nature of consciousness Flashcards
what is a psychological construct?
a concept that is developed to describe a pattern of activity that is believed to occur/exist but cannot be directly observed
how is consciousness a psychological construct?
- describes a pattern of activity believed to occur through inferences about the underlying state of consciousness a person is experiencing
what is consicousness?
our awareness of objects and events in the external world and our internal sensations, mental experiences and own existence at any given moment
how is consciousness subjective?
personal understanding of your own internal and external world
how is consciousness selective?
you can choose to pay attention to certain things and ignore others
how is consciousness continuous and changing?
- it is an endless flow and never empty
- new info is continually coming into your awareness (particularly if ur awake)
why can consciousness be represented on a continuum? order the states of consciousness from total awareness to complete lack of awareness
- varies in the extent or degree of overall awareness at different times
- focussed attention
- divided attention
- day dreaming
- meditative state
- hypnotised
- asleep
- anaesthetised
- unconscious
what is normal waking consciousness (nwc?)
the states of consciousness associated with being awake and aware of objects and events in the external world, one’s sensations, mental experiences and our own existence
- perceptions and thoughts are generally clear and organised
what is altered state of consciousness (asc)?
describes any state of consciousness that is distinctly different from nwc in terms of levels of awareness and experience
what is naturally occur asc?
asc that don’t require any aid and happen normally
eg. sleep, meditation, daydreaming
what is induced asc?
intentionally brought about by the use of some kind of aid
eg. drugs, alcohol, trauma
what are the methods to study states of consciousness?
measurement of physiological responses (objective methods to gain data on bodily changes):
- EEG, EOG, EMG
objective ways to study psychological and behavioural responses:
- measurement of speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks
subjective ways to gain info on psychological and behavioural responses
- self-reports
- video monitoring
what is the best physiological measure of consciousness?
- EEG
- EMG & EOG useful for distinguishing types of sleep
how does an EEG measure physiological responses?
- detects, amplifies and records general patterns of electrical activity of the brain in the form of brain waves
what are the advantages and disadvantages of using an EEG?
- provides overall info about brain activity in real-time without being invasive
- assists with diagnosis and study of brain-related medical conditions
- poorly measures neural activity that occurs below cerebral cortex
- doesn’t provide info about which brain structure is activated and what their function might be
what does the EMG measure?
- detects amplifies and records the electrical activity of the muscles
- shows changes in muscle activity (movement) and tone (tension)
- higher muscle activity and tension= higher levels of alertness
how does the EMG show change in electrical activity?
NWC alert: moderate to high lvls of electrical activity depending on task
NWC relaxed: moderate level of electrical activity= some muscle movement depending on task
ASC NREM: little-moderate electrical activity= some muscle movement
ASC REM: very low lvls of electrical activity= hardly any muscle movement
what is an EOG?
- detects, amplifies and records electrical activity in the eye muscles that control eye movement
- measures eye movements and positions
how do you interpret levels of electrical activity of an EOG?
NWC alert: depends on task- could record high levels of electrical activity (reading, looking for something)
NWC relaxed: lower electrical activity= little eye movement
ASC NREM: very little electrical activity= little eye movement
ASC REM: high lvls of electrical activity= high level of eye movement
evaluate physiological measurements
adv:
- most objective and reliable means of indicating different states of consciousness
dis:
- cannot describe personal thoughts and feelings
- changes in physiological events may be due to other reasons besides a change in state of consciousness
what is measurement of speed and how is it measured?
the time elapsed between the presentation of a stimulus and the person’s reaction time/response
- mental process takes time followed by a precise movement contributing to the response time
what is measurement of accuracy?
the number of correct and incorrect responses made
why is measurement of speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks objective?
scores are not personal opinions or interpretations
evaluate measurement of speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks
adv:
- more objective
- may offer closer insight into a person’s thoughts and behaviours
dis:
- requires recording observations of performance and infer what state of consciousness the person is in
what are self-reports?
- participant’s statements and answers to questions about their thoughts feelings and behaviours
why are self reports subjective?
- data is a personal opinion
- often biased and may not be accurate