Week 1 - Introduction

Question 1

Describe the example of altered states of consciousness

Answer 1

• Terence McKenna saw the clouds split into two parts
• Four lens-shaped clouds of the same size
• Heard high-pitched whine come drifting from the tree tops
• Saucer shaped machine rotating slowly with soft, blue and orange lights

Question 2

What are hallucinations?

Answer 2

• Perceptions that do not correspond to physical reality

- (Bentall, 2000)

Question 3

Describe the 3 perspectives on Consciousness

Answer 3

1. Physiological
   - physiological processes involved in consciousness
   - neuroscience, biology
   - how the neurons create consciousness
   - Koch tried to map the brain cells
   - quantum mind
2. Cognitive
   - cognitive processes (perception, thinking, memory)
   - psychology, philosophy
3. Experiential
   - conscious experiences that a person has
   - phenomenological
   - examination of own experiences
   - existential qualia - the way of which we experience things

Question 4

How do the 3 perspectives link?

Answer 4

• Not clear on how they connect, and how the interactions occur

Question 5

Define consciousness

Answer 5

1. Consciousness 1
   - registration of information and acting on it in a goal directed manner
   - recognizing/distinguishing stimuli
2. Behavioural Consciousness 2
   - explicit knowledge of one’s situation, mental states, and actions demonstrated behaviourally
   - can you articulate actions/thoughts
3. Subjective Consciousness 2
   - experiential stream of events that occurs subjectively for a person
   - can I hear, see, feel things?
4. Consciousness
   - the sense of existence of the subject of the experiential stream
   - experiential quality that someone can feel

Question 6

Are all definitions of consciousness found in someone at any given time?

Answer 6

• No, having behavioural consciousness does not mean you have subjective consciousness

Question 7

Define altered states of consciousness

Answer 7

• A stable distinctive pattern of functioning different from the ordinary waking state along some dimensions of interest

Question 8

Define altered states of consciousness for whom it occurs to

Answer 8

• A qualitative alteration in the overall pattern of mental functioning, such that the experiencer feels his consciousness is radically different from the way it functions ordinarily
• Tart, 1972

Question 9

Describe the studies on how to identify consciousness

Answer 9

• Participants were asked how they identified a state of consciousness in which they found themselves
• concluded “experiential criteria for detecting an altered state of consciousness” into 10 categories (sensing the body, time sense, and interaction with environment)
• componential analysis of consciousness (Hobson, 1997) consisting of 10 components of phenomenological mapping where ASOC are compared along 12 dimensions (Walsh, 1995)
• measuring changes among consciousness along 12 dimensions (Pekala, 1991)
• a list of 14 dimensions of C (attention, perception, imagery, inner speech, memory, decision making, problem solving, emotions, arousal, self control, suggestibility, body image, personal identity, experience of time, meaning) (Farthing, 1992)

Question 10

What is the problem with the baseline for altered states?

Answer 10

• Everyone has a different waking state

- Hard to compare between people

Question 11

What is the “optimal” state?

Answer 11

• Western culture believed that the waking state is the optimal state and all other states except from sleep are a mental illness
• We no longer have an optimal state

Question 12

How do ASOC affect one’s life?

Answer 12

• Not all ASOC are detrimental to one’s life
• Near - death experience can cause a feeling of peace, spiritual beings, a loving light
• Can also cause anger and depression at having been brought back to life, career interruptions and divorce

Question 13

What are the 3 Beliefs about consciousness?

Answer 13

• Material
• Transcendent
• Extraordinary transcendent

Question 14

Define and describe the 3 beliefs of C

Answer 14

1. Material (reductionist)
   - reality is entirely physical
   - World is essentially a machine that functions
   - Consciousness results from a physical processes
   - Need information (facts)
   - C1 and BC2
2. Transcendent
   - C is ontologically primitive and the physical world is a by product of C
   Consciousness gives meaning to reality
   - Meaning is important in life
   - subjective, experiential aspects of reality
   - SC2
3. Extraordinary transcendence
   - have had an unusual experiences
   - drugs, near death experience
   - the key to growth is consciousness
   (Baruss and Moore)

Question 15

Describe the Ganzfeld procedure

Answer 15

• Lasted 6.5 years
• Tried to demonstrate the existence of ESP (mental detection of a weak signal ordinarily masked by internal somatic and external sensory stimuli
• Study seeks to minimize the somatic and sensory noise (ping-pong balls on the eyes with a red flood light and headphones with white noise
• Begins with a 14 minute relaxation to lower internal somatic stimulation then the ganzfeld for 30 minutes
• 160 targets, 80 pictures, 80 videos (1 min long), 20 sets
• 240 receivers, (140 women) mean age 37 yrs, 329 sessions
• Hit rate should = 25% (82) but 32% was hit (106) dynamic targets27% and videos 37%
• Julliard students had 50% = relationship between creativity or artistic ability and performance on ESP
• Results show high probability of the presence of anomalous information transfer (ESP) when using Ganzfeld
  (Bem & Honorton, 1994)

Question 16

Describe transcendent believers of anomalous phenomena

Answer 16

• Have a personality characteristic called “understanding”
• Interested in the pursuit of rational knowledge about the world
• More curious about the world, open to experiences, have goals in life
• Not concerned about what people think of them

Question 17

Describe the extraordinarily transcendent believers of anomalous phenomena

Answer 17

• More curious, open to the world and don’t care what people think
• Unorganized, adventurous and spontaneous
  (Jewkes and Baruss)

Question 18

When are anomalous events often reported?

Answer 18

• During and ASOC

- Occurrence of ESP may be related to relaxation

Question 19

Define transliminality

Answer 19

• An openness to images, ideas, and feelings arising from the mind or the outside world
• Anomalous events could be facilitated by healthy and pathological conditions

Question 20

Define conditions for controlled studies

Answer 20

• Experimental group - members are exposed to the experimental condition ( a condition of interest to the researcher
• Control group - members are exposed to a control condition for which the condition of interest is missing but imitates as much as possible the experimental condition
  (Shaughnessy & Zechmeister, 1994)