States of Consciousness Flashcards
What is consciousness?
Awareness of our own thoughts, feelings and perceptions and our surroundings at any given moment.
What does our consciousness include?
Memories Beliefs Hopes Dreams (of our future) Senses (Individual to each person, but there are common aspects.)
How is consciousness a psychological construct?
We believe it to exist, but we cannot measure it.
When do we exhibit our highest level of consciousness?
When we are very focused on one thing
When do we exhibit our lowest level of consciousness?
When we are totally unaware of our environment
What is an altered state of consciousness?
It is both being unconscious and in a focused state.
- example: the effects of alcohol or drugs cause this state of consciousness/
What is a normal state of consciousness?
It is our waking state, typically a mix of divided attention and day-dreaming.
What is selective attention?
It is where we are totally aware and focused on what we have chosen to pay attention to.
- becoming oblivious to our surroundings and what is happening within it.
What is habituation?
It is where we tend to decrease our levels of attention when a stimulus is repeated.
- Tuning out a tv show in the background if you are talking to someone.
What is dishabituation?
It is where the renewal of attention occurs after a change to the stimulus.
- If there is a sudden change of noise, someone screaming or a loud explosion on the tv causes you to look up and stop what you’re doing.
What does divided attention allow us to do?
Allows us to multi-task to a certain extent.
What is day dreaming?
It is when we shift from focusing on external stimuli to internal events.
- Our fantasies often being a product of our sub-conscious mind.
What is Hypnosis?
It is a sleep-like state.
- An artificially induced state of relaxation.
What is meditation?
Includes different types of techniques that focus on the clearing of a person’s thoughts and mind. This assists in relaxing that person’s emotional and physical state.
What is sleep?
It is when we are not fully conscious, or unconscious.
- Relaxed state of consciousness enables our mind and body to rest and recover.
Who developed the phrase “Stream of Consciousness”?
William James (1842-1910)
What did William James (1842 - 1910) believe?
That our consciousness is an always changing series of thoughts that shift from one moment to the next.
The conscious experience for James is…?
Continuous
- Thoughts are not isolated but flow from one topic to another.
Ever-changing
- Is not linear, but changes as we receive new information or stimuli.
Highly personalised
- It is our own thoughts, feelings and perceptions - not those of others.
Selective
- We can focus on some things and ignore others. (Can switch between internal events and external stimuli)
Active
- The purpose of consciousness is to allow us to function in our world.
What do different frequencies and amplitudes of brain waves indicate?
Indicates different states of consciousness.
What are the FOUR brain wave patterns?
Alpha
- When a person is awake but in a relaxed state.
Beta
- When a person is awake, active and alert.
Theta
- When a person is in the early stages of sleep.
Delta
- When a person is in deep sleep.
What is GSR?
Galvanic Skin Response
It’s the measurable electrical conductivity of skin.
- When sweating an electrical current Is more easily conducted compared to dry skin.
- Electrodes are attached to hairless parts of the body e.g. hands
