4.1.1

Question 1

Consciousness

Answer 1

the level of awareness an individual has of their thoughts, feelings, perceptions and existence

Question 2

Psychological construct

Answer 2

an agreed upon description and understanding of psychological phenomena that cannot be overtly measured or observed

Question 3

Two different types of consciousness

Answer 3

Normal waking consciousness (NWC)
o Awake and aware
o Ability to be aware of internal and external stimuli
o E.g focused attention, relaxed state
Altered states of consciousness (ASC)
o Lowered levels of quality of experience and levels of awareness
o Often temporary changes in consciousness
o E.g daydreaming, drowsy

Question 4

Induced altered states of consciousness

Answer 4

a type of altered state of consciousness that occurs due to a purposeful action or aid

Question 5

Naturally occurring altered states of consciousness

Answer 5

a type of altered state of consciousness that occurs without intervention

Question 6

Consciousness continuum

Answer 6

a visual representation of the different states of consciousness that progress from lower levels of awareness to higher levels of awareness

Question 7

Sleep

Answer 7

a regular and naturally occurring altered state of consciousness that involves a loss of awareness and disengagement with internal and external stimuli

Question 8

Sleep characteristics

Answer 8

• A reduced ability to control behaviour
• A reduction in the control we have over thoughts, for example, we lack control over what we dream about
• Less accurate understanding of the passage of time
• Perceptual and cognitive distortions

Question 9

REM

Answer 9

characterised by rapid eye movement, high levels of brain activity, and low levels of physical activity

Question 10

NREM

Answer 10

a type of sleep characterised by a lack of rapid eye movement and is subdivided into three different stages

Question 11

Stage 1 NREM

Answer 11

• light form of sleep
• This transition is signified by the experience of hypnagogic state, in which some people experience feelings of floating or falling or a sudden jerk (referred to as a hypnic jerk)
• Individual is easily woken as they are more responsive to external stimuli, if woken during this stage, it often feels as though we were never asleep
• Experience lower levels of bodily arousal (heart rate, respiration, temperature)
• Duration: 4-5% of sleep in this stage, between 5-10 minutes per sleep episode (can be as little as 1 minute for some people)

Question 12

Stage 2 NREM

Answer 12

• Sleep is still considered a lighter form of sleep, however it is also described as the stage which indicates the true onset of sleep
• If woken, the individual is likely to report that they were asleep
• Body movements lessen and heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature decrease
• Duration: 45-55% of a sleep episode, between 10-25 minutes during the first cycle, progressively lengthens in time with each cycle

Question 13

Stage 3 NREM

Answer 13

• Individuals in this stage have less awareness of their external environment and are much harder to wake, being woken in this stage can cause sleep inertia (temporary disorientation and confusion after waking from sleep)
  o If woken individual is likely to feel drowsy and disoriented
• Muscles are completely relaxed and heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature continue to drop
• May involve basic imagery dreams and sleep walking and sleep talking are most likely to occur in this stage
• Duration: 15-25% of a sleep episode, 20-40 minutes in the first sleep cycle, and decreases with each sleep cycle

Question 14

Sleep episode

Answer 14

full duration of time spent asleep, a sleep episode is made up of multiple repeated cycles of REM and NREM sleep, called sleep cycles

Question 15

Hypnogram

Answer 15

graphs used to display the data from a person’s sleep wake cycle

Question 16

Electrooculography (EOG)

Answer 16

Detects, amplifies and records electrical activity (DARE) in the muscles around the eyes

Question 17

Electromyography (EMG)

Answer 17

Detects, amplifies and records electrical activity in the muscles

Question 18

Electro-Encephalography (EEG)

Answer 18

Machine used to detect, amplify and record electrical activity of the brain, measured in the form of a brainwaves

Question 19

Frequency

Answer 19

the number of brainwaves per second
o High frequency = greater brain activity
o Low frequency = less brain activity

Question 20

Amplitude

Answer 20

the size of the peaks and troughs (intensity of brainwaves) from a baseline of zero activity
o High amplitude = large peaks and troughs
o Low amplitude = small peaks and troughs

Question 21

NREM AND REM amplitude and frequency

Answer 21

NREM Sleep
* Stage 1 – high frequency, low amplitude, but lower frequency and higher amplitude than normal-waking consciousness
* Stage 2 – medium frequency and medium amplitude in NREM sleep stage 2 (light sleep)
* Stage 3 – lower frequency and higher amplitude in NREM sleep stage 3 (deep sleep)
REM Sleep
* Higher frequency and lower amplitude

Question 22

Sleep diary

Answer 22

a type of self-reported data recording an individual’s sleep and waking time activities usually over a period of several weeks

Question 23

Sleep activities

Answer 23

time you went to bed, how long it took to fall asleep, how many times you woke up during the night and how long you were awake

Question 24

Awake activities

Answer 24

include comments on the amount of caffeine consumed, medication and alcohol use, exercise routine, occurrence of significant events

Question 25

Diary +

Answer 25

+ Can be used to determine whether the sleep pattern observed is uncharacteristic for the individual
+ Determines how the individuals daily functioning is affected
+ Suggests what psychological and behavioural factors have contributed to the onset of the sleep disorder (qualitative info)

Question 26

Diary -

Answer 26

• Is a subjective measure, opens the door for bias and can make it difficult to compare with others
• Participants may forget to complete the report each day
• As sleep diaries are also interpreted by a doctor or professional, this leaves more room for error and inaccuracy

Question 27

Video Monitoring

Answer 27

involves the use of camera and audio technologies to record an individual as they sleep, providing data specific to the individual to track their sleeping and waking periods, their movements and activities when sleeping and the sounds they make while sleeping

Question 28

Video monitoring +

Answer 28

+ Records observable behavioural changes over extended periods of time
+ Can identify sleep-related behaviours and then analyse these
+ Records are permanent and can be viewed a number of times
+ Data can be recorded alongside physiological measurements (same time)

Question 29

Video monitoring -

Answer 29

• Data can be open to interpretation (subjective) so requires clear definitions for behaviour
• Opens the potential for bias as it is a subjective measure
• Participants behaviour may be blocked from view of the camera
• When used alone there is no physiological data