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
evaluate self reports
adv:
- gives insight into thoughts feelings and behaviours experienced by participants
dis:
- subjective and difficult to compare with others
- participants may not be self-aware enough to honestly complete the task at the time required
- may not accurately recall specific details
what are sleep diaries?
self-reported record of an an individuals sleep and wake time activities, usually over several weeks
eg. time trying to fall asleep, time waking up, number of times waking up, how rested you feel, events that can affect sleep
what is video monitoring?
- uses infrared cameras to records observable, physiological responses throughout a sleep episode
eg. changes in posture/body position, breathing problems, behaviours after nightmares
evaluate video monitoring
adv:
- insight into observable behaviour during sleep
- can be done in lab or natural setting
- can monitor at the time of collection or a later stage
dis:
- data can be open to interpretation
- time consuming: lots of info to sift through
- behaviour may be blocked from view of camera
what is the order of brain wave patterns from highest activity?
beta: high frequency, low amplitude
alpha: medium to relatively high frequency (slower than beta), low amplitude (slightly larger than beta)
theta: medium frequency, some high amplitude mixed with some low amplitude
delta: low frequency, high amplitude
when do beta waves occur?
- alertness
- intensive mental activity during nwc
- tension, anxiety, fear
- dreaming
when do alpha waves occur?
- awake and alert but mentally a physically relaxed
- internally focussed
when do theta waves occur?
- drowsy, falling asleep, just before waking
- awake and engaged in creative activities
- excitement
- deeply meditating
when do delta waves occur?
- deep, dreamless sleep
- unconscious
how do drugs exert their effects? what do the effects depend on?
- influencing neurotransmitters, receptors or chemically altering neuronal function
- effect depends on:
- type, dosage, potency, personal characteristics method and time of administration
what are the effects of stimulants?
alerting, activating effect due to increasing the activity of the CNS and body
eg. caffeine, nicotine cocaine,ecstasy, amphetamines
how do stimulants change brain wave patterns?
- increased physio arousal= corresponding excitatory pattern of brain wave activity
- increase in higher frequency brain waves: beta
- decrease in lower frequency brain waves: alpha, theta, delta
what are the effect of depressants on the body?
- calming, relaxing effect due to decreasing activity of CNS and body
- reduce alertness, external awareness, responsiveness to stimulation, cognitive functioning, physical activity
eg. benzodiasepines (anti-anxiety), heroin, opiates (pain relievers), alcohol
what are the effects of depressants on brain wave patterns?
- decreased physio arousal= corresponding inhibitory pattern of brain wave activity
- increase in lower frequency brain waves: alpha, theta, delta
- decrease in higher frequency activity: beta wave
what are the 7 changes in psychological state?
AACCEPTS
- (level of) awareness
- automatic processes
- controlled processes
- content limitations
- emotional awareness
- perceptual & cognitive distortions
- time orientation
- self control
what is level of awareness?
- measure of attention to distignuish between different states of consciousness
what is the role of attention?
- concentration of mental activity that involves focusing on specific stimuli and ignoring other stimuli
- info is actively processed
- can be internal (thoughts and feelings) or external (listening to those around you)
what are the types of attention + examples?
selective attention: answering exam questions
divided attention: washing the dishes while listening to music
what is selective attention?
- involves choosing and actively focusing on a specific stimulus while ignoring other stimuli
- attracts attention if they are personally important, changes in stimulation and introduction of a new stimulus
- complex tasks require higher lvls of consciousness
what is divided attention?
- the ability to actively focus on and perform 2 or more activities simultaneously
why is it possible to do two things at one time
- simple/familiar tasks require lower levels of conscious effort
- became an automatic process through practice
compare level of awareness in NWC vs ASC
NWC:
- awake, generally aware of internal & external events.
- good sense of place, time and reality
ASC:
- may be increased or decreased compared to NWC
what is controlled processes?
- involves conscious, alert awareness and mental effort actively focused on achieving a particular task
- required when tasks are difficult/unfamiliar
eg. solving complex math problem
what is automatic processes?
- requires little conscious awareness, mental effort, and don’t interfere with the performance of other activities
- tasks are simple/familiar
eg. pasting in a worksheet
compare controlled and automatic processes in NWC vs ASC
NWC:
- able to perform controlled and automatic processes within normal limits
- attention is highly selective and can be divided between tasks
ASC:
- usually less able to perform controlled and automatic processes
- usually less control over attention, may be highly selective but less able to be divided
what are content limitations?
- the amount of control you have to restrict what you attend to
compare content limitations in NWC and ASC
NWC:
- more restricted and controlled -> can block info we don’t want to think about
- can selectively process different parts of whats in consciousness
- organised and logical
ASC:
- usually less controlled and fewer restrictions
- reduced ability to process info
- often nonsensical, illogical, disorganised -> dreaming
de
lete
compare emotional awareness in NWC and ASC
NWC:
- can control emotions
- greater recognition
ASC:
- usually less control over emotions
- emotional responses may be uncharacteristic/unpredictable (emotions may be heightened or dulled)
eg. meditation- less emotion
- more or less affectionate when drunk
- aggression, anxiety
compare perceptual distortions in NWC and ASC
NWC:
- realistic and normal
ASC:
- can enhance/dull the experience of external stimuli (more/less receptive)
eg. drug induced state may result in more sensations experienced more vividly
eg. meditation can elevate pain threshold
eg. hallucinations, blurred vision
compare cognitive distortions in NWC and ASC
NWC:
- effective control of memory processe of storage and retrieval
- thought processes organised and logical
ASC:
- memory processes may be disrupted- storage and recall may be more fragmented/less accurate
- thought processes often impaired, illogical, disorganised
- difficultly with decision making, problem solving
what is time orientation?
ability to accurately percieve the speed at which time passes
compare in time orientation NWC and ASC
NWC:
- clear sense of time
ASC:
- estimation of time is distorted
- think that more/less time had passed than the actual time passage
eg. in a meditative state, time may be perceived at a slower rate
what is self-control?
abilty to restrain oneself and maintain behaviours
compare self-control in NWC and ASC
NWC:
- more control over actions and movements
eg. able to walk in a straight line
ASC:
- may have trouble coordinating and controlling movements
- greater susceptibility to suggestions could increase self-control
eg. hypnosis- more susceptible to suggestions but can gain more self control over addictions or pain management
- unable to walk in a straight line
what are the two major research findings of dawson and reid?
- BAC pf 0.05 is equivalent to 17 hours of sleep deprivation
- BAC of 0.10 is equivalent to 24 hours of sustained wakefulness
what is the effect on cognition from sleep deprivation?
- ways people process and understand information from the world
- [insert 2nd findings]
eg. - reduced speed accuracy when performing tasks
- slower mental processes
- decreased ability to reason and problem solve
- difficulty making decisions quickly & effectively
what is the effect of from sleep deprivation on concentration?
person’s ability to focus on tasks or stimuli
- contributes to reduced ability to focus on certain stimuli or tasks
- insert 2nd findings
what is the effect of sleep deprivation on mood?
the emotional state of a person
- sleep dep. usually negatively effects someone’s mood -> more irritable
- alcohol can have a range of effects on mood
- both alter mood= affects concentration and cognition
how does sleep deprivation and BAC levels affect different states of consciousness?
A: reduce= less observant of the world and stimuli
A/C: may decrease the performance with accuracy= may make an automatic process into a controlled one (driving)
C: may prompt unusual thoughts and mental processes= distractions
E: likely to change mood= affects concentration & cognition
P/C: likely increase distortions= affect senses important for driving eg. clarity of vision
T: likey distort perception= likely slower reaction time
S: reduced= impairs precision and concentration while driving
