Consiousness Flashcards
Consciousness
our awareness of objects and events in the external world as well as our sensations, mental experiences and own existence at any given time
contents of consciousness
whatever a person is aware of at any given time
states of awareness
the different levels of consciousness
total awareness -> complete lack of awareness
- focused attention
- normal wakefulness
- daydreaming
- meditative state
- hypnotised
- asleep
- anaesthetised
- coma
- dead
normal waking consciousness
- a state of awareness where our perceptions and thoughts continue to be organised and clear
- maintenance of the sense of time and place
altered state of consciousness
- a state of consciousness that is distinctly different from NWC
- distinguished, measurable changes
naturally occuring ASC
- normal parts of a person’s life which occur naturally
- eg sleep, daydreaming
induced ASC
- intentionally achieved by the use of some kind of aid
- meditation, hypnosis, alcohol ingestion or illicit drugs
attention
concentration of mental activity that involves focusing on a specific stimulus while ignoring or excluding other stimulus
selective attention
the ability to selec from many factors or stimuli while filtering out other distractions
divided attention
the ability to process two or more responses or react to two or more different stimuli simaultaneously
EEG
- detecs, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the brain
- translates activity in the cortical areas beneath the electrodes which the device translates into a visual pattern of brain waves
frequency
the number of brain waves per second
high-frequency
brain wave activity is faster and therefore has more brain waves per second
low-frequency
brain wave activity is slower and therefore has fewer brain waves per second
amplitude
the intensity of the brain waves
high amplitude
brain waves have bigger peaks and troughs
low amplitude
brain waves have smaller peaks and troughs
beta waves
- high frequency
- low amplitude
- NCW: awake, alert and attentive, concentrating
alpha waves
- high frequency
- low amplitude
- relaxed, calm, intentionally focused
theta waves
- medium frequency
- mixutre of high and low amplitude
- drowsiness, falling asleep, light sleep, waking
delta waves
- low frequency
- high amplitude
- deepest stages of sleep, unconsciousness
EEG strengths
- used in conjunction with other measures to identify an individual’s awareness
- reliable for detecting abnormal brainwave activity and monitoring changes in SOC
- widely used to assist with diagnosis and study of brain-related medical conditions
EEG limitations
- poorly measures neural activity that occurs below the outer layer of the brain
- does not provide detailed information about which structres are affected and their functions
- strength of electrical activity is reduced after having travelled through the thick bone structure of the skull
drug
a substance which can change a person’s physical and/or mental functioning
drugs’ influence can be influenced by:
- the type of stimulants or depressents
- the dose and potency
- an individual’s characteristics
- method of administration
stimulants
- drugs that increase activity in the CNS and the rest of the body
- have an alerting, activiting effect
- caffeine, non-prescription medications, nicotine, ice speed cocaine, etc
- increased beta wave activity
- decreased delta, theta and alpha activity
depressants
- drugs which decrease activity in the CNS and the rest of the body
- reduce alertness, environmental awareness, responsiveness to sensroy stimulants, congnitive function and physical activity
- increased delta, theta and alpha wave activity
- decreased beta wave activity
opiates
- heroin, morphine, codeine
- primary used for pain relief but with large doses, breathing slows and death is possible
alcohol
- higher levels of alcohol inhibits or slows brain functioning
- babiturates and bezodiazipenes
EMG
- detecs, amplifies and records the electrical activities of the muscles
- recordings show the changes in muscle activity (movement) and tone (tension)
- the higher the level of muscular activity, the more muscles spasm during ligt sleep and are completely relaxed during deep sleep
EOG
- detecs, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the muscles controlling the eyes
- measures changes in eye movements over time during different types and stages of sleep while dreaming
speed (objective tests to measure changes in consciousness)
- typically involves reaction time to a stimulus
- how much time elapses between a stimulus and a response
accuracy (objective tests to measure changes in consciousness)
-typically invovles the number of correct responses and incorrect responses made by the individual
objective performance measures
- speed and accuracy tests
- scores are not subjective to personal opinion or interpretation
subjective studies
-subjective reporting of one’s personal opinions and interpretation
self-report
- the participant’s written or spoken response to questions, statements or instructions presented by the researcher
- may be biased
sleep diary
- records may be kept of:
- -the time when trying to fall asleep
- -the number, length and time of awakenings
- -the time of waking in the morning
- -how well rested an individual appears
video monitoring
- used in the study of sleep or sleep disorders
- cameras record externally observable physiological responses
content limitations
the type of information held in our consciousness and our control over it
-in NWC, the content tends to be more restricted
controlled processes
conscious, alert awareness and mental effort in which the individual actively focuses their attention on achieving a particular goal
automatic processes
little conscious awareness and mental effort, minimal attention and do not interfere with the performance of other activities
sensations
all the information our sense receive
perceptions
how our brain interprets sensations
self-control
a good sense of management of physical responses such as coordination, judgement and physical restraint
time orientation
our estimation of the passing of time
BAC over 0.05
- impaired cognition
- decreased concentration
- exaggerated or inappropriate reactions
