Consciousness as a psychological construct Flashcards
What is a psychological construct?
concept that is used to describe things that is believed to exist but we cannot physically measure
What is consciousness?
our awareness of our own thoughts, feelings and beliefs of the world around us (internal and external surroundings)
How is consciousness expressed?
on a continuum
What is the experience of consciousness described as?
personal
selective
continuous
changing
What are the two types of consciousness?
Normal waking consciousness
Altered states of consciousness
What is normal waking consciousness?
states of consciousness that are associated with being awake and aware of your surroundings
What is an altered state of consciousness?
any state of consciousness that is distinctly different from normal waking consciousness
What is the continuum of consciousness in order from NWC to ASC?
NWC - TOTAL AWARENESS = Focused attention = Normal Wakefulness ASC = Daydreaming = Meditating = Hypnosis = Sleep = Anaesthetised = Coma COMPLETE LACK OF AWARENESS
What are naturally occurring states of altered states of consciousness?
occur naturally in everyday life
- sleep + daydreaming
What are induced states of altered altered states of consciousness?
intentionally achieved through the use of an aid
= drugs + hypnosis
What is attention?
concentration that focuses on a specific stimuli
What does a higher level of awareness mean in terms of attention?
higher level of attention
What are the two types of attention?
selective attention
divided attention
What is selective attention?
choosing and paying attention to certain stimuli and ignores others
What is divided attention?
is the ability of an individual to attend to and focus on multiple stimuli which results in completing multiple tasks at once