Ch. 6 Consciousness

Question 1

Subjective data

Answer 1

Data collected through personal observations, interpretations, emotions and judgement

Question 2

Objective data

Answer 2

Measurements of behaviour collected under controlled conditions, which allow data to be directly observed or measured

Question 3

State of consciousness

Answer 3

An individual’s level of awareness of internal and external stimuli at any given moment

Question 4

Attention

Answer 4

A voluntary or involuntary tendency to focus on a particular stimulus and ignore another stimulus

Question 5

Normal waking consciousness (NWC)

Answer 5

A state of consciousness characterised by clear and organised alertness to internal and external stimuli

Question 6

Altered state of consciousness (ASC)

Answer 6

A state of consciousness that is characteristically different from NWC in terms of awareness, sensation and perception

Question 7

Different types of ASC

Answer 7

Naturally occurring ASC

Induced ASC

Question 8

EEG

Answer 8

Detects, amplifies and records the brain’s electrical activity - brainwaves

Question 9

EOG

Answer 9

Detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of muscles that control eye movement

Question 10

EMG

Answer 10

Detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of voluntary muscles

Question 11

Self report

Answer 11

Involves an individual keeping a record of their own subjective experiences

Question 12

Sleep diary

Answer 12

A log of subjective behavioural and psychological experiences surrounding a person’s sleep

Question 13

Video monitoring

Answer 13

Videotaping a person while they are sleeping to record and then analyse any observable disturbances in their sleep

Question 14

Controlled processes

Answer 14

Actions that require a high level of conscious awareness, attention and mental effort

Question 15

Subjective attention

Answer 15

Attending to a particular stimulus while ignoring others. It requires a high level of awareness

Question 16

Automatic processes

Answer 16

Actions that require little conscious awareness or mental effort and do not interfere with performance on other activities

Question 17

Divided attention

Answer 17

When an individual simultaneously focuses on two or more stimuli.

Question 18

Stimulants

Answer 18

A group of drugs that elevate mood, increase alertness and reduce fatigue by exciting neural activity in the brain

Question 19

Examples of stimulants

Answer 19

Caffeine 
Nicotine 
Amphetamine
Meth
Cocaine

Question 20

Depressants

Answer 20

A group of drugs that calm neural activity and slow down bodily functions

Question 21

Examples of depressants

Answer 21

Alcohol

Cannabis

Question 22

Sleep deprivation

Answer 22

Going without sleep or not getting sufficient amounts of sleep to support daytime functioning

Question 23

Microsleep

Answer 23

A short period of sleep where the individual appears to be awake, but brain activity indicates that they are asleep because of sleep deprivation

Question 24

Working memory

Answer 24

Part of our memory system that temporarily stores and manipulates a limited amount of information needed to perform cognitive tasks

Question 25

Blood alcohol concentration (BAC)

Answer 25

The amount of alcohol present in the bloodstream