U4 AOS 1 (Consciousness) Flashcards
(30 cards)
Consciousness
The awareness of our own thoughts, feelings and perceptions (internal events) and our surroundings (external stimuli) at any given moment
Psychological Construct
We know that consciousness exists but it can not be directly observed
The conscious experience is continuous, selective, personal and changing
Continuous: never empty, ideas flow freely from one to another
Selective: can choose to focus or ignore things
Personal: relies on own thoughts, feelings and perceptions
Changing: rarely travels along one line of thought
Continuum of Awareness
TOTAL AWARENESS (ASC) Focused attention (Nwc) Ordinary wakefulness (Nwc) Divided attention (Nwc) Daydreaming (ASC) Meditation (ASC) Hypnosis (ASC) Sleep (ASC) Anaesthetised (ASC) Coma (ASC) TOTAL LACK OF AWARENESS (ASC)
Normal Waking Consciousness
State of consciousness when we are awake and aware of our thoughts, feelings, memories and sensations we are experiencing from the outside world
- focus attention, ordinary awareness, divided attention, control processes, automatic processes
Altered State of Consciousness
Distinctly different change in the quality and pattern of mental activity from the normal, including thoughts and feelings
- naturally occurring: occur in the normal course of everyday life without need of aid (sleep, daydreaming, coma)
- induced: intentionally achieved through the use of an aid. Can be physiologically induced (drugs) or psychologically induced (meditation, alcohol, hypnosis, anaesthetised, coma, sleep)
Frequency
How often an electrical impulse is detected
Amplitude
Intensity of electrical impulse
Measurements of physiological responses that indicate ASC
DARE- detect, amplify and record electrical activity
EEG- dare of brain
EOG- dare of muscles that control eye movement
EMG: dare of skeletal muscles
EEG
- dare of brain in the form of brain wave
- external electrodes attached to surface of scalp
- electrodes measure combined electrical output of neurons firing in cortex below scalp
- beta > alpha > theta > delta
EMG
- indicates change in muscle activity (movement) and muscle tone (tension)
- electrodes attached to skin above muscles being measured
- often placed under chin when monitoring sleep as jaw muscle activity changes dramatically in sleep
EOG
- Electrodes placed on skin near each eye
- primarily used to differentiate between REM and nREM
Speed and Accuracy on Cognitive Tasks
- measure ability to use controlled processing over automatic processing
- cognitive tasks try to be as objective as possible, allows for consistent and standardised tests
- speed: time elapsed between stimulus and response
- accuracy: number of correct/incorrect responses
Sleep diaries
- rely on a self report method
- Questionnaires on sleep problems, recording time asleep, waking individual and asking about quality of sleep
- provide useful thoughts and feelings that aren’t measured in EEG/EMG/EOG
Video Monitoring
- infrared light is used so participant is not disturbed
- often used to measure sleep behaviours (sleepwalking)
Characteristics of NWC and ASC
Level of Awareness Content Limitations Controlled and Automatic Processes Perceptual and Cognitive Distortions Emotional Awareness Self Control Time Orientation
Level of awareness
Def: awareness of internal and external events
NWC: awake, aware of place time, reality, internal and external events
ASC: increased or decreased from norms, mostly lowered
Content limitations
Def: amount of control possessed to limit what is attended to
NWC: more constrained and controlled. Can selectively process what’s in consciousness
ASC: more or less than NWC, usually less constrained and controlled, fewer limitations on content, reduced ability to process information
Controlled and Automatic Processes
Def: ability to effectively perform two or more tasks at once depending on complexity
NWC: perform controlled and automatic processes within normal limits. Attention highly selective/focused and able to be divided between tasks
ASC: usually less able compared to NWC. less control over attention, which may be highly selective but unable to be divided between tasks
Divided Attention
Capacity to attend to and perform two or more activities at the same time. Ability to divided attention depends on how much conscious effort is required for various tasks. Harder to perform two or more similar mental tasks simultaneously
Selective Attention
Choosing and attending to a specific stimulus to the exclusion of others. Influenced by importance/personal relevance, novelty and changing features
Perceptual and Cognitive Distortions
Def: Degree of awareness and efficiency of your perceptions and cognitions (memory and thought processes)
NWC: perceptions (including pain) are realistic and normal. Effective control of memory processes (storage and retrieval). Thought processes are logical and organised
ASC: perceptions may be altered. Memory processes may be disrupted and distorted. Storage and recall may be less accurate. Thought processes disorganised and less logical
Emotional Awareness
Def: the experience of emotions (feelings)
NWC: greater awareness of emotions and control of emotional awareness
ASC: less, sometimes more, control of emotions. More/less affectionate, aggressive, anxious
Self Control
Def: ability to maintain self control usually in terms of monitoring ABC’s
NWC: more control over actions and movements
ASC: less control over actions and movement. Less control of emotions and thoughts but greater susceptibility to suggestions may decrease self control
