SAC 3 Flashcards
why is consciousness considered a psychological construct
because it is personal, selective, continuous and changing, it varies from person to person. a psychological construct is a concept used to describe something that is believed to exist because we can measure its effects but not directly observe or measure it
what is a state of consciousness
our awareness of internal and external environments at any given time
normal waking consciousness
a state of consciousness characterised by clear and organised alertness of thoughts, feelings and behaviours including internal and external events. common psychological characteristics are;
moderate to high level awareness
good memory and cognitive abilities
focused attention of specific tasks
an altered state of consciousness
any state that is characteristically different from normal waking consciousness in terms of awareness, sensation or perception, can be natural or induced
natural altered states of consciousness are
involve physiological and psychological changes that occur automatically and are produced spontaneously beyond our conscious control e.g sleep, meditation, daydreaming
induced altered states of consciousness are
involves physiological and psychological changes that have been intentionally produced e.g alcohol or drugs
measurements of physiological responses indicating state of consciousness (list objective ) and other techniques for investigating consciousness
EEG - electroencephalograph EOG - electrooculograph EMG - electromyograph other techniques: speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks sleep diaries video monitoring heart rate body temp galvanic skin response (sweating)
subjective data
data collected through personal observations, interpretations, emotions and judgement e.g observing a person and saying how they feel
objective data
measurements of controlled behaviour collected under controlled conditions which allow data to be directly observed or measured e.g reading a chart of brainwaves to judge emotions
ends of the continuum of consciousness
high end = total awareness, attention is focused, selective and you are able to concentrate on specific tasks and ignore unimportant information e.g maths
low end = lack of awareness you may be unaware of thoughts feelings and sensations
amplitude and frequency of brainwaves
amplitude = the strength of the brainwave measured by size of peaks and troughs from baseline of zero frequency = the number of brainwaves per second
types of brainwaves
beta: low amplitude, high frequency, normal waking consciousness
alpha: low-med amplitude, med-high frequency, deeply relaxed state
theta: med-high amplitude, low-medium frequency, during early stages of sleep
delta: high amplitude, low frequency, experienced in deepest stages of sleep
measurements of physiological responses indicating state of consciousness define:
EEG
EOG
EMG
EEG: electroencephalograph, detects, amplifies and records electrical activity in the form of brainwaves
EOG: electrooculograph, detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of muscles that control the eye
EMG: electromyograph, detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of voluntary muscles
techniques for investigating consciousness define
speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks
sleep diary
video monitoring
speed and accuracy measured through a PTV (psychometric vigilance test) requires participants to respond to visual stimulus and measures their speed and accuracy
sleep diaries involve an individual keeping a record of their own subjective experiences, provides insights into behavioural and psychological experiences
psychological measurements of difference between NWC and ASC
Level of awareness: high awareness of environments, controlled and automatic processes good vs low awareness and limited ability for processes
Content limitations: can block bad thoughts vs can’t block and limited info processes
Cognitive distortions: logically and clearly and memorise vs illogical and bad memory
Attention: selective and divided attention vs low ability to attend to stimuli
Perceptual distortions: perceive world right vs hallucinations and distortions reduce or intensify pain
Emotional awareness: appropriate vs dulled or intense, inappropriate
Self control: coordinate one motor skills vs loss of inhibitions
Time orientation: accurately perceive time passing vs faster or slower time
divided vs selective attention
divided: when an individual simultaneously focuses on two or more stimuli or simultaneously undertakes two or more tasks
selective: attending to a particular stimulus whilst ignoring others, takes a high level of awareness
controlled vs automatic processes
automatic: actions that require little conscious awareness or mental effort and do not interfere with performance on other activities
controlled: actions that require a high level of conscious awareness, attention and mental effort
effect of stimulants
elevate mood, increase alertness, reduce fatigue, reduce appetite, increase mainly beta and some alpha e.g caffeine, nicotine, cocaine,
effects of depressants
increase fatigue, induce calmness, reduce anxiety, increase delta and beta and some alpha e.g Benzos, opioids, alcohol
effects of stimulants and depressants on CNS
depressants: slow messages between body and brain
stimulants: create false messages in the brain e.g the brain may not realise the body is under stress
partial vs total sleep deprivation and REM rebound
sleep deprivation is going without sleep or not getting sufficient sleep to support optimal daytime functioning.
partial: getting some sleep in 24 hr period but less than normally required
total: no sleep at all in 24 hr period
REM rebound: when an individual experiences extra amounts of REM sleep after being sleep deprived
effects of sleep deprivation on cognition, concentration and mood (physiological)
fatigue trembling hands drooping eyelids staring increased pain sensitivity slurred speech lack of energy (effects are short lived as we recover quickly with next sleep)
effects of sleep deprivation on cognition, concentration and mood (psychological)
cognition:
affects working memory, attention and decision making
concentration:
deteriorates with less sleep, difficulty with simple monotonous tasks but complex ones less affected
mood:
irritable, short temper, impatient, increase negative mood decrease positive
REM sleep is important for
brain development, restorative function of the brain, improve and preserve neural pathways, consolidation of new memories