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Chapter videos narrated by author of the textbook Dr Zimbardo
The Mind Awake and Asleep
The Mind Hidden and Divided

"Time to hit the sack." "Concentrate on this watch. Your eyes are getting sleepy." "Hey, let's get something to drink." A common thread connects these statements. All are related to the concept of consciousness our awareness of internal and external stimuli. In the middle of an exam, a student's concentration is interrupted by a mental image of a new sports car a change in consciousness we call daydreaming.

Throughout our lives, and even during a day, our level of consciousness changes even more dramatically. Sleep reduces our level of awareness, yet it is also opens the door to the change in consciousness called dreaming. Some people who are hypnotized make reference to changes in consciousness when describing the experience. Many people seek to alter their consciousness by using any of a variety of drugs. Wristwatches, clocks on walls, and time clocks at work remind us we are governed by time. Because an internal clock runs many of our physiological processes, we become sleepy at about the same time every night. Try to fool the biological clock by changing work shifts and workers find it is not nice to fool mother nature.

The information we have about sleep and dreams comes from investigations of research participants who spent nights in a sleep laboratory. A number of the physiological processes measured throughout the night revealed that sleep generally follows a progression through five stages, each with different physiological signatures. Sometimes our sleep is neither regular nor restful; a range of sleep problems can create difficulties. One benefit of this research is it has suggested treatments for these sleep disorders. Say the word hypnosis and many people think of sleep or a hypnotist staring intently at a willing participant. Perhaps a watch is swinging back and forth, back and forth. Contrary to common belief, hypnosis is not sleep. Today, psychologists still debate the nature of hypnosis. Some doubt the existence of a hypnotic state; they argue that the feats attributed to hypnotism are the result of role playing. 

Terms such as the war on drugs may lead many people to think about uniformed officers stopping the flow of illegal drugs at the border, at airports, or on the high seas. Yet alcohol is a commonly and frequently used legal drug; like other drugs it is often used to alter consciousness. Drugs induce physiological changes, especially on neurotransmitters, that have wide ranging effects on behavior.  Frequent use of certain drugs can cause the body to crave more of the substance; then, if an individual wants to stop using the substance, withdrawal symptoms may occur. However, culture and expectations about drugs also influence patterns of use. Consciousness is by definition deeply personal. Thus, its very nature offers challenges to psychologists who seek to study the variety of changes in consciousness induced by sleep, hypnosis, and drugs.