CONSCIOUSNESS / STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS (NWC AND ASC)

Question 1

DEFINITION: CONSCIOUSNESS`
- Can NOT directly measure what state of consciousness a person is experiencing

• Behaviour: Measured subjectively or objectively
• Subjective measures: Look at personal observations = based on opinion
• Objective mesures: Look at controlled data = physiological tests

Answer 1

• It is a psychological construct
• It is the awareness of INTERNAL and EXTERNAL
  environments
• Ever-changing mental activities and processes going on in the mind at any given moment

Question 2

STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

• 2 states of CONSCIOUSNESS

Answer 2

• NWC (Normal Waking Consciousness)

- ASC (Altered State of Consciousness)

Question 3

NORMAL WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS

• perceiving the world as being real
• A familiar sense of TIME and PLACE

Answer 3

• The state of conscious a person experiences when they are awake
• aware of their thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations and experiences from INTERNAL events and the SURROUNDING environment
• Constantly changing, organized and clear (CC O C)

Question 4

ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS

• Natural ASC (beyond conscious control = Sleep, Dreaming, Daydreaming)
• Induced ASC (Intentionally produced = Being intoxicated by alcohol and drugs, Hypnosis, Meditation, etc)

Answer 4

• Any state of consciousness that is distinctly different from NWC
• ASC deviates and are usually clearly demarcated from NWC
• Can occur naturally or they can be INDUCED

Question 5

DEFINITION: PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSTRUCT

• Behavior can be measure S or O
• Subjective measures look at personal observations.
• Objective measures look at controlled data (e.g. psychological tests)

Answer 5

• It is an entity
• We believe to exist
• We are able to measure its effects, but we cannot directly measure the entity itself