CONSCIOUSNESS DP 1-5 Flashcards
Consciousness
The awareness of our thoughts, feeling (internal) and our environment (external) at any moment in time
- hypothetical construct
- selective: we do not respond to everything (subjective)
- personal: unique and different for everyone
- continuous and changing: it goes without stopping and the contends blend into one another
Consciousness as a psychological construct
A psychological construct is a concept that is formed to describe specific patterns of activity
Consciousness cannot be observed directly and thus cannot be directly measured
Continuum of awareness
Focused / selective attention
ordinary wakefulness
-
daydreaming
meditation
hypnosis
sleep
anesthetized
coma
Normal waking consciousness (NWC)
States of consciousness associated with being awake and aware of internal and external environment
Altered state of consciousness (ASC)
Characteristics different from normal waking consciousness in terms of awareness of our internal and external environment
Physiological indicators
- HR
- Body temp
- eye movement
- muscle movement
- brain waves
Psychological indicators
ACCEPTS - A
- awareness
- content limitations
- cognitive distortions
- emotional awareness
- perception distortions
- time orientation
- self control
- attention
electroencephalograph (EEG)
- detects amplifies and records electrical activity of the brain (brainwaves)
- electrical activity is produced from communication of brain neurons
electromyograph (EMG)
- detects amplifies and records electrical activity of the muscle tone
- little to no activity of these muscles indicates low levels of awareness
Electrooculogram (EOG)
- detects amplifies and records electrical activity of the muscles around the eye
- the higher the level of muscular activity, the more aware we are (vice versa)
Measurement of speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks
Comparing speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks (while in NWC) can be used as an indicator of one’s level of consciousness.
- done together
Measurement of speed
- response or reaction time to a stimulus
- reaction time decreases when in ASC/sleep deprived
Measurement of accuracy
- number of correct/incorrect responses made by the individual
- number of errors increases when in ASC/sleep deprived
Sleep laboratory
ADV - can use many devices (EEG. EMG, EOG, HR monitor)
DIS - sleep can be disrupted due to an artificial environment
Sleep diaries
A daily log that can be used to record an individual’s sleep-wake pattern, usually over a period of time.
ADV - gives perspective of individuals experience, time effective, thoughts/feeling of individual are taken into acc
DIS - highly subjective, may be dishonest, lack of reliability
Video monitoring
Uses video cameras to observe and record physiological responses of an individual sleep behaviour.
ADV - individual is not disturbed, can be monitored at home
DIS - no internal data, results can be subjective (open to different interpretations), reviewing videos may be time-consuming
Awareness
NWC - high levels of awareness of internal thoughts/feeling and external stimuli
ASC - low levels of awareness of internal thoughts/feeling and external stimuli
Content limitations
Info held in consciousness
NWC - content can be limited through selective attention to become more organized/logical
ASC - content is fairly unlimited due to lack of control, is often illogical and disorganised
Cognitive distortions
NWC - individuals are aware of their thoughts (clear and meaningful), thoughts are structured, focused and organized, capable of logical thinking effective, memory functioning
ASC - info processes is distorted, thinking may be fragmented and illogical, memory impairment, irrational thoughts
Perceptual distortions
NWC - are clear, individual can process info from surrounding
ASC - perceptions are dulled / heightened, can be distorted
Emotional awareness
NWC - individuals are aware of their feelings and show a normal range of appropriate emotions
ASC - emotional responses tend to be inappropriate heightened, dulled, unpredictable
Self control
NWC - conscious ability to maintain self control
ASC - difficulty maintaining self control, controlling movement - may engage in unusual/risky behaviour
Time orientation
NWC - perception of time in relation to past, present and future is accurate
ASC - sense of time is distorted - perceived as moving faster/slower
Controlled process
Provides a great deal of mental effort. The task is either complex or not well rehearsed.
Automatic process
Processes requiring little conscious awareness, mental effort and minimal attention
→ Our controlled processes can become automatic processes when practised a lot
Attention
The process where we selectively focus on and concentrate our mental activity towards certain environmental stimuli, while ignoring/excluding other stimuli
Focused attention
When attention is highly focused, concentration on specific thoughts, feelings or sensations dominates our consciousness that other incoming information may not be noticed.
Selective attention
The ability to focus awareness on a single stimulus to the exclusion of other stimuli.
Divided attention
Refers to the ability to distribute our attention and undertake two or more activities simultaneously
Beta
- High frequency, low amplitude
- awake/alert/focused attention
Alpha
- high - med frequency, low amplitude
- daydreaming/light meditation/drowsiness
Theta
- med frequency, some high/low amplitude
- deep meditation/light sleep
Delta
- low frequency, high amplitude
- deep sleep / anaesthetic
Frequency
no. of waves/sec
Amplitude
Peaks and troughs
Stimulants
Drugs that increases nervous system and body activity (excite/arouse the body)
- increase HR, blood pressure, body temp, brain activity
↓amplitude, ↑frequency
eg. caffeine, nicotine, cocaine
Depressants
Drugs that decreases nervous system and body activity (sedate the body)
- decrease - HR, breathing and has a relaxing effect on the mind
↑amplitude, ↓frequency
eg. alcohol, opioids, marijuana
BAC 0.05
= 17 hours of sleep deprivation
BAC 0.1
= 24 hours of sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation
- detrimental effects on the body both physically and psychologically
- difficulty focusing eyes, lack of energy and strength, slurred speech, decline in ability to perform simple tasks
