Unit 4 AOS 1 Flashcards
Psychological (hypothetical) construct
a concept that is constructed to describe a specific psychological activity that is believed to exist but cannot be directly observed and difficult to measure, but can be inferred through behaviour and self-reports.
What is an example of a psychological construct
consciousness
Consciousness
awareness of our thoughts, feelings and our environment at any moment in time. It is selective, personal, continuous and changing.
Continuum of awareness
total awareness - focussed attention, ordinary wakefulness, daydreaming, meditation, hypnosis, sleep, anaesthetised, coma - total lack of awareness
What does NWC stand for
normal waking consciousness
Define normal waking consciousness
states associated with awareness of our thoughts, feelings and behaviours (internal events) and our surroundings (external stimuli) at any given moment.
What does ASC stand for
altered state of consciousness
Define altered state of consciousness
any state that deviated from normal waking consciousness in terms of differences in our level of our thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and our surroundings.
Define naturally occurring ASC
involves physiological and psychological changes that occur automatically and spontaneously and are produced without our conscious control.
Examples of naturally occurring ASCs
daydreaming, sleep
What is daydreaming
an altered state of consciousness that involves a shift in awareness from external events to internal thoughts
Define induced ASC
involves physiological and psychological changes that are internally achieved by using an aid.
Examples of induced ASC’s
meditation, sleep using sleep pills, alcohol/drugs,
Define meditation
a purposely induced ASC, where an individual is highly focused on an internal thought at the expense of other stimuli.
Define attention
the information that you are actively processing, either consciously or outside of your conscious awareness
Define selective attention
choosing and attending to a specific stimulus and ignoring others.
Define divided attention
the capacity to attend to and perform two or more activities at a time.
List of psychological indicators
self-control, content limitations, time orientation, emotional awareness, cognitive distortions, perceptual distortions, controlled/automatic processes
Define content limitations
the amount of control you have to limit what you attend to.
What happens to content limitations during NWC
more controlled, able to select what we attend to
What happens to content limitations during ASC
may be more or less restricted/controlled (usually less), fewer limitations on content mainly due to a lack of control (e.g. more illogical or bizarre thoughts), more difficult to process information
Define controlled process
processes that require selective attention and involves conscious awareness.
Define automatic process
processes that enable us to have divided attention and involve little/no conscious awareness or mental effort.
What happens to automatic processes in NWC
automatic processes require very little awareness or little mental effort to be performed well, and can allow you to do two things at once (divided attention)
What happens to automatic processes in NWC
controlled processes require full awareness and mental effort to focus attention on the required task (selective attention)
What happens to automatic processes in ASC
ability to perform some automatic processes, but may be impaired.
What happens to controlled processes in ASC
may be more or less controlled, controlled processes are difficult to carry out
Define perception
the process of organising sensory input and giving it meaning.
Define cognition
related to mental activities such as thinking, problem solving and reasoning.
What happens to perception in NWC
perception and sensation (including pain) are realistic.
What happens to cognition in NWC
thoughts are clear/organised/logical, effective control of memory processes, ability to reason and problem solve
What happens to perception in ASC
perceptions can be heightened or dulled - e.g colour can be perceived as more vivid or dull may + not perceive pain or have a stronger reaction to it (perceptual distortions)
What happens to cognition in ASC
thoughts are disorganised/lack logical and problem solving is impaired, memories may be inaccurate or impaired (cognitive distortions)
Define emotional awareness
the experience of emotions i.e. feelings
What happens to emotional awareness in NWC
aware of our emotions, show a range of emotions that are appropriate for the situation, able to monitor emotions
What happens to emotional awareness in ASC
usually less control over our emotions e.g. may be more or less affectionate or aggressive, emotions can be dulled or heightened, inappropriate emotional responses
Define self-control
the ability to maintain self-control usually by monitoring behaviour
What happens to self-control in NWC
more control over actions and movements, able to plan what you say and do, reserved and avoid doing anything risky or embarrassing
What happens to self-control in ASC
decreased self-control, inhibitions and lowered, open to suggestion - follow instructions with little resistance.
Define time orientation
ability to correct perceive the speed at which time passes.
What happens to time orientation in NWC
good awareness or the passage of time (e.g. 1 hour feels like 1 hour), understand where we are in time (day, night, hour, year), can focus on the past, present and future.
What happens to time orientation in ASC
distorted sense of time - may be perceived to be moving quicker or slower.
Types of physiological indicators
EEG, EMG, EOG
What does EEG stand for
electroencephalograph
What does EOG stand for
electro-oculargraph
What does EMG stand for
electromyograph
Define EEG
an EEG detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of the brain via brainwaves
What is frequency
the number of brainwaves per second
What is amplitude
the heights of the peaks and the troughs
What is the frequency of beta waves
high frequency
What is the amplitude of beta waves
low amplitude
What states of consciousness are beta waves associated with
normal waking consciousness, (alert, active, paying attention), and there are beta-like waves during REM
What is the frequency of alpha waves
high frequency (lower than beta)
What is the amplitude of alpha waves
low amplitude (higher than beta)
What states of consciousness are alpha waves associated with
awake but very relaxed e.g. daydreaming or about to go to sleep, altered states of consciousness e.g. alcohol
What is the frequency of theta waves
medium frequency
What is the amplitude of theta waves
mixed amplitudes
What states of consciousness are theta waves associated with
early stages of sleep, also seen in young children as psychopaths
What is the frequency of delta waves
low frequency
What is the amplitude of delta waves
high amplitude
What states of consciousness are delta waves associated with
deep NREM sleep, babies and adults with brain tumours
Define EOG
an EOG detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of the muscles surrounding the eyes
What can EOG’s tell us
whether a person is in NREM or REM sleep.
Define EMG
an EMG detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of the muscles in the body
What can EMG’s tell us
whether awake, asleep, in NREM or REM sleep
What would be expected for awake on EMG
moderate activity
What would be expected for NREM sleep on EMG
moderate to low activity
What would be expected for REM sleep on EMG
little to no activity
Define polysomnogram
An intensive study of sleep through a range of physiological recordings (EEG, EOG, EMG)
What does PVT stand for
polysychometric vigilance test
What are PVTs used for
it is a test used to measure behavioural alertness, where participants respond to a visual stimulus and their speed and accuracy of the task are measured.
What are results of PVT for ASC
(e.g. alcohol induced state) are associated with slower reaction times, showing higher errors in responses. Sleep deprivation can also lead to slower reaction times.
Define sleep diary
a record of an individual’s sleeping and waking times with related information, usually over a period of several weeks, used as a resource in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders, and in monitoring whether treatment of those and other sleep disorders is successful.
By whom can sleep diaries be recorded
self-reported or by a caregiver.
What can sleep diaries help individuals to do
to become more aware of the parameters affecting their sleep.
Is a sleep diary subjective or objective
subjective
Advantage of sleep diary
gives rich and important insight into internal experience
Limitations of sleep diary
is subjective, artificial environment
What is video monitoring
when footage is captured in the dark (using infrared lights) in order to research observable behaviour (e.g. rolling over, sleep walking)
Is video monitoring subjective or objective
subjective
Why is video monitoring subjective
as it cannot tell what is going on inside the body or what the participant is experiencing, so relies on the researcher to interpret behaviour based on observations.
What are the two main types of drugs
stimulants and depressants
Define stimulants
drugs that excite neural activity in the brain, which increases bodily functions.
What effects do stimulants have on body (6.5)
increase blood pressure and heart rate, constrict blood vessels and increase blood glucose. Their effects can be elevated mood, increased alertness and reduced fatigue.
Examples of stimulants
caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines and methamphetamines
What effects do stimulants have on brain waves
Stimulants are generally associated with higher levels of beta brainwaves, with some association with increased levels of alpha brainwaves.
What can excessive levels of beta waves do
lead to experiences of stress and anxiety, which are side effects of excessive use of stimulant drugs.
What brainwaves will be present when a person is stressed
beta waves only (no alpha)
What stimulant drugs are associated with increased levels of alpha
nicotine and cocaine
What do the stimulant drugs that create alpha waves do to body
can in some cases increase alertness, but also have an influence on reduced stress, feelings of calm and elevated mood.
Define depressants
drugs that calm neural activity in the brain, which slows down bodily functions.
What are the effects of depressants on the body
lower heart rate and blood pressure, increased fatigue and drowsiness, reduced anxiety, and calming of nerves.