sac one Flashcards
what is consciousness
our awareness of internal and external environments at any given time
consciousness is
-personal: consists of your understanding and perceptions of the world
-selective: we pay attention to somethings in the environments and ignore others
-continuous: its contents is blended into one another with no specific beginning or ending, your consciousness is never empty
-changing: thoughts are constantly moving from topic to topic
what is the consciousness continuum
Our level of consciousness can be placed on a continuum, which ranges from being highly focuses and alert through to having no thoughts, feelings or sensations at all
At the high end of the continuum (total awareness) our attention is focused and selective, allowing us to concentrate on specific tasks and ignore other, less important information
At the low end of the continuum (lack of awareness) we may be unaware of our thoughts, feelings and sensations. this may occur when we are fatigued, meditating, under the influence of drugs etc
what is consciousness as a psychological construct
psychological construct: a concept used to describe something that is believed to exist, because we can measure its effects but we cannot directly observe or measure
we cannot observe consciousness, and cannot directly measure what a person is thinking or what state of consciousness a person is in. therefore consciousness is a psychological construct
how can we measure behaviour
subjectively and objectively
what is subjective data
measurements that are collected through personal observations or behaviours. subjective data is often influenced by the researcher or observational biases, or may be influenced by the participants biased views of their own behaviour.
For example in reference to consciousness a researcher may make an assumption about a participants level of awareness of the things going on around the, or whether they are showing a reasonable amount of self control. This is subjective as it is based on observation of an individuals behaviour.
what is objective data
Measurements of behaviour collected under controlled conditions. They are easy to measure scientifically and can be compared to other data.
objective data minimised biases encountered in research and is more scientific, accurate and reliable
normal waking consciousness
a state of consciousness characterised by clear and organised alertness to internal and external stimuli.
We spend most of out lives in normal waking consciousness, 2/3 of every day.
It is placed at the high end of the continuum
state of consciousness
refers to your level of awareness of stimuli, both internal and external
altered states of consciousness
a state of consciousness that is characteristically different from normal waking consciousness in terms of awareness, sensations and perceptions
induced ASC
an ASC that is intentionally produced (for example being under the influence of alcohol or drugs)
naturally occurring ASC
an ASC that is produced spontaneously without any conscious effort or decision making (for example daydreaming)
divided attention
when individuals simultaneously focus on two or more stimuli, or simultaneously take on two or more tasks. we can do this when behaviours are automatic processes
For example: watching TV and eating a meal, doing maths and listening to music, question example.
The more similar the tasks are the more difficult they are to compete at the same time
selective attention
attending to particular stimulus while ignoring others. It requires a high level of awareness.
they require individuals to be in normal waking consciousness as they require a high level of awareness, attention and concentration. For example, when our mobile phone rings we shift our attention from what we are doing and focus on the phone call.
controlled processes
controlled processes
actions that require a high level of conscious awareness, attention and mental effort
e.g. when someone is learning to drive a manual car.
automatic processes
actions that require little conscious awareness or mental effort, and do not interfere with performance in other activities
for example typing out an essay while listening to music
EEG electroencephalograph
a machine used to detect , amplify and record the brains electrical activity, measured in the form of brainwaves
it provides a visual representation of distinctive brain wave patterns that are characteristic of various levels of conciseness
frequency
refers to the number of brain waves per second
the higher the frequency, the higher the level of brain activity, which means more brain waves per second
amplitude
refers to the size of the peaks and troughs in brain activity compared to a base line actbcoty of zero
the higher the peaks and troughs the higher the amplitude
types of brainwaves
there are four types of brain waves. beta, alpha, theta and delta waves. each have different combinations of frequency and amplitude and indicate various levels of consciousness
beta waves
indicates normal waking consciousness
some beta like waves can be experienced during rem sleep
low amplitude
high frequency
alpha waves
deeply relaxed or mediative state
low/medium amplitude
medium/high frequency
theta waves
early stages of sleep or light sleep
medium/ high amplitude
low/medium frequency
delta sleep
deep sleep
high amplitude
low frequency
electrooculograph (EOG)
measures the electrical brain wave activity of the muscles surrounding the eyes
- gives an indication of which stage of sleep a person is in and therefore their state of consciousness.
- the EOG will detect high amounts of activity in REM sleep
- the EOG will detect little to no movement in NREM
electromyograph (EMG)
measures the electrical activity created by active muscles
- gives an indication of which stage of sleep a person is in and there fore their state of consciousness
- REM sleep there is no muscle moment at all
- NREM little muscle movement and twitches
melatonin
night
serotonin
day
measurements of speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks
uses a PVT test (psychometric vigilance test)
this test is used to measure behavioural alertness, where participants respond to a visual stimulus and their speed and accuracy of the task is measured
subjective reporting of consciousness
includes self reports such as a sleep diary
sleep diaries
a log of subjective behavioural and psychological experiences surrounding a persons sleep
video monitoring
videotaping a person while they are sleeping to record and then analyse any observable disturbances in their sleep
self reports
involves an individual keeping a record of their own subjective experiences (thoughts, feelings and behaviours)
Stimulant
a group of drugs that elevate mood, increasing alertness and reducing fatigue by exciting neural activity in the brain; which increases bodily functions
some examples of stimulants include caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines and methamphetamine
- stimulants speed up the CNS as they increase blood pressure and heart rate, constrict blood vessels and increase blood glucose
effect of stimulants on consciousness
elevates mood increases alertness reduces fatigue reduced appetite increased energy levels