PSYCHOLOGY EXAM REVISION UNITS 3 AND 4

Chapter 2 states of consciousness

Normal waking consciousness (NWC): refers to states of consciousness that
are associated to being awake and aware of our thoughts, feelings, memories
and the sensations we are experiencing from the outside world.
Attention: a concentration of mental activity that involves on focusing on
specific stimuli while ignoring other stimuli.
Selective attention: involves selectively attending to certain stimuli while the
others are ignored.
Divided attention: is the ability to distribute our attention and be able to
undertake two or more activities simultaneously.
The cocktail party phenomenon: a person being drawn from task to another
if they hear their name being mentioned.
Content limitations:
Controlled processes: when the processing of information involves conscious,
alert awareness and mental effort in which the individual actively focuses their
attention on achieving a particular goal. Controlled processes are serial; only
one activity that is a controlled process can be undertaken at a time.
Automatic processes: requires little conscious awareness and mental effort,
minimal attention and does not interfere with the performance of other activities,
hence are parallel. More than one task can be completed simultaneously.
The Stroop effect: the effect in which it takes longer to name the colour of the
ink in which the word is printed if the word the word spells the name of a
different colour than it does to identify a block of colour. (believed to occur
because when we are presented with a word, our automatic response is to read
the word).
Altered state of consciousness (ASC): any state of consciousness that is
distinctly different from normal waking consciousness, in terms of level of
awareness and experience, and the intensity of sensations, perceptions,
thoughts, feelings and memories that are experienced.
Differences in NWC and ASC: things that are different in ASC as compared to
NWC are time orientation, self-control, emotional awareness, distortions of
perception and cognition.
Changes in emotional awareness: in ASC emotional awareness can change as
compared to NWC; some people express their emotions more in ASC (alcohol
induced) than NWC, in some other states some people express no emotion at all.
Changes in self-control: in ASC for example in alcohol induced state may
individuals often have difficulty coordinating and controlling movements. Also
have difficulty maintaining emotions like becoming too aggressive to people who
they would not usually be aggressive to.

Changes in time orientation: Time estimation by people is distorted in ASC, time

seems to pass at a different rate than usual. Time can appear to pass by
extremely fast or slow in ASC.
Distortions of perception and cognition: senses can be more or less receptive to
external stimuli in ASC. Pain perception can change. Colours can seem different.
Tastes can become stronger or weaker, sounds become variable, people can
hallucinate (experiencing perceptions of stimuli or events that are not really
occurring).
Daydreaming: is an altered state of consciousness in which an individual shifts
their attention from external stimuli to internal thoughts, feelings and sensations.
Meditation: involves the use of a technique to deliberately alter normal waking
consciousness in order to induce an altered state of consciousness characterised
by a deep state of relaxation. It may also produce a heightened state of personal
awareness and feelings of inner peace and tranquillity.
Alcohol- induced state: when an individual is in an alcoholic state. The specific
effects of alcohol depend on concentration of alcohol consumed, the amount of
alcohol consumed, the rate of consumption, the amount of food in stomach, body
weight, age, gender, body type, drinking history etc. effects can include;
Shortened attention span (difficulties in maintaining concentration)
impaired perceptions (e.g. a slowdown in the processing of information from the
senses and may therefore have trouble seeing, hearing, feeling and so on) pain
threshold can change.
Slower reaction times: not reacting to stimuli or situations quickly
Reduced self-awareness: e.g. focusing attention on the immediate situation and
away from any future consequence to self
Impaired emotional awareness: exaggerated states of emotional experiences.
Impaired perception of time: estimating time can be incorrect and/or being
unaware of how much time has actually passed.
Less self-control: e.g. being more self-confident or daring or ore impulsive; saying
the first thought that comes to mind rather than an appropriate comment for the
given situation; being silly
Difficulties with voluntary muscular control and fine movements
Deterioration in performance in complex tasks
Methods used to study level of alertness in NWC: key note is that states of
consciousness cannot be directly observed or measured, which is why this is
referred to a psychological construct. Devices such as EEG
(electroencephalograph), body temperature, galvanic skin response and heart
rate can be used to give an indication of the state of consciousness the individual
is in.
EEG: a device that detects amplifies and records general patterns of electrical
activity of the brain. The electrical activity is produced by the billions of neurons

in the cerebral cortex. The EEG amplifies and translates the relatively weak
electrical activity. The EEG displays brain wave activity on a computer monitor
these are called EEG records or electroencephalograms.
Body temperature: less variable than heart rate but can also change with
physical activity in NWC in ASC usually the body temperature drops which is
evident in sleep or physical health problems or disease.
Galvanic skin response: used to indicate the change in the resistance of the
skin to an electrical current. This resistance is measured by the electrical
conductivity of the skin. Changes in GSR are closely associated with emotional
experience of high emotional arousal which often gives increased sweating which
is shown in a GSR as an increase in electrical conductivity (that is, a decrease in
electrical resistance). This can be used to determine a persons state of
conscious.
Heart rate: changes in heart rate can also indicate the levels of alertness. In
some ASCs the heart rate can increase and decrease compared to the heart rate
during NWC