AOS 3 - How do levels of consciousness affect mental processes & behaviour Flashcards
psychological construct
- info provided by individual
- behavior that’s demonstrated
- psychological changes that can be measured (heart rate)
consciousness
can be defined as our awareness of objects & events in the external world & of our sensations, mental experiences & own experience at any given moment
consciousness is
- personal
- continuous
- changing
- selective
consciousness across a continuum
TOTAL AWARENESS focus attention normal wakefulness daydreaming meditative state hypnotized asleep anesthetized come COMPLETE LACK OF AWARENESS
normal waking consciousness
NWC refers to the states of consciousness associated with being awake & aware of objects & events in the external world & of one’s sensations, mental experiences & own existence
altered state of consciousness
are any state of consciousness that’s distinctly different from NWC in terms of the level of awareness & experience
naturally occurring & induced ASCs
sleep, daydreaming - natural
mediation, head trauma-induced
attention
a concentration of mental activity that involves focusing on a specific stimulus while ignoring & thus excluding other stimuli
selective attention
involves choosing & attending to a specific stimulus to the exclusion of others
divided attention
refers to the ability to distribute our attention & undertake 2 or more activities simultaneously
- control limitations
- in NWC we’re able to exercise some control over what enters our consciousness, we can block our awareness of info that makes us sad,angry
- during ASC we don’t have control over what enters our consciousness, dreams
- controlled process
involves conscious alert awareness & mental effort in which the individual actively focuses their attention on a particular goal
- automatic processes
an automatic process requires little conscious awareness & mental effort, minimal attention & doesn’t interfere with the performance of other activities
- perceptual & cognitive distortions
- an ASC can make someone more receptive to external stimuli or dulls them to such an extent they’re not experienced at all
- Cognitive functioning also tends to be impaired in an ASC, thought processes are often more disorganized
- emotional awareness
- ASCs appear to sometimes put an individual’s feelings into a state of turmoil, resulting in uncharacteristic responses, some people resort feel emotionless
- self-control
- changes in our ability to maintain self-control evident in ASC
- time orientation
estimation of time is frequently distorted in an ASC, and seems to pass at a different speed than normal
- measurement of physiological responses
enables researchers to obtain data on bodily changes & responses during various states of consciousness
EEG
is a device that detects, amplifies & records general patterns of the electrical activity of the brain over time. frequency & amplitude
beta waves
associated with alertness & intensive mental activity, associated with NWC. high frequency, low amplitude
alpha waves
associated with physical relaxation, internally focsued, eyes closed. medium/high frequency & low amplitude
frequency & amplitude
frequency - refers to the number of brain waves per second
amplitude - refers to the intensity of brain waves & can be measured through peaks & troughs usually seen in an EEG
theta waves
associated with drowsiness, falling asleep just before waking, and deep meditation. medium frequency some low and high amplitude waves
delta waves
associated with deep dreamless sleep, low frequency, high amplitude
fastest - slowest activity
beta
alpha
theta
delta
drug
any substance that can change a person’s physical and/or mental functioning certain types of drugs can induce an ASC & changes in brain wave patterns
factors affecting depressants & stimulants affect
- type
- dose & strength
- personal characteristics
- methods of administration
stimulants
drugs that increase activity in the CNS & the rest of the body, thus have an alerting, activating affect
brain wave patterns due to stimulants
- increase in higher frequency activity
- increased beta waves, decreased delta, alpha and theta
depressants
drugs that decrease activity in the CNS & rest of the body
brain wave patterns due to depressants
increase in lower frequency activity reduced beta waves & increased delta, theta & alpha
EMG
used. to detect, amplify & record the electrical activity of muscles. EMG recordings generally show the strength if electrical activity occurring in the muscles, indicating muscles activity
EOG
measures eye movements of eye positions by detecting, amplifying & recording electrical activity in eye muscles that control eye movements