Psychology Notes Unit 4 AOS 1 PDF

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Psychology Notes Unit 4 AOS 1 How do levels of consciousness affect mental processes and behaviour?

DP1: Consciousness as a psychological construct that varies along a continuum, broadly categorised into normal waking consciousness and altered states of consciousness (naturally occurring and induced) Consciousness overview  Consciousness: The level of awareness of our thoughts, feelings and perceptions of our internal events and external stimuli at any given time  States of consciousness: The different levels of awareness that we experience at different times  Psychological construct: A concept that describes specific mental activity that is believed to exist but cannot be directly observed  Consciousness is a psychological construct because it is not tangible nor able to be seen  Consciousness varies along a continuum of awareness with two extremes – total awareness (eg. Focussed attention) and complete lack of awareness (eg. Coma) Continuum of awareness: Focused attention

Normal wakefulness

Daydreaming

Meditating

Asleep

Coma

Normal waking consciousness vs altered states of consciousness  Normal waking consciousness: Associated with being awake and aware of one’s sensations, mental experiences and own existence (internal events), and aware of objects and events in the external world  Altered state of consciousness (ASC): Any state of consciousness that is distinctively different from normal waking consciousness in terms of level of awareness and the intensity of sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings and memories we experience. o Naturally occurring ASCs – a normal part of our everyday lives eg. Sleeping, daydreaming o Induced ASCs – intentionally achieved by the use of some kind of aid (eg. Illegal drugs, meditation) or unintentionally achieved due to an accident, disease or disorder (eg. A concussion from playing sport) Past VCAA Q: Compare and contrast dreaming and daydreaming. 2 marks  Similarity: Dreaming and daydreaming are both altered states of consciousness that involve lower levels of awareness and attention than normal waking consciousness.  Differences: Dreaming occurs when you are asleep, whereas daydreaming occurs when you are awake.

Attention is used to determine one’s state of consciousness  Attention: A concentration of mental activity that involves focusing on a specific stimulus while ignoring and excluding other stimuli

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Selective attention: Involves having complete and utter focus on one particular stimulus, whilst ignoring or blocking out other stimuli o Requires high mental effort and a high level of awareness o Used for complex, unfamiliar tasks o Eg. Learning how to drive Divided attention: Involves distributing our focus and undertaking two or more tasks simultaneously o Requires low mental effort and a low level of awareness o Used for simple, familiar tasks o Eg. An experienced driver driving and talking to passengers at the same time

DP2: The measurement of physiological responses to indicate different states of consciousness, including EEG, EMG, EOG and other techniques to investigate consciousness (measurement of speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks, subjective reporting of consciousness, including sleep diaries and video monitoring) Assessing different states of consciousness introduction  To assess different states of consciousness, different measures can be used, including:  Physiological responses, such as the EEG, EMG and EOG, and  Psychological/behavioural responses, such as the speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks (objective measure), sleep diaries (subjective measure) and video monitoring (subjective measure)

Electroencephalograph (EEG)  EEG: A device that detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of the brain, in the form of brain wave patterns  There are different types of brain waves, which indicate what state of consciousness someone is in  The brain waves are recorded and displayed on a moving graph Brain waves  Frequency: Number of brain waves per second o High frequency = faster, more brain waves per second = high level of awareness o Low frequency = slower, less brain waves per second = low level of awareness  Amplitude: The size of the peaks and troughs of the waves from a baseline of zero activity o High amplitude = bigger peaks and troughs = low level of awareness o Low amplitude = small peaks and troughs = high level of awareness  Four types of brain waves: beta, alpha, theta and delta

Electromyograph (EMG)  EMG: A device that detects, amplifies and records electrical activity of the muscles  Indicates changes in muscle activity (movement) and muscle tone (tension)  Usually, leg muscles, muscles on the torso and/or face muscles are recorded  The records of the EMG are displayed as line graphs

Electro-oculargraph (EOG)  EOG: A device that detects, amplifies and records electrical activity in muscles that control eye movements  The records of the EOG are displayed as line graphs  Mainly used to distinguish between the different stages of sleep

Tip: Use the acronym “DARE” (detects, amplifies and records electrical activity) to remember what to include in the definitions of the EEG, EMG and EOG Tip: VCAA usually includes multiple choice questions and/or short answer questions on the EEG, EOG and EMG on the exam VCAA 2013 Q: Did the researcher collect quantitative or qualitative data by means of the EEG, EMG and EOG? 1 mark Quantitative VCAA 2014 Q:

Measurement of speed and accuracy on cognitive tasks  Measurement of speed: Involves reaction time to a stimulus, usually measured in milliseconds o Ie. How much time elapses between the presentation of some stimulus and the individual’s response to the stimulus  Measurement of accuracy: Involves the number of correct responses and incorrect responses made by the individual o Usually, the proportions of correct and incorrect responses in relation to the total number of possible responses is calculated  Measurement of speed and accuracy are objective performance measures because their scores are not open to person opinion by the researcher eg. Speed can be measured using an electronic timing device

Sleep diaries  Sleep diary: A self-reported record of an individual’s sleep and waking activities, usually over a period of several weeks  The participant will write things like what time they fall asleep/wake up, what they do before sleeping, how long they think it takes them to go to sleep, how they feel when they wake up etc  A sleep diary is a subjective performance measure because it is very personal to the participant eg. One person’s feeling of tiredness is different to another person’s feeling of tiredness

Video monitoring  Video monitoring: Involves video cameras recording observable movements and physiological responses  Most commonly used in the study of sleep, at sleep centres and clinics  Records responses such as changes in body position, amount of ‘tossing and turning’, sleep walking and what happens when awakening from a nightmare  Video monitoring is a subjective performance measure because researchers interpret the video with their own bias opinion

DP3: Changes to a person’s psychological state due to levels of awareness, controlled and automatic processes, content limitations, perceptual and cognitive distortions, emotional awareness, self-control and time orientation

Psychological characteristics Level of Awareness: How conscious or aware you are of internal and/or external events

Automatic process: Requires little conscious awareness and mental effort, minimal attention and does not interfere with the performance of other tasks Controlled process: Requires conscious, alert awareness and mental effort to achieve one task Content Limitations: The amount of control you have in limiting what you attend to

Normal waking consciousness

Altered state of consciousness

You have a relatively high level of awareness of your thoughts, feelings and perceptions of your internal events and eternal stimuli

You either have heightened or reduced awareness of your thoughts, feelings and perceptions of your internal events and external stimuli

You can perform several automatic processes simultaneously You can perform a controlled process effectively

Eg. You’re worse at driving when drunk Eg. You have clearer thoughts when meditating

- You have more control over what content you choose to attend to - Content is more limited - Your thoughts are usually organised and logical

- You have less/more control over what you attend to and the type of content is more/less varied - Your thoughts are less/more organised and logical

Eg. You can limit what you’re thinking about you’re focusing in an exam

Emotional Awareness: Relates to the experience of emotions and feelings

Self-Control: The ability to

Eg. You’re less aware when you’re asleep Eg. You’re more aware of internal thoughts when meditating You either have a worse or better ability to perform automatic and controlled processes

- You are consciously aware of how you feel - You can control and maintain your feelings

- You are able to regulate what you say and do

Eg. When dreaming, you have very little control over the content of your thoughts, and they’re more varied Eg. In meditation, you have more control over what you’re thinking and the thoughts are less varied - Your feelings are more/less intense than usual - You find it easier/harder to control and maintain your feelings - You have inappropriate emotional reactions to things Eg. Someone’s so drunk that they are numb to the hurt of their partner breaking up with them Eg. High on illegal drugs, someone might laugh at something unfunny - Your ability to regulate what you say and do is reduced/increased

regulate what we say and do

Perceptual and cognitive distortions: The awareness and efficiency of your perceptions (interpretation of the senses) and cognition (thought processes)

- Sensory awareness of internal and external events is realistic - Thought processes are organised and logical (cognitive) - You have effective control of memory processes (cognitive)

Time Orientation: The ability to correctly perceive the speed at which time passes

- You have a clear sense of the passage of time and past, present, future events.

VCAA tip: VCAA says you must use the words “sensory awareness”

VCAA tip: VCAA says you must use the phrase “passage of time”

Eg. Saying something rude to someone in an alcohol induced state Eg. Calming your urge to be angry at someone during meditation - Sensory awareness of internal and external events is more/less realistic Thought processes are less/more organised and logical (cognitive) - You have less/more effective control of memory processes (cognitive) Eg. You’re more receptive to bright colours when on illegal drugs Eg. You have disorganised thoughts when you’re drunk - You usually have a distorted sense of the passage of time - Time either speeds up or slows down Eg. You wake up in the morning after a 9 hour sleep feeling like you’ve been asleep for 5 minutes

Tip: You must explain the ‘highs and lows’ of each psychological characteristic. Eg. In an ASC, you can either have a higher or lower level of awareness compared to NWC.

VCAA Q 2013: Hannah was baking a cake for the first time. While waiting for the cake to cook, Hannah was daydreaming and accidentally burnt the cake. Identify and explain two characteristics of daydreaming that may have contributed to the burning of Hannah’s cake. 4 marks  Time orientation 1 mark – Hannah would have had reduced awareness of the passage of time and thought that less time had passed than was really the case, therefore allowing the cake to overcook 1 mark  Perceptual and cognitive distortions 1 mark – Hannah may have reduced sensory awareness and may not have noticed the smell of the burning cake 1 mark  Can also talk about: level of attention, level of awareness  Note: Must mention Hannah and talk about what happens AFTER the cake is in the oven (not before)

DP4: Changes in levels of alertness as indicated by brain waves patterns (beta, alpha, theta, delta) due to drug-induced altered states of consciousness (stimulants and depressants) Drug-induced altered state of consciousness

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Drug: Any substance that can change a person’s physical and/or mental functioning (either a stimulant or depressant) Drugs influence specific neurotransmitters or receptors, or chemically alter neuronal functioning in other ways Their potential effects are influenced by a range of variables, such as the type of drug, the dose and strength of the drug and personal characteristics of the individual like body weight

Stimulants  Stimulants: Drugs that increase activity in the central nervous system and the rest of the body  Stimulants excite brain activity – there’s an increase in higher frequency activity and a decrease in lower frequency activity (specifically, there’s an increase in beta waves and decrease in delta, theta and alpha waves) o The more potent the depressant, the longer-lasting these changes will persist  Range from mild (eg. Caffeine) to intense (eg. Cocaine)  Stimulants may alter attention, mood, emotional awareness, self-control, time orientation, memory, judgement, decision making and other cognitive processes  Eg. Amphetamine increases alertness, confidence and feelings of wellbeing and motivation  Stimulants have side effects (if taken in high dosage), such as feeling nauseous, irritable, depressed and exhausted for days  Stimulants increase physiological arousal

Depressants  Depressants: Drugs that decrease activity in the central nervous system and the rest of the body  Depressants inhibit brain activity – there’s an increase in lower frequency activity and a decrease in higher frequency activity (specifically, there’s a decrease in beta waves and increase in delta, theta and alpha waves) o The more potent the depressant, the longer-lasting these changes will persist  Makes you feel calm, relaxed, drowsy and can put you to sleep or anaesthesia. Reduces alertness, awareness, responsiveness, cognitive functioning, self-control and physical activity.  Eg. Valium makes you sleepy; high levels of alcohol slows brain functioning and affects motor and sensory areas  Severe drug-induced sedation can cause a flat EEG

Sample Q: Describe the brain wave pattern most likely to be induced by depressants and stimulants. 2 marks

DP5: The effects on consciousness (cognition, concentration and mood) of one night of full sleep deprivation as a comparison with effects of legal bloodalcohol concentrations Dawson and Reid experiments overview First experiment:  First condition – participants were kept awake for 28 hours

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Second condition – participants consumed 15 grams of alcohol every 30 minutes until their BAC reached 0.10%  All participants were assessed on ‘cognitive psychomotor performance’ at 30 minute intervals (whilst participants were completing their condition) through a computer administered test of eye-hand coordination involving concentration, speed, accuracy and decision making. Second experiment:  First condition – participants consumed an alcoholic drink every 30 minutes until their BAC reached 0.10%  Second condition – participants consumed placebo every 30 minutes  Third condition – participants were deprived of sleep for one night  All participants’ performance was tested hourly through computer administration. Each test lasted for 15 minutes and included: eye-hand coordination, concentration, sensory comparison and grammatical reasoning

Findings on how cognition and concentration are affected  A full night of sleep deprivation and moderate alcohol intoxication affects cognitive tasks and concentration tasks  The effects of being sleep deprived for 17 hours+ on performance are similar to a BAC of 0.05%  The effects of being sleep deprived for 24 hours+ on performance are similar to a BAC of 0.10%  Performance impairment effects of moderate sleep deprivation (24 hours) are equivalent to or greater than the level of alcohol that is illegal when driving, working and operating dangerous machinery.  As the level of blood-alcohol concentration or amount of sleep deprivation increased, performance on the tasks decreased  The placebo drink did not significantly affect performance

Findings on how mood is affected  Generally, sleep deprivation results in negative moods (eg. Irritability)  Generally, alcohol consumption results in either positive or negative moods, depending on the amount consumed, the individual and the situation  Our mood can enhance or impair concentration and cognitive performance eg. Being angry can intefere with your ability to concentrate and think clearly  Our mood can influence alcohol consumption and sleeping patterns

Sample Q: Compare the effects of one full night of sleep deprivation and the effects of moderate alcohol intoxication on cognition, concentration and mood. 2 marks  Similarity: A full night of sleep deprivation and moderate alcohol intoxication both affect cognitive tasks and concentration tasks, such as a decrease in performance for an unpredictable tracking task testing eye-hand coordination.  Difference: Sleep deprivation generally results in negative moods (eg. Being irritable), whereas alcohol consumption generally either results in positive (eg. Joyful) or negative (eg. Anger) moods.

DP6: Sleep as a regular and naturally occurring altered state of consciousness that follows a circadian rhythm and involves the ultradian rhythms of REM and NREM Stages 1-4 sleep Sleep introduction  Sleep: A reversible behavioural state of perceptual disengagement from and unresponsiveness to the environment o Reversible = organism can be woken up o Perceptual disengagement = organism is unaware of the sights, sounds, smells and other sensory stimuli in their external environment o Unresponsive = does not react to their environment, unless the sensory stimulus is very strong  All parts of the definition must be present for someone to be said to be asleep  In sleep, we usually have a loss of conscious awareness. However, we can sometimes be conscious/do conscious movements when we’re asleep eg. Lucid dreaming, sleep walking, sleep talking

Biological rhythms  Biological rhythm: Naturally occurring physiological responses that follow a set pattern of periodic fluctuations, repeating over a certain period of time in the same order  Eg. Body temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar level, secretion of certain hormones, alertness and the sleep-wake cycle  Two categories of biological rhythms are: circadian rhythms and ultradian rhythms

Circadian rhythms  Circadian rhythm: Involves changes in bodily functions or activities that occur as part of a cycle with a duration of about 24 hours  Eg. The human sleep-wake cycle, body temperature  Circadian rhythms make you sleepier at night time and less sleepy at daytime  Melatonin: A hormone that makes us feel sleepy o High melatonin levels at night time = sleepier  The superchiasmatic nucleus (SCN) (an area of the hypothalamus) is the master biological clock that regulates the timing and activity of the sleep-wake cycle (and other circadian rhythms).

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The SCN receives information about the amount of incoming light from our eyes  sends neuronal messages to the pineal gland to adjust melatonin levels in the blood, helps adjust body temperature and other hormonal levels (eg. Cortisol for alertness) o Light can be from the sun, electricity, phones etc Zeitgebers: Environmental time cues which help maintain the biological clock to a 24-hour day eg. ligh...