chapter 8 Flashcards
consciousness
is the awareness of objects and events in the external world and of our own existence and mental experiences at any given moment (internal events and external stimuli).
consciousness is a
psychological construct
: A concept that is ‘constructed’ to describe specific ‘psychological’ activity, that is believed to occur or exist but cannot be directly observed.
consciencesness can be ..
- selective (choose what you attend to and what you ignore)
- continuous ( NEVER a part of the day where you are ‘empty’)
- changing (with new information coming in, particularly when you are awake)
state of consciousness
refers to the level of awareness we have about our internal state and external surroundings
continuum of consciousness
Continuum with two extremes — total awareness and complete lack of awareness. In between are other states of awareness.
2 broad categories of consciousness
Normal waking Consciousness & Altered state of consciousness
types of altered states of consciousness
Daydreaming – a naturally occurring altered state of consciousness where there is shift in awareness from external events to internal thoughts.
NWC
Normal waking consciousness is associated with being awake and aware of our thoughts, memories, feelings and sensations we are experiencing.
NWC characteristics
- NWC is constantly changing
- Our perceptions and thoughts are organised and clear • We are aware of our own personal identity
- Levels of awareness
- Content limitation
- Controlled and automatic processes
ASC
altered state of consciousness is one that is distinctly different from normal states of consciousness in terms of level of awareness and quality of experiences and memories. - natural sleep or induced drugs
ASC characteristics
- Perceptual and cognitive distortions 5. Emotional awareness
- Self-control
- Time orientation
levels of awareness ; attention
concentration of mental activity that involves focusing on specific stimuli and ignoring other stimuli
levels of awareness ; selective and divided attention NWC
Selective attention: involves selectively attending to certain stimuli while ignoring others.
Divided attention: refers to the ability to distribute our attention and undertake two or more activities simultaneously.
perceptual system can handle some divided attention tasks, as long as the tasks are not complex and therefore do not demand considerable mental effort
methods to study consciousness
Objective / physiological - Electroencephalograph - Electromyograph - Electro-oculograph Biased - video monitoring - self reports/ sleep diary - measurement of speed/accuracy on cognitive tests
EEG and DARE
Electroencephalograph
Detects, amplifies and records electrical activity produced by active neurons in the brain (cerebral cortex)
interpreting EEG
- frequency
- amplitude
frequency
the number of waves per second/how quickly the waves are produced
• High frequency = fast waves, more waves per second
• Low frequency = slow waves, less waves per second
amplitude
the height of the wave
• High amplitude = tall peak and deep troughs
• Low amplitude = short peaks and shallow troughs
beta waves
• Highest brain electrical activity
• Alert and active – normal waking consciousness
• High frequency • Low amplitude
EG. anxiety, fight or flight
alpha waves
• Extremely relaxed/meditative state
• High frequency
• Low amplitude, but slightly higher than beta waves
EG. pre waking drowsiness, meditation
theta wave
• Associated with the early stages of sleep • Medium frequency • Mixture of high and low amplitude waves EG. deep meditation
delta waves
• Associated with the deepest
stage of sleep
• Low frequency • High amplitude
EG. dreamless sleep, trance like
Brain Wave Patterns Due to Drug Induced ASC- Stimulant
Stimulants are drugs that increase activity in the central nervous system and the rest of the body. caffeine amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy. Stimulants may alter attention, mood, etc. physiological changes eg. blood pressure and heart rate increase,
Brain Wave Patterns Due to Drug Induced ASC - depressant
Depressants are drugs that decrease activity in the central nervous system and the rest of the body.
effects result in a state of calm, relaxation, drowsiness, sleep.
reduce alertness, environmental awareness
Alcohol, opiates
EMG
Detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of muscles.
Focuses on recording activity (movement) and tone (tension)
EOG
• Detects, amplifies and records electrical activities in the muscles around the eyes
measures eye positions and movement
video monitoring
- Recorded in real time and allows other responses to be analysed at a later time.
- Levels of alertness
- Movement in the night
- How long it takes a person to go to sleep
self reports/sleep diary
Commonly used in sleep studies, particularly sleep diaries or sleep logs. is a self reported record of an individual’s sleep and waking time activities, usually over a period of several weeks
measurement of speed on cognitive tasks
typically involves response or reaction time to a stimulus —
measurement of accuracy on cognitive tasks
typically involves the number of correct responses and incorrect responses (errors) made by the individual.
psychological indicators
- self control content limitations time orientation emotional awareness cognitive distortions perceptual distortions
self control
NWC
Awareness of self.
Conscious ability to take control of behaviour.
Some psychological and physical limitations to self-control.
ASC
Self-control is compromised, e.g.: • Asleep
• Drunk
• Hypnotised
time orientation
NWC
Perception of time is accurate -e.g. 1 hour feels like 1 hour.
Awareness of past, present and future events.
ASC
Sense of time is distorted - i.e. time could be perceived to be moving quicker or slower.
content limitations
NWC Content is limited in type and amount. Very few bizarre thoughts ASC Content is fairly unlimited, mainly due to lack of control. -innapropriate
perceptual distortions
NWC
Sensations reflect reality
Perception is clear leading to heightened awareness of surroundings.
-reality/accurate
ASC
Perceptions can be dulled, e.g. drugs
Perception can be heightened, e.g.hallucinations
Sometimes perception is so distorted that people may lose their sense of identity- pain .
cognitive distortions
NWC Cognition usually logical and organised. Effective memory functioning. Capable of analytical and logical thinking. ASC Cognition is illogical and fragmented. Memory is impaired. Cognitive distortions may occur, e.g. think people are trying to kill you.
emotional awareness
NWC Show normal range of appropriate emotions. ASC Emotional responses tend to be: • Inappropriate, e.g. • Heightened, e.g. • Dulled, e.g.
AWARENESS - controlled
Controlled processes: actions that require a high level of conscious awareness, attention & mental effort.
Controlled processing is serial; that is, only one activity requiring controlled processes can be performed at one time
• Often required when an activity is difficult or unfamiliar
EG driving
AWARENESS-
automatic processes
Automatic processes: actions that require little conscious awareness or mental effort and do not interfere with the performance on other tasks.
EG driving after 10 years
comparing effects of one night of sleep v alcohol
significant relationship.
sleep deprivation, alcohol, cognition, concentration and mood are intertwined and may interact in complex ways in influencing conscious experience.
physiological indicators of ASC
Heart rate Body temp GSR Galvanic skin response (sweat) eye movement muscle movement brain waves
