Consciousness Flashcards
Consciousness
our awareness of internal and external stimuli at any given moment
State of consciousness
an individuals level of awareness of internal and external stimuli at any given moment
Why is consciousness (+any ASC) referred to as a hypothetical construct?
Consciousness is not directly observable or measurable but it is assumed/inferred to exist on the basis of self reports and observable activity
Hypothetical construct
a concept used to describe something that is believed to exist because we can measure its effects but we cannot directly observe or measure it.
Consciousness is individual because it is…
Personal- private, unique, subjective
Changing- always different, moving from topic to topic
Continuous- constant, can’t turn it off, individual is always aware of something, never empty, no beginning or end
Selective- voluntary direct attention, pay attention to some things and ignore others
Differences between and ASC and NWC in terms of AASSCCEP
Level of awareness-
NWC- high level of awareness of internal and external environments
-able to complete controlled and automatic processes
ASC- low level of awareness of internal and external environments
-limited ability to complete controlled processes and some automatic processes are impaired
Attention-
NWC- focused attention on seleted stimuli
-able to divide attention between two tasks
ASC- low level of ability to attend to stimuli
Content limitations
NWC- able to control thoughts
-thoughts are logical and organised, and are usually limited to reality
-able to process a lot of information at one time
ASC-unable to block unacceptable or undesirable thoughts from entering consciousness
-limitations are reduced (as thoughts are not limited to reality)
-amount of information we can process is limited
Sensations and perceptions
NWC- able to accurately perceive the world
-experience sensations that are real
ASC-experience distorted perceptions of the world (delusions and hallucinations)
-reduces or heightens the experience of pain
-sense of reality is compromised
-sensations and perceptions are dulled or blunted, or sharpened
Cognitive distortions
NWC-able to think logically and clearly
-able to memorise and recall information accurately
ASC- experience illogical thoughts that are disorganised, illogical, fragmented and lacking sequence
-memory and recall is less accurate
-everyday tasks become difficult
Emotional awareness
NWC-emotions are generally appropriate to the situation in terms of experience and intensity
ASC- emotions can be blunted, intensified or totally inappropriate to the situation
Self-control
NWC- exhibit fine motor skills
-can coordinate complex movements
-can make decisions that consider the likely outcome and implications
ASC- unable to coordinate actions an behaviours
- loss on inhibitions
Time orientation
NWC-perception of time is generally accurate
ASC- perceptions of time are often distorted (may pass faster or slower)
Controlled process
actions that require a high level of conscious awareness, attention and mental effort (learning to…)
Automatic process
actions that require little conscious awareness or mental effort, and do not interfere with performance on other activities
Focused attention
attending to a particular stimulus while ignoring others; require a high level of awareness (gorilla bball)
Selective attention
the ability to redirect our attention to focus on a specific or limited range of stimuli while ignoring others
Divided attention
when an individual simultaneously focuses on two or more stimuli, or simultaneously undertakes two or more tasks
*two or more tasks are easier to do than two similar tasks
Hallucination vs. Delusion
hallucination- a sensory experience (seeing or hearing something) that does not actually exist… hallucination= sensation
delusion- a belief or thought that is not supported by or connected to reality… delusion = belief
ASC
a state of consciousness that is characteristically different from normal waking consciousness in terms of awareness, sensation and perception
NWC
a state of consciousness characterised by clear and organised alertness to internal and external stimuli
Day dreaming
An ASC characterised by a shift in concentration from external stimuli to internal thoughts, feelings, memories and images.
more likely to daydream when stationary, doing routine or boring activities
we daydream every 90 minutes
teenagers spend 1/3 of the day daydreaming
main content= problem solving, planning
