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Module 1.5a

Module 1.5a Sleep: Consciousness

LEARNING TARGETS
1.5-1 Explain the place of consciousness in psychology’s history.
1.5-2 Explain the dual processing being revealed by today’s cognitive neuroscience.

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onsciousness is a funny thing. It offers us weird experiences, as when entering sleep
or leaving a dream. And sometimes, it leaves us wondering who is really in control.
CAfter zoning me [DM] out with nitrous oxide, my dentist tells me to
turn my head to the left. My conscious mind resists: “No way,” I silently say.
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“You can’t boss me around!” Whereupon my robotic head, ignoring my con-
scious mind, turns obligingly under the dentist’s control.
What do such experiences tell us? And how do our states of consciousness
play out in our sleep and dreams?

Defining Consciousness

1.5-1 What is the place of consciousness in psychology’s history?
1.5-1 What is the place of consciousness in psychology’s history? Roz Chast/The New Yorker Collection/The Cartoon Bank
Every science has concepts so fundamental that they are nearly impossible to
define. Biologists agree on what is alive but not on precisely what life is. In
physics, matter and energy elude simple definition. To psychologists, conscious-
ness is similarly a fundamental yet slippery concept.
At its beginning, psychology was “the description and explanation of states of conscious-
ness” ( Ladd, 1887 ). But during the first half of the twentieth century, the difficulty of scien-
tifically studying consciousness led many psychologists — including those in the emerging ®
school of behaviorism — to turn to direct observations of behavior. By 1960, psychology had AP Exam Tip

nearly lost consciousness, defining itself as “the science of behavior.” Like a car’s speedom-
,
eter, consciousness “just reflects what’s happening” ( Seligman, 1991 p. 24 ). Our modern-day understanding
of the unconscious differs from
But in the 1960s, psychology began regaining consciousness. Neuroscience advances Sigmund Freud’s theory of the
linked brain activity to sleeping, dreaming, and other mental states. Researchers began unconscious ( Module 4.5 ). Freud
studying consciousness altered by drugs, hypnosis, and meditation. Psychologists of all believed the unconscious was a
hiding place for our most anxiety-
persuasions were affirming the importance of cognition, or mental processes. Most psy- provoking ideas and emotions,
chologists today define consciousness as our subjective awareness of ourselves and our and that uncovering those hidden

environment ( Feinberg & Mallatt, 2016 ). thoughts could lead to healing.
Now, most psychologists simply
• Conscious awareness helps us make sense of our life, including our sensations, emotions, view the unconscious track as
and choices ( Weisman et al., 2017 ). It allows us to set and achieve goals as we reflect on information processing without
our past, adapt to our present, and plan for our future. Most conscious thoughts focus on awareness. Make sure you keep
these two ideas of the unconscious
the present and the future ( Baumeister et al., 2020 ). straight. Both interpretations could
®
• When learning a behavior, conscious awareness focuses our attention ( Logan, 2018 be seen on the AP exam.
;
Servant et al., 2018 ). Over time, our mind tends to run on autopilot ( Logan, 2018 ; Rand
et al., 2017 ). When learning to ride a bike, we focus on obstacles that we have to steer
around and on how to use the brakes. With practice, riding a bike becomes semi-automatic. consciousness our subjective
awareness of ourselves and our
• Over time, we flit between different states of consciousness, including normal waking environment.

awareness and various altered states ( Figure 1.5-1 ) .

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