Chapter 8: Nature of consciousness Part 2 Flashcards
What does the measurement of speed typically involve?
Involves response or reaction time to a stimulus.
- How much time passes between the presentation of a stimulus and the individual’s response to that stimulus.
- Usually measured in milliseconds
What does the measurement of accuracy typically involve?
Involves the number of correct response and incorrect responses made by the individual.
Why are speed and accuracy considered objective performance measures?
Because their scores are not subject to personal opinion interpretation by the researcher.
What is a sleep diary?
A ‘log’ used to self-record and self-report sleep and waking time activities over a period of time, usually one week or more.
What is video monitoring?
Most sleep centres, clinics or laboratories are fitted with one or more video cameras to record externally observable physiological behaviours throughout a sleep episode.
What are the content limitations of the different levels of awareness?
- Content of NWC tends to be more restricted than the content of ASC, as we have some control over what we allow into it.
- Content of NWC tends to be more organised and logical than ASC.
What is a controlled process Give an example:
A type of info processing that involves conscious, alert awareness and mental effort in which the individual actively focuses their attention on achieving a particular goal.
-Serial, where you can usually only perform 1 task at a time
Eg. Learning to drive a manual.
What is an automatic process? Give an example:
A type of info processing that involves little conscious awareness and mental effort, minimal attention and does not interfere with the performance of other activities.
-Parallel, where you can usually perform more than 1 activity at a time.
Eg. Talking while driving.
Describe perceptual and cognitive distortions of ASC:
- ASC tends to either make people more receptive to external stimuli or dulls them to such an extent that some sensations are not experienced at all.
- Cognitive functioning tends to become impaired during an ASC, where thought processes are often more disorganised.
Describe ASCs in relation to emotional awareness and give some examples:
- ASCs sometimes put an individual’s feeling into a state of turmoil, resulting in uncharacteristic responses, such as becoming more emotional when in an alcohol-induced state.
- May cause unpredictable emotional responses, such as crying at a joke
Describe ASCs in relation to self-control and give some examples:
- When in an alcohol-induced state, individuals often have difficulty walking straight and controlling body movements.
- In an alcohol-induced state, individuals may have difficulting controlling their emotions
- When in a hypnotic state, individuals are more susceptible to suggestion.
Describe time orientation in relation to NWC:
We are ordinarily aware of our present circumstances and can choose to reflect on past experiences or contemplate future experiences.
Describe time orientation in relation to ASCs:
- There may be a loss of ‘contact’ with time or our perception of time to the that there is a loss of awareness of the past, present and/or future.
- Time seems to pass at a different speed than normal.
Compare the effects on cognition of one night of full sleep deprivation to a BAC of 0.05:
The effects of one full day’s sleep deprivation on cognition are worse than the effects on cognition of the legal blood-alcohol concentration of 0.05%
Compare the effects on mood of one night of full sleep deprivation to a BAC of 0.05:
Sleep deprivation results in a negative mood, while alcohol consumption results in either a positive or negative mood, depending on the amount of sleep deprivation or alcohol, the individual and the context.
