PSYC1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Near-Death Experience, Dream Interpretation, Episodic Memory
12 Jun 2018
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DIFFERENT STATES TO THE NORMAL STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Sleep cycle
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Strange state, normal laws don't apply, you can fly etc.
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But reality test doesn't work either, often you aren't surprised that you can fly
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Similar beliefs when awake are problematic
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Episodic memory fails
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Don't get confused about what happens in real life and in dreams
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Some people say that when you are dreaming, you are conscious
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Whereas if you are not dreaming = not conscious
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Dream interpretation - great history of interpreting dreams
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Many cultures do this in some form or another
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Play Tetris a lot --> go to sleep wearing the EEG cap
When people go into REM sleep they wake them up
"what are you dreaming about?
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"bricks, there falling…arhh…"
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Description of something similar to Tetris
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Results
Experiment
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Even works with amnesiacs (can't form memories)
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Do we dream about things we did during the day?
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Dreams
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Mental imagery
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Our ability to imagine the world around us in the absence of stimulation from the world
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Seeing with the mind's eye
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Consciousness on demand
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Most of it is our everyday experience
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Sensory consciousness on demand
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Is mental imagery a state of consciousness?
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Imagination
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Changes our cognitive and behavioral state
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Cognitive performance --> reduces anxiety
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Changes brain anatomy
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Changing the normal flow of conscious thoughts
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EEG patterns that look like someone is asleep when they are actually alert and awake
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Deepened understanding of reality
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Maybe unless you are in that state all the time
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Is it really a non-ordinary state of consciousness?
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Meditation
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Real
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Works well for 10% of population --> strong experience
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Volition changes, more likely to follow suggestions
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Hypnotizable varies across a spectrum
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Used in therapy, entertainment and even as an anesthetic
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Hypnosis
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What happens during REM sleep?
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Different State to the Normal States of Consciousness
Substances that induce States of Consciousness
Non-ordinary States and Creativity
Near Death Experiences (NDEs)
7A - Consciousness
Monday, April 16, 2018
10:10 AM
PSYCH 1001 Page 1
Document Summary
Different state to the normal states of consciousness. Different states to the normal states of consciousness. Strange state, normal laws don"t apply, you can fly etc. But reality test doesn"t work either, often you aren"t surprised that you can fly. Don"t get confused about what happens in real life and in dreams. Some people say that when you are dreaming, you are conscious. Whereas if you are not dreaming = not conscious. Dream interpretation - great history of interpreting dreams. Many cultures do this in some form or another. Play tetris a lot --> go to sleep wearing the eeg cap. When people go into rem sleep they wake them up. Our ability to imagine the world around us in the absence of stimulation from the world. Eeg patterns that look like someone is asleep when they are actually alert and awake. Maybe unless you are in that state all the time.
