM Sleep is what helps us process daily events
into memory & recharge our brains so we can think
clearly.
• REM Rebound
• When you do not get enough REM sleep, the
body dips into REM quicker upon sleeping
13

14. Section 2: The Sleep Cycle
Reflect on Learning Goals
• Students should be able to answer the following:
1. What is the biological rhythm of our sleep?
2. What is sleep’s function?
Good
Understanding
Fair
Understanding
Little
Understanding
14

15. Sleep Cycle Review
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. What type of brain waves do you have when you are awake,
but relaxed?
2. What happens to the brain waves during stage 2 sleep?
3. What is another name for stage 3 and 4 sleep?
4. Why is stage 3 and 4 sleep important?
5. What is another name for REM sleep?
6. What happens in REM sleep?
7. How long is the sleep cycle?
8. Why do babies need so much sleep?
9. In a normal sleep cycle when does most of the deep sleep
occur?
10.What psychological phenomenon occurs if a person has been
deprived of REM sleep, but then gets a good night’s sleep?
15

16. Section 3: Sleep Disorders and Dreams
Learning Goals
• Students should be able to answer the following:
1. How does sleep loss affect us?
2. What do we dream and what is the function of
dreaming?
16

17. COMMON SLEEP DISORDERS
• Insomnia• Having problems falling or staying asleep
• 10-15% of adults
• Becomes worse with sleeping pills and alcohol
• Causes: Stress, Depression, Anxiety, Health
Problems
• Somnambulism• Sleepwalking
• During the first two hours of sleep in stages 3 & 4
• Usually gone by age 40
• May be caused by an immature nervous system
• Sleep Apnea• Failure to breathe when asleep
• 1 in 20 people
• Mostly overweight men (snoring)- Can occur 400
17

18. COMMON SLEEP DISORDERS- CONTINUED
• Nightmares• Frightening dreams that wake a sleeper from REM
• Night terrors• Sudden arousal from sleep with intense fear accompanied
by physiological reactions
• Occurs during stage 4
• Mostly found in children
• Narcolepsy• Urge to fall asleep; may occur while talking or standing up
• 1 in 2000 people
• Possible reason: flu virus during third trimester
18

19. WHAT DO WE DREAM ABOUT?
• Negative Emotional Content
• 8 out of 10 dreams have negative
emotional content.
• Failure Dreams
• People commonly dream about
failure, being
attacked, pursued, rejected, or struck
with misfortune.
• Sexual Dreams:
• Contrary to our thinking, sexual dreams
are sparse. Sexual dreams in men are 1
in 10; and in women 1 in 30.
• Dreams of Gender:
• Women dream of men and women
equally; men dream more about men
than women.
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20. WHY DO WE DREAM?
• Wish Fulfillment- Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams
• Sigmund Freud suggested that dreams provide a psychic safety
valve to discharge unacceptable feelings. The dream’s manifest
(apparent) content may also have symbolic meanings (latent
content) that signify our unacceptable feelings.
• Information Processing:
• Dreams may help sift, sort, and fix a day’s experiences in our
memories.
• Activation-Synthesis Theory:
• Suggests that the brain engages in a lot of random neural
activity. Dreams make sense of this activity. Explains
sudden visual images during REM
20

21. Section 3: Sleep Disorders and Dreams
Reflect on Learning Goals
• Students should be able to answer the following:
1. How does sleep loss affect us?
2. What do we dream and what is the function of
dreaming?
Good
Understanding
Fair
Understanding
Little
Understanding
21

22. Mini FRQ: Consciousness
Gary is really tired from a long day of school and football
practice, but he wants to play well in tomorrow’s
championship game. Explain how the following will
influence his performance in tomorrow’s championship
game.
• Pineal Gland
• Slow Wave Sleep
• Sleep Apnea
22

23. ALL POINTS must include a discussion of his performance in the championship game.
POINT 1: Pineal Gland
• Releases melatonin when tired or during nighttime to help a person sleep. (They do not need
mention light sources or sunlight) AND how this logically impacts his performance in the game.
• Example: “Gary will be tired from a long day of school and practice so his pineal gland will induce
the release of melatonin, a hormone that will help him fall asleep. This will allow him to play
better in the game if he gets a good nights rest.”
POINT 2: Slow Wave Sleep
• Slow wave sleep (AKA deep sleep, stage ¾ sleep) will help his body (muscles, organs, etc…) and
restore the body after a physical football practice.
• Part of deep sleep that show delta waves which indicate replenishing the body’s chemicals
• Example: “Gary will spend more time in slow wave sleep because he had football practice, which
may have damaged or weakened his muscles. Deep sleep will help his body heal itself as he
sleeps so he can perform well in tomorrow’s game.”
• DO NOT SCORE: substitution of Alpha waves, Beta waves, REM sleep.
POINT 3: Sleep Apnea
• He will stop breathing during the night resulting in tiredness the next day which will have a
negative impact on his ability to play well or concentrate in the game tomorrow.
• Example: “If Gary has sleep apnea, he will stop breathing during the night, which will result in him
feeling tired the next day. If he is tired or cannot concentrate he will perform poorly in the
championship game.”
23

24. Section 4: Hypnosis
Learning Goals
• Students should be able to answer the following:
1. What is hypnosis, and what powers does a hypnotist
have over hypnotized subjects?
2. Is hypnosis an extension of normal consciousness or
an altered state?
24

25. HYPNOSIS
• Hypnosis
• A social interaction in which one
person (the hypnotist) suggests to
another (the subject) that certain
perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or
behaviors will spontaneously occur
• Posthypnotic Suggestion:
Anton
Mesmer’s
Animal
Magnetis
m
• Suggestion carried out after the subject
is no longer hypnotized
• Works well for weight loss
• Posthypnotic Amnesia:
• Supposed inability to recall what one
experienced during hypnosis
• Age Regression:
• Recall memories from an earlier time
• Spelling studies show doesn’t work
25

26. HYPNOSIS SUMMARY
Ernst Hilgard’s
Hidden
Observer
26

27. FACTS AND FICTION OF HYPNOSIS
27

28. Section 4: Hypnosis
Reflect on Learning Goals
• Students should be able to answer the following:
1. What is hypnosis, and what powers does a hypnotist
have over hypnotized subjects?
2. Is hypnosis an extension of normal consciousness or
an altered state?
Good
Understanding
Fair
Understanding
Little
Understanding
28

29. Section 4: Test Your Knowledge
Hypnosis is best described as a state that
A. give the hypnotist complete control over the thoughts and emotions of the
individual
B. Induces heightened suggestibility in the hypnotized individual
C. Is similar to an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
D. Is similar to the condition produced by excessive alcohol consumption
E. Is similar to the REM stage of sleep
Under hypnosis, Jerry is able to withstand pain without showing any outward signs of
discomfort. However, when asked to signal if some part of his consciousness is aware
of the pain, he raises his hand. Which of the following is a theory that best explains
Jerry’s behavior?
A. Dissociation
B. State
C. Role
D. Social influence
E. Age regression
29

30. Section 5: Drugs and Consciousness
Learning Goals
• Students should be able to answer the following:
1.
2.
What are tolerance, dependence and addiction, and what are
some common misconceptions about addiction?
What are the differences between depressants, stimulants and
hallucinogens?
30

31. Take A Guess
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
____ % of college students report drinking alcohol in the last
year.
____ % of college student binge drink (more than 4-5 beers in
less than one hour).
____ % of students living in Greek housing are binge drinkers.
____ % of non-binge drinkers of college age report having to take
care of a drunken student.
______ # of students die annually from alcohol related incidents.
______ # of rape victims where alcohol was involved annually
______ # of college students who report being too intoxicated to
know if they had consented to sex.
_____ % of college students who report academic problems due
to drinking
31

32. DRUGS: DEPRESSANTS
• Alcohol effects
•
•
•
•
•
•
motor skills
judgment
memory
increases aggressiveness
reduced self awareness
Represses REM.
• Barbiturates Drugs that depress the
activity of the central nervous system,
reducing anxiety but impairing memory and
judgment. Date Rape Drugs
• Opiates (Narcotics) Opium and its
derivatives (morphine and heroin) depress
neural activity, temporarily lessening pain
and anxiety. They are highly addictive.
Mimic Endorphins
32

33. DRUGS: STIMULANTS
• Caffeine and nicotine increase heart and
breathing rates and other autonomic functions to
provide energy. Speeds up metabolism
• Amphetamines stimulate neural activity,
causing accelerated body functions and
associated energy and mood changes, with
devastating effects.
• Ecstasy or Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(MDMA) is a stimulant and mild hallucinogen.
• It produces a euphoric high and can damage
serotonin-producing neurons, which results in a
permanent deflation of mood and impairment of
memory.
• Big Problem with dehydration
• Cocaine induces immediate euphoria followed
by a crash & depression. Crack, a form of
cocaine, can be smoked. Other forms of cocaine
can be sniffed or injected.
33

34. CASE STUDY: COCAINE & NEURONS
• By binding to the sites that
normally reabsorb
neurotransmitter molecules,
cocaine blocks reuptake of
dopamine, norepinephrine, and
serotonin.
• The extra neurotransmitter
molecules therefore remain in
the synapse, intensifying their
normal mood altering effects
and producing a euphoric rush.
34

35. LSD Experience
• 1943 Alan Hofmann found LSD by accident:
Last Friday, April 16, 1943, I was forced to stop my work in the
laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and to go home, as I
was seized by a particular restlessness associated with a
sensation of mild dizziness. On arriving home, I lay down and
sank into a kind of drunkenness which was not unpleasant and
which was characterized by extreme activity of imagination. As I
lay in a dazed condition with my eyes closed there surged upon
me an uninterrupted stream of fantastic images of extraordinary
plasticity and vividness and accompanied by an intense
kaleidoscope-like play of colors. The condition graduate passed
off after two hours.
35

36. DRUGS: HALLUCINOGENS
• Hallucinations
• Sensory experiences without sensory
stimulus
• LSD
• (lysergic acid diethylamide) powerful
psychodelic drug (ergot fungus) that is
also known as acid.
• Likely to produce flashbacks
• MARIJUANA (Cannabis)
• THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol)is
the major active ingredient in marijuana
(hemp plant) that triggers a variety of
effects, including mild hallucinations
• Affects of marijuana are usually
reversible after one month
• "Chronic Use" does lead to memory
loss & cognitive impairment
• "Regular Users" can experience a
high with less of the product
36

37. Section 5: Drugs and Consciousness
Reflect on Learning Goals
• Students should be able to answer the following:
1.
2.
What are tolerance, dependence and addiction, and what are
some common misconceptions about addiction?
What are the differences between depressants, stimulants and
hallucinogens?
Good
Understanding
Fair
Understanding
Little
Understanding
37

38. Section 5: Which is True or False?
1. Alcohol is classified as a depressant, even in small
amounts.
2. The discomfort when off of a drug is called tolerance.
3. LSD is considered a powerful hallucinogen.
4. Smoking marijuana can distort time, hence it is classified
as a stimulant
5. The main ingredient in ecstasy is THC
6. Heroin is classified as a depressant.
7. Cocaine has short-lasting effects because it prevents
reuptake of certain neurotransmitters.
8. Because nicotine produces a relaxing effect it is
classified as a depressant
38