Perception and the Mind

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Conscious- you are awake, alert, and aware

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Various LEVELS and STATES (they are not the same thing)

Perception and the Mind

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Focus of Attention figure/ground relationships

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Focal Point- single isolated stimulus you attend to

Perception and the Mind

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Two ways to get a focal point

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1.selective attention- YOU choose to pay attention to something

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2. Feature Extraction stimulus “Grabs” your attention

Perception and the Mind

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Attention Span- how long you make an object your focal point

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average for a 16-year-old- 20 minutes

Perception and the Mind

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Vigilance- small physical gestures you use to stay aware (or you end up daydreaming)

Perception and the Mind

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Preconscious- level of mind you can be made aware of

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Short Term Memory temporary storage of information just experienced (transducted and encoded)

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Perception and the Mind

STM/WORKING MEMORY: Relatively small capacity

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7 +/- 2 items can be stored

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about 20 seconds duration

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you can expand this with chunking!

Perception and the Mind

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Long term memory- Relatively permanent storage of experiences

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capacity is very VAST

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Can be stored in preconscious or unconscious levels

Preconscious

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Phenomenological Field- past experiences affect perception of current stimuli.

Perception and the Mind

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Unconscious- not aware of this info, but it’s there.

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VERY QUICK

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REPRESSED MEMORIES

Unconscious Mind

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subliminal programming

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Subconscious Memories stuff you don’t know you perceived

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Déjà vu? Dreams?

States of Awareness

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Are you the same all the time???

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Car accident, 1 st period on a Monday, really great party

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FOCAL POINT CHANGES.

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Naturally or artificially

DRUGS and consciousness

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You know SO much of this!!!

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Drugs and brain function

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psychoactive substances- any chemical that changes consciousness

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LEGAL AND ILLEGAL!!!

Altering Consciousness With Drugs  Psychoactive substances are drugs that affect consciousness, perception, mood, and behavior.

Why Do People Take Drugs in The First Place?

To Feel Good To have novel:

feelings sensations experiences

AND

to share them

To Feel Better To lessen:

anxiety worries fears depression hopelessness

Types of Use

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Use as intended/prescribed

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Substance abuse- pattern of use that has negative effects

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substance dependence- addiction: physical/ psychological dependence on the substance

Addiction Is A Developmental Disease that starts in adolescence and childhood

TOBACCO CANNABIS ALCOHOL Age

Age at tobacco , alcohol , and cannabis dependence per DSM IV

National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, 2003.

DRUGS and consciousness

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Tolerance- need more of the substance to have an effect

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withdrawal- changes in behavior when stopping or reducing heavy use of a substance

Why Do People Abuse Drugs?

Drugs of Abuse Engage Motivation and

Pleasure Pathways of the Brain

Addiction Movement Motivation

Dopamine

Reward & well-being

200 150

Natural Rewards Elevate Dopamine Levels

Food NAc shell 200 Sex 150 100 Empty 50 Box Feeding 0 0 60 Time (min) 120 180 100 Female Present Sample Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Di Chiara et al., Neuroscience, 1999.,Fiorino and Phillips, J. Neuroscience, 1997.

Effects of Drugs on Dopamine Release

1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 Amphetamine Accumbens DA DOPAC HVA 250 0 1 2 Nicotine 3 4 5 hr 200 Accumbens Caudate 150 100 400 Accumbens Cocaine 300 DA DOPAC HVA 200 100 0 0 1 2 3 4 250 Accumbens Morphine 200 150 5 hr Dose 0.5

1.0

2.5

10 mg/kg mg/kg mg/kg mg/kg 100 0 0 1 2 Time After Drug

Di Chiara and Imperato, PNAS, 1988

3 hr 0 0 1 2 3 Time After Drug 4 5 hr

LETHARGIC STATE

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GREATLY decreased awareness accompanied by decreased physical activity

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focal point smaller/slower

Lethargic State Causes

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1. Drugs- DEPRESSANTS

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Slow CNS (neural) activity

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sedatives- Nyquil

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Alcohol- increases with dose

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Rx anti-anxiety- valium/ Xanax

Altering Consciousness With Drugs  The rate of alcohol abuse and dependence is higher in men than in women .

Altering Consciousness With Drugs  Like alcohol, barbiturates and benzodiazepines are depressants that slow CNS activity  DO NOT COMBINE!

Causes of Lethargy

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2. Hormonal/chemical imbalance

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Low Sugar HYPOGLYCEMIA“crashing” coming off a “high”

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hypothyroid- overweight issues

Causes of Lethargy

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3. Emotional Reactions: sadness or boredom

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4. Clinical Depression: MAJOR warning sign… more than 2 weeks of sadness-- May need more seratonin (SSRIs)

Causes of Lethargy

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5. illness/ injury

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6. EXHAUSTION!!!

Hyper-Alert State of Awareness

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A state of greatly increased awareness accompanied by major physiological changes

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Increased CNS activity

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Focal point? Increased/ external

Hyper-Alert State

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Causes: 1. Chemical/Hormonal imbalances (natural)

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hyperthyroid- gland in your neck that controls metabolism

Hyper-Alert State

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Hyperglycemia- too much sugar in your system

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causes you to “speed up”?

Hyper-Alert State

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Adrenaline- (epinepherine) produced by your adrenal glands

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FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE

2. CNS Stimulants

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Increase activity of the central nervous system

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(Meth)Amphetamines (speed), cocaine, Ritalin, Adderall caffeine, nicotine

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Saved by the Bell

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Diet pills

3. Emotional Reactions

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EUSTRESS- Positive

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epinephrine

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Laughter/ endorphins

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DISTRESS- Negative

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norepinephrine & epinephrine

Euphoria

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Intense OVERWHELMING feelings of a positive nature

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focal point is increased internal

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concentrating on how good you feel and lose touch with reality

Euphoria Causes

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1. Religious/Occult Experiences

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praying to the point where you are overcome with emotion 2. EXTREME POSITIVE emotional experiences (Much more intense than eustress)

Euphoria Causes

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3. Drugs:

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Ecstasy (hallucinogenic stimulant)

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Opiates (opioids) /Narcotics

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Hallucinogens

The Opiates/ Narcotics

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Loss of sensitivity to pain

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Endorphins – block substance P

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Vycodin, Oxycontin, opium, morphine, codeine,

heroin

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AGITATED Dysphoria!!! (withdrawal from heroin)

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Pain! Sweating, nausea, vomiting!!!

The Hallucinogens

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Cause changes in perceptions

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(distorted perceptions/ hallucinations)

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LSD, PCP, Marijuana (THC)

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Affect a variety of neurotransmitters/ receptors (seratonin, dopamine)

Euphoria (causes, cont’d) 

4. Sexual Arousal- the orgasm stage (internal focal point, intense, positive overwhelming pleasure)

The Focal Point

Increased internal focal point; reduced physical activity and environmental stimuli.

Inducing the Meditative State

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Close eyes, relax

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deep, regulated, cleansing breaths

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“In through the nose, out through the mouth”

The Focal Point

Rhythmic chant-- MANTRA- a tone, music, heartbeat, breath, “OHM”

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vibrations aid concentration

Meditation

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it can improve your life

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Reduce norepinephrine/ stress related illness

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Increase awareness/ contentment/ relaxation

HYPNOSIS

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Different from meditation

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1. FOCAL POINT is EXTERNAL

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2. You are susceptible to subconscious suggestion

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Hypnosis:how do I do it?

You can’t!- you NEED someone else!

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Induction starts like meditation

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NO MANTRA (internal)

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Subconscious SUGGESTION(external)

Hypnosis: what is it?

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Expose your unconscious mind

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lower your defense mechanisms

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Dissociaters and fantasizers

Uses for Hypnosis

1. Behavior modification change detrimental behaviors (phobias, diet, smoking, etc.)

Power of suggestion

Uses for Hypnosis

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2. Age Regression

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Recover repressed memories, earlier lives--Distorted?

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3. Age Progression– positive mental imagery (rehearsal/improve performance)

Uses of Hypnosis

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3. Anesthesia!!

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(dissociate from pain)

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Anyone willing to try??