Consciousness Flashcards
What is consciousness?
The subjective awareness of mental events
What is consciousness often defined by?
Contrasts
What are the two main functions of consciousness?
Monitoring of the self and the environment and regulating thought and behaviour
Recent evidence suggests what are of the brain is activated when conscious control is exercised?
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
What is the Stroop task?
Participants are presented a word (name of a colour) printed in colour and have to name the colour quickly while ignoring the word
What are states of consciousness?
Different patterns of subjective experience, including ways of experiencing internal and external events
What is attention?
The process of focusing conscious awareness, providing heightened sensitivity to an experience
What has attention been likened to by scientists and what phenomenon is associated?
A filtering process; cocktail party phenomenon
When does mind wandering occur?
When conscious thoughts do not remain on topic and the brain processes additional, unrelated sensory information
What is selective inattention?
The process of diverting attention from information that may be relevant but emotionally upsetting
What are the three functions attention consists of?
- Orienting to sensory stimuli
- Controlling behaviour and the contents of consciousness
- Maintaining alertness
What does orienting involve?
Turning sensory organs towards a stimulus
What is divided attention?
Splitting attention between two complex tasks
What are dichotic listening tasks?
Participants are fitted with earphones, different information is simultaneously presented to both ears
What is shadowing?
The process of attend to only the information from one ear
What is daydreaming?
Turning attention away from external stimuli to internal thoughts and imagined scenarios
Freud defined consciousness as one of what three mental systems?
The conscious (subjective awareness), preconscious (not presently conscious but readily available) and unconscious (inaccessible to consciousness)
What is subliminal perception?
Perception of stimuli below the threshold of consciousness
What does cognitive unconsciousness focus on?
Information-processing mechanisms that operate outside awareness
What are circadian rhythms?
Cyclical biological clocks that evolved around the daily cycles of light and dark
What does sleep appear to be involved in?
- Conservation of energy
- Restoration
- Growth & muscle development
- Consolidation of memory
- Creative thinking
What do circadian rhythms produce?
Periodic variations in alertness, body temperature and hormonal secretion
What do alpha waves indicate?
Slowing of mental activity and a transition into sleep
How many stages of NREM sleep are there?
Four
What appears during stage 1 of NREM sleep?
Slower theta waves
What occurs during stage 2 of NREM sleep?
EEG pattern of slightly larger waves interrupted by sleep spindles and K-complexes
What appears during stage 3 of NREM sleep?
Large, slow, rhythmic delta waves
What is delta sleep characterised by?
Relaxed muscles, decreased respiration rate and lower body temperature
What is REM sleep?
Rapid eye movement sleep
When does most dreaming occur?
During REM sleep
How often do the cyclical stages of REM sleep repeat?
About every 90 minutes
What are the three perspectives of dreaming?
Psychodynamic (Freud), cognitive and biological
What are some of the costs of sleep deprivation?
Impaired attention, reaction time, cognitive speed/accuracy, motor coordination and decision-making
What is insomnia?
Chronic inability to sleep
What is narcolepsy?
Irresistible compulsion to sleep
What is the difference between nightmares and night terrors?
Nightmares occur during REM sleep, making an individual feel helpless; night terrors are abrupt partial wakenings from non-REM sleep characterised by extreme fright
What is hypnosis?
An altered state of consciousness characterised by deep relaxation and suggestibility
What is hypnosis used to produce?
Hallucinations, disinhibition, hypnotic analgesia
What does the dissociation hypothesis of hypnosis suggest?
Hypnosis splits consciousness into two streams of awareness
What does meditation create?
A deep state of tranquillity by altering the normal flow of conscious thoughts
How does meditation work?
By focusing on a simple stimulus, an individual shuts down the normal flow of self-conscious inner dialogue
What are the two styles of meditation?
Focused attention and open-monitoring (attention directed to the content of one’s moment-to-moment experience)
How do narcotics alter consciousness?
By creating an overwhelming sense of euphoria and relaxation
How do depressants alter consciousness?
By decreasing CNS activation & behavioural activity
How do stimulants alter consciousness?
By creating an alert state of euphoria
How do hallucinogens alter consciousness?
By altering sensory perceptions
How does marijuana/cannabis alter consciousness?
By creating a mild, relaxed euphoria & enhanced sensory awareness
What are the two most dangerous types of drugs?
Narcotics and depressants
How can recreational drug use affect health?
Triggering an overdose, producing physiological damage and causing health impairing behaviour
What do the drug effects on consciousness depend on?
Biological actions of the drug and expectations of the drug effect
