Methods of Studying Consciousness

Question 1

What is the EMG?

Answer 1

• Electromyogram

- a device which detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of muscles.

Question 2

What is the EOG?

Answer 2

• Electro-oculargram

- a device which detects, amplifies and records electrical activity associated with the muscles surrounding the eye.

Question 3

What is an EEG?

Answer 3

• Electroencephalogram

- a device that detects, amplifies and records electrical activity in the brain in the form of brain waves.

Question 4

Define amplitude

Answer 4

• the height of the peaks and troughs of the curved graph that represents brain wave activity.
• Intensity and height of brainwaves
• Low amplitude = shorter and smaller waves

Question 5

What are Sawtooth waves?

Answer 5

• random, fast waves that are slightly bigger than alpha waves
• resembling waves for being awake
• occur amongst beta-like waves during REM sleep
• associated with dreaming.

Question 6

What is frequency?

Answer 6

• number of brainwaves per second.

- Low Frequency = slow brainwave activity

Question 7

What are K-complexes?

Answer 7

• brain wave patterns that consist of a sharp rise and fall in amplitude
• lasting around two seconds on the EEG.
• A typical characteristic of stage 2 NREM sleep
• occurring usually once a minute
• can be triggered by external stimuli.

Question 8

What are sleep spindles?

Answer 8

• periodic brainwave patterns consisting of rapid bursts of high frequency
• associated with stage 2 NREM sleep
• can be found in stage 3&4 NREM sleep.

Question 9

polysomnogram

Answer 9

• continuous moving chart that displays data

- collected simultaneously from EEG, EOG, EMG and other devices

Question 10

Other Measurements: Heart Rate (ECG/EKG)

Answer 10

• Electrocardiograph
• Detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the heart muscles
• Heart rate measured in beats per minute

Question 11

Other measurements: Body Temperature

Answer 11

• body temperature tends to peak in the mid-afternoon
• lowest temperature is the early hours of the morning
• temperature linked to alertness

Question 12

Other measurements: Galvanic Skin Response (GSR)

Answer 12

• Galvanic Skin response
• detects, amplifies and records the electrical conductivity of the skin
• as skin becomes more moist (through perspiration), the electrical conductivity increases

Question 13

Physiological measurement

Answer 13

• the observation of a measurable bodily (physical or physiological) response

Question 14

Physiological response

Answer 14

a physical change in the body in response to a change in consciousness

Question 15

Sleep Laboratories

Answer 15

• a place used for scientific research on sleep
• Usually resembling a bed room
• researcher can control environmental aspects

Question 16

Sleep Laboratories Advantages and disadvantages

Answer 16

Disadvantages:
- artificial environment: participant must be able to sleep in environment that is unfamiliar and contrived
- sleep may be deliberately interrupted, causing interferences with normal sleep cycle
- participants hard to find: study considered an invasion of privacy
- new technology still limits researchers on what they understand about sleep as it can’t reveal what participants feelings, thoughts and perceptions are
Advantages
- does not require equipment to be moved o different participant homes
- allows brainwave activity and physiological effects to be monitored in a controlled environment

Question 17

Video monitoring

Answer 17

• A common method used at home and in sleep Labs

- uses infrared cameras operating silently to record footage of sleep, in the dark without disturbing the participant

Question 18

Advantages and disadvantages of Video monitoring

Answer 18

Advantages
- does not disturb the participants sleep cycle
- easier to study sleep (turning over and sleep walking in which stages)
- footage able to be viewed after the period of sleep and viewed by other researchers
- Researcher not required to stay overnight
Disadvantages
- cannot tell what is going on inside the body or what the participant is experiencing
- findings may be subjective (open to bias)

Question 19

Self reports

Answer 19

• statements and answers to questions made by the participants concerning their thoughts and feelings

Question 20

Advantages and disadvantages of Self reports

Answer 20

Advantages
- provides extremely valuable details about what the participant is experiencing
Disadvantages
- difficult to communicate and compare with others
- will participant remember to complete report
- accuracy
- will participants tell the truth
- memory can be faulty
- unintentionally leaving out information
- is the researcher able to interpret descriptions accurately and reliably. Difficult to intemperate self-reports objectivley