4: KKDP 2 Measuring Consciousness

Question 1

Subjective Measures:

Answer 1

Measurements collected through personal observations of behaviour

Question 2

Subjective Measures example:

Answer 2

Sleep diaries, video monitoring

Question 3

Subjective Measures Positives:

Answer 3

• Provides detailed data

- Can provide insight into unobservable mental processes e.g. dreams

Question 4

Subjective Measures Negatives:

Answer 4

• It is based on personal judgements, thus difficult to measure and compare
• Often influenced by bias (experimenter and/or participant)

Question 5

Objective Measures:

Answer 5

Are measurements of behaviour collected under controlled conditions.

Question 6

Objective Measures examples:

Answer 6

EEG, EOG

Question 7

Objective Measures Advantages:

Answer 7

• Easy to measure and compare
• Minimises biases
• Accurate and reliable, allowing for replication more easily

Question 8

Objective Measures Disadvantages:

Answer 8

• Can lack detail

- Can lack external validity (due to artificiality)

Question 9

EEG:

Answer 9

Detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the brain (in the form of brain waves)

Question 10

EOG:

Answer 10

Detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the muscles surrounding the eyes

Question 11

EMG:

Answer 11

Detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the muscles

Question 12

Frequency:

Answer 12

Brain waves per second

Question 13

Amplitude:

Answer 13

Size of the brain waves

Question 14

Beta Brainwaves:

Answer 14

• High frequency
• Low amplitude
• Occur in NWC, when alert

Question 15

Alpha Brainwaves:

Answer 15

• High frequency (but slower than beta waves)
• Low amplitude (but slightly larger than beta waves)
• Occur in NWC, when calm and internally focused

Question 16

Theta Brainwaves:

Answer 16

• Medium frequency
• A mixture of low and high amplitude waves
• Occurs when drowsy, falling asleep and waking up from sleep

Question 17

Delta Brainwaves:

Answer 17

• Low frequency
• High amplitude
• Occurs in AWC, the deepest stages of sleep and unconsiousness

Question 18

EEG Limitation 1:

Answer 18

Doesn’t provide information about which particular structures of the brain are activated and what their function might be

Question 19

EEG Limitation 2:

Answer 19

The EEG merely provides summary of all the activity of neurons firing throughout the brain, not why they are firing.

Question 20

Objective Technique - Speed:

Answer 20

Reaction time to a stimulus

Question 21

Objective Technique - Accuracy:

Answer 21

The number of correct and incorrect responses made by an individual.

Question 22

Accuracy 2:

Answer 22

Researcher calculates proportions of correct and incorrect responses in realtion to the total number of possible responses