Subjective awareness of internal
& external events.
Levels: Conscious, preconscious,
unconscious (?).
Functions: Monitoring &
controlling thoughts and behavior.
Setting Priorities:
Attention
Large amount of information
enters our sensory systems; it is lost if it is not attended
to.
Attention determines what
gets processed further and what does not.
Attending is an act of allocating
limited resources.
Ability to attend to multiple
tasks depends on resource demands.
Examples
Walking & thinking.
Driving & talking.
Copying notes & listening.
Performing two addition problems
simultaneously.
Automatic vs. Controlled
Processes
Automatic: Fast, do not need
to be monitored, require few mental resources.
Controlled: Slow, must be
monitored, require mental resources.
Controlled processes can
become automatic through extensive practice.
Learning is very specific.
Examples
Reading
Strategic -> Automatic
Stroop Interference
Consciousness &
behavior
How much of our behavior
is controlled by conscious vs. unconscious mental processes?
"Elderly" words
Race & "intelligence"
tests
"Chameleon effect"
Consciousness &
behavior
These findings indicate that
the unconscious plays a much more powerful role in influencing
behavior than most of us are comfortable admitting.
Hypnosis
Defined by the Division of
Psychological Hypnosis of the APA as "a procedure in which
the practitioner suggests changes in the sensations, perceptions,
thoughts, feelings, or behavior of the subject."
Properties of Hypnosis
Not sleep; EEG patterns are
similar to those of deep relaxation.
Not just faking.
Hypnotized vs. Pretenders
Responsiveness
to hypnosis is very stable in adulthood.
Hypnotic responsiveness depends
more on the subject than on the hypnotist.
Relatively easy for susceptible;
difficult for unsusceptible (even if very willing)
Properties of Hypnosis
Hypnotizability is unrelated
to personality traits such as gullibility, imagination, compliance,
etc.
May be related to the ability
to become absorbed in reading, listening to music, daydreaming.
But different areas of the
brain seem to be involved in hypnosis and imagination.
Anterior cingulate active
during hypnosis but not imagination.
Properties of Hypnosis
Hypnotic suggestions are
not just placebos; they can be used for medical and psychological
purposes.
Pain management
Hypnosis reduces activity
of anterior cingulate but not somatosensory cortex; "top-down"
effect.
Psychotherapy
+obesity, insomnia, anxiety,
hypertension
-drug addiction and alcoholism
Properties of Hypnosis
Hypnosis does not increase
the accuracy of memory. Increases "hits" and "false
alarms."
Hypnosis does not produce
a re-experiencing of long-ago events.
Age regression
Past lives
Summary
Function of consciousness
is to monitor & control behavior.
Attention; automatic vs.
controlled processes.
Hypnosis is an altered state
of consciousness. Many claims about its usefulness are bunk,
but it can be used for pain management & boosting the effectiveness
of psychotherapy for some disorders.