Chapter 2 - States Of Consciousness Flashcards
(18 cards)
What is consciousness?
Consciousness is the awareness of the objects and events in the external world and of our own existence and mental experiences at any given moment.
Define what states of consciousness is
States of Consciousness is the level f awareness of our internal state and external surroundings, that determines how much of this information we take in and respond to.
what is the definition of Normal Waking Consciousness?
NWC refers to the states of consciousness associated with being awake and aware with our thoughts, memories, feelings and sensations that we are experiencing from the outside world.
What are 7 characteristics of consciousness?
Normal Waking Consciousness -Level of awareness -Content Limitation -Controlled and automatic processes Altered State of Consciousness -Perceptual and cognitive distortions -Emotional awareness -Self-control -Time orientation
What is the role of attention?
Attention is a concentration of mental activity that involves focusing on a specific stimulus while ignoring other stimuli.
Distinguish the difference between Selective and Divided Attention
Selective Attention involving choosing and attending to a specific stimulus to the exclusion of others. whereas Divided Attention refers to the ability to distribute our attention and undertake two or more activities simultaneously.
What is a content Limitation?
Content is the type of information that is held in our consciousness, in NWC we are able to block out and control some stimuli and focus on what we want through selective attention
-Content Limitation in NWC tends to be more logical and organised than in ASC, which is usually nonsensical, illogical and disorganised.
Distinguish the difference between Controlled and Automatic Processes
A Controlled Process involves conscious, alert awareness and mental effort in which an individual actively focuses their attention on achieving a particular goal. they occur when a task is unfamiliar or difficult.
whereas an Automatic Process requires little conscious awareness and mental effort, minimal attention and does not interfere with the performance of other activities. it is used when tasks are familiar or simple and tends to be quite rapid
Define the term Altered State of Consciousness
ASC is used to describe any state of consciousness that is distinctly different from normal waking consciousness, in terms of level of awareness and experience, and the quality or intensity of sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feeling and memories that we experienced. in ASC, mental processing is unique to the particular altered state.
What is the distortions of perception and cognition mean?
ASC has one of the two effects on the senses- it either makes them more receptive to external stimuli or dulls them to the extent that some senses are not experienced at all. (hurting yourself when drug/alcohol induced and not feeling the pain
-Cognition in ASC thinking becomes illogical, lacking in sequence and may have difficulties in problem solving.
what effect ASC has on time orientation?
in an ASC state estimation of time is frequently distorted. Time seems to pass at a different speed than normal. for some the passing of time may be quicker or slower
What are the changes in emotional awareness in an altered state?
ASCs appear to sometimes put an individual’s feelings into a state of turmoil, resulting in uncharacteristic responses. can cause unpredictable emotional responses that are uncharacteristic of the individual.
Define Daydreaming
Daydreaming is an altered state of consciousness in which we shift our attention from external stimuli to internal thoughts, feelings and imagined scenarios.
What effect does ASC have on self control?
ASC changes out ability to maintain self control, as many individuals often have difficulty coordinating and controlling movements, also have difficulty maintaining their control over their emotions.
What is an electroencephalograph?
An electroencephalograph or EEG, is a device that detects, amplifies and records general patterns of electrical activity of the brain.
What is the difference between amplitude and frequency?
Amplitude is the size of the peaks and troughs of brainwaves with a baseline of zero and frequency is the number of brainwaves per second.
What are the four different brain wave patterns?
- Beta waves have a high frequency and low amplitude, they are associated with NWC and focused attention, (concentrating)
- Alpha waves have high frequency and low amplitude they are typically associated with people that are in a relaxed wakeful state
- Theta Waves have a medium frequency and a mixture of high and low amplitude waves, they are associated with the early stages of sleep
- Delta Waves have the lowest frequency and the highest amplitude, they are associated with deep sleep
What is a Galvanic Skin Response?
A Galvanic Skin Response GSR is a physiological response that indicates the change in the resistance of the skins surface to the passage of electrical current. this means a GSR measures the electrical conductivity of the skin.
