chapter 12 states of consciousness Flashcards
2 states of consciousness
- normal waking consciousness
- altered states of consciousness
changes in psychological state
- time orientation
- level of awareness
- controlled and automatic responses
- emotional awareness
- content limitations
- perceptual and cognitive distortions
- self control
consciousness
- awareness of our thoughts, feelings and perceptions (internal events) and our surroundings (external stimuli) at any given moment
sense of self
- developed through awareness of what you are doing, why you are doing it
- awareness that others are observing and reacting to it
psychological constructs
- used to understand or explain things that cannot be directly observed
- used for consciousness because we are unable to see it or measure it.
state of consciousness
- level of awareness of internal events and external surroundings
normal waking consciousness
- occupies middle of continuum
- being awake and aware of objects and events in external world and internal world
- organised and clear thoughts
altered states of consciousness
- exists on both the lower part (during reduced awareness) and the upper part (during heightened awareness)
- difficult to complete controlled processes
- deviates from NWC, difference in alertness and responsiveness to external and internal stimuli
properties of consciousness
- continuous
- ever changing
- highly personal experience
- selective
- active
continuous
- never empty
- thoughts are never isolated and can easily flow from one topic to another without interruption
ever changing
- rarely travels along one line of thought
- constantly changes as we become aware as there is incoming new information
highly personal experience
- relies on our thoughts, feelings and perceptions
selective
- usually we can choose to focus on some things and ignore others
active
- consciousness has purpose to allow us to function in our world
meditation
- example of ASC
- uses mental exercises to become highly focused on a single thought to the exclusion of others
- with practice, prevents the ever changing stream of thoughts from entering consciousness
awareness
- how conscious or aware you are of internal (within the body) and external (within environment) events
attention
- relates to the information that you are actively processing (consciously or outside your consciousness)
things that attract attention
- novel stimuli (something new)
- changes in stimulation (such as the volume increasing)
- personal - something that is personally meaningful (such as our name being called out)
3 types of attention
- selective attention
- selective inattention
- divided attention
selective attention
- limitations placed on how much we can focus at any given moment on one stimuli or event to the exclusion of others
selective inattention
- we attend to (or do not attend to) information that may be relevant but emotionally upsetting
divided attention
- refers to capacity to attend to and perform 2 or more activities at the same time
automatic processes
- requires very little awareness and mental effort to be performed
- generally dont interfere with other automatic or controlled processes
- can allow for divided attention (can allow for two things to be done at once)
e. g. texting
controlled processes
- requires conscious awareness
- unable to complete another controlled process at the same time as they both require full attention
- requires selective attention
e. g. sending a text for the first time
content limitations
NWC
- generally more limited and restricted
ASC
- disorganised and senseless or to the other extreme, extremely narrow as you concentrate intently on one thing
- mental defences are lowered and content of thoughts may be more broader and deeper
perception
- process of organising sensory input and giving it meaning
NWC - clear and rational
ASC - different (such as perception of colour can be duller r brighter)
cognition
- mental activities such as thinking, problem solving, reasoning
NWC - brain actively stores information in memory and retrieves it for use in thinking
ASC - tendency to be distorted and have disorganised thoughts
- memory of events may not be accurate
emotional awareness
NWC
- aware of feelings and range of emotions
ASC
- emotions can be heightened and more intense
- emotions can be dulled, feeling emotionally numbed
e.g. in a state of shock following crisis or personal tragedy
self control
NWC
- ability to maintain self control
- tend to be reserved and avoid doing risky or embarrassing things
ASC
- reduced self control
- follow instructions with little resistance and thought about consequences
- but sometimes greater self control
time orientation
NWC
- good awareness of passage of time
if you think 10 mins have passed, it probably has
ASC
- different speed
if you think you have slept for only an hour and instead you have slept for three.
