Nature of Consciousness Flashcards
What is consciousness?
Consciousness is the awareness of our own thoughts, feelings, perceptions and environment. Consciousness is selective, personal and continuous.
What are the five features of consciousness?
Continuous, ever-changing, personal experience, selective, active.
Why is consciousness a psychological construct?
It can’t be physically measured or assigned numeral values, so it is measured on an arbitrary scale.
What is Normal Waking Consciousness (NWC)?
It is when you have total awareness of your thoughts, feelings and behaviours, including internal and external events. E.g. Ordinary wakefulness, focused attention
What is an Altered State of Consciousness (ASC)?
It is any state which is characteristically different from NWC in terms of awareness, thoughts, feelings and behaviours. E.g. when drunk, in a coma, daydreaming
What are the different psychological indicators that we may be in an altered state of consciousness?
A.C.C.E.P.S.T
- Awareness
- Cognitive distortions
- Content limitations
- Emotional awareness
- Perceptual distortions
- Self-control
- Time orientation
How does awareness change in ASC?
It is lowered.
What are cognitive distortions in NWC?
Cognition is logical/organised. Memory functioning is effective and at a standard level. The person is capable of analytical and logical thinking.
How do cognitive distortions change in ASC?
Cognition is illogical and unorganised. The person’s memory can be impaired
What is content limitations in NWC?
It is easy to control what you say and do.
How is content limitations changed in ASC?
The person has little control over intake of information. They may make inappropriate or offensive thoughts.
What is a person’s emotional awareness in NWC?
The person shows a normal range of appropriate emotions.
How is a person’s emotional awareness changed in ASC?
Their emotional responses tend to be inappropriate. And their emotions are heightened or dulled. E.g. hallucinatory drugs vs. anaesthetic.
What is a person’s self-control in NWC?
Has awareness of self and the conscious ability to take control of behaviour
What is a person’s self-control in ASC?
It becomes compromised.
How does time orientation function in NWC?
The person has a clear sense of time, e.g. the passage of time, including past, present and future.
How is time orientation affected in ASC?
The person has an distorted sense of time, e.g. it can appear that time has sped up or slowed down.
What is daydreaming?
A shift in awareness from external events to internal thoughts. Occurs as a result of a lack of external stimuli. Usually where we are most creative.
What is meditation?
A purposefully induced ASC where an individual is highly focused on an internal thought.
What is an alcohol-induced state?
A purposefully induced ASC where a substance depresses the brain and nervous system.
What is selective attention?
When a person chooses to focus on certain stimuli and ignore others, at a detrimental effect.
What is focused attention?
When a person chooses to focus on certain stimuli and ignore others.
What is divided attention?
When a person can do two tasks at once. (Can’t do two controlled processes, but can do two automatic processes or one controlled and one automatic)
What is a controlled process?
It is something which requires conscious awareness, a person’s active attention or mental effort. E.g. learning to drive.
What is automatic process?
It is something which involves little to no conscious awareness or mental effort.
What are the different physiological indicators that we may be in an altered state of consciousness?
- Heart rate
- Body temperature
- Eye movement
- Muscle movement
- Galvanic skin response (electrical conductivity of the skin)
What is an electroencephalograph (EEG)?
It detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of the brain in the form of brainwaves.
What is an electro-oculargraph (EOG)?
It detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of the muscles surrounding the eyes.
What is an electromyograph (EMG)?
It detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of the muscles of the body.
IN EEG: What are beta waves?
Beta waves have a high frequency and a low amplitude (12-40 Hz per/s). It appears in the normal waking state of consciousness and at high brain activity.
IN EEG: What are the alpha waves?
Alpha waves have a slightly lower frequency and slightly higher amplitude in comparison to beta waves (8-12 Hz). It appears in the ‘gateway to the subconscious mind’, in a relaxed state of consciousness.
IN EEG: What are the theta waves?
Theta waves has an even lower frequency and slightly higher amplitude in comparison to beta and alpha waves (4-8 Hz/s). It appears in the subconscious mind, in light sleep (Stage 1-2 of NREM).
IN EEG: What are the delta waves waves?
Delta waves have a low frequency and a high amplitude (4Hz). It appears in the unconscious mind, usually in deep sleep (Deep NREM sleep). It is associated with low brain activity.
Uses, advantages and limitations of sleep laboratory experiments?
Uses: Can be used for people experiencing dysfunction
Advantages: Different devices can be used
Limitations: Unnatural/artificial setting, disrupted sleep
Uses, advantages and limitations of video recordings in sleep experiments?
Uses: Anything for movement
Advantages: In a natural setting, typical setting
Limitations: No internal data
Uses, advantages and limitations of self reports?
Uses: Good for people who have an emotional feeling connected to the sleep problem
Advantages: Can’t get the same data any other way
Limitations: Highly subjective
What are psychoactive drugs?
Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that affect the nervous system and brain activity. They modify the activity of certain neurotransmitters and significantly impact our consciousness.
What are depressants?
Depressants decrease nervous system activity. E.g. alcohol, sleeping pills (barbiturates)
> Decrease levels of awareness
Increase lower frequency brainwaves (alpha, theta and delta)
Decrease beta brainwaves
What are stimulants?
Stimulants increase nervous system activity. E.g. caffeine, amphetamines
What are opiates?
Opiates provide pain relief and cause mood changes. E.g. opium, morphine, codeine
What are hallucinogens?
Hallucinogens cause hallucinations and loss of reality. E.g. LSD
What is marijuana?
Marijuana produces an uninhibited euphoric state and impaired judgement and thinking.
Being alert is associated with…
dominant beta-wave activity.
Excess beta wave activity results in…
stress, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia etc.
Excess theta wave activity results in…
attention deficit problems, hyperactivity
Excess alpha wave activity results in…
dream state (opiates) etc.
What are barbiturate and benzodiazepines?
Drugs that slow down brain function and produce muscle relaxation.
> Barbiturates can be used to treat acute anxiety, tension and sleep issues
Benzodiazepines can be used to treat and anxiety, panic attacks and stress reactions
