1. UNIT 3 THE CONSCIOUS SELF
AREA OF STUDY 1: MIND, BRAIN & BODY

2. DESCRIBING CONSCIOUSNESS
The awareness of objects and events in the external world and of our own existence and mental experiences at any given moment
SELECTIVE You choose to attend to certain things and ignore others
CONTINUOUS There is never a time when consciousness is ‘empty’
CHANGING New information is constantly coming into awareness
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3. CLASSROOM ACTIVITY LEARNING ACTIVITY 2.1 (pg.95)
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4. DESCRIBING CONSCIOUSNESS STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
OUR STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS IS OUR AWARENESS OF OUR INTERNAL STATE & EXTERNAL SURROUNDINGS AT ANY GIVEN TIME THERE ARE NO DISTINCT BOUNDARIES TO INDICATE WHERE ONE STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS ENDS AND ANOTHER BEGINS PSYCHOLOGISTS OFTEN DESCRIBE CONSCIOUSNESS AS RANGING ALONG A CONTINUUM (OR SCALE)
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5. DESCRIBING CONSCIOUSNESS STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
TWO BROAD CATEGORIES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
NORMAL WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS
ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS
LEVEL OF AWARENESS
THE CONTENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS
THE USE OF CONTROLLED OR AUTOMATIC PROCESSES TO PERFORM TASKS
PERCEPTUAL EXPERIENCES
COGNITIVE ABILITIES
EMOTIONAL AWARENESS
SELF-CONTROL
THE EXPERIENCE OF TIME
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6. HOMEWORK LEARNING ACTIVITY 2.2 (pg.98) LEARNING ACTIVITY 2.3 (pg.98)
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7. CHARACTERISTICS OF NORMAL WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS
REFERS TO THE STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS ASSOCIATED WITH BEING AWAKE AND AWARE OF OUR THOUGHTS, MEMORIES, FEELINGS AND THE SENSATIONS WE FEEL FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD
LEVELS OF AWARENESS
- Role of Attention (Selected & Divided Attention)
CONTENT LIMITATIONS
CONTROLLED & AUTOMATIC PROCESSES
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8. CHARACTERISTICS OF NORMAL WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS LEVELS OF AWARENESS
ATTENTION = Concentration of a mental activity that involves focusing on a specific stimulus while ignoring other stimuli
SELECTIVE vs. DIVIDED
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9. CHARACTERISTICS OF NORMAL WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS LEVELS OF AWARENESS
SELECTIVE ATTENTION
Choosing and attending to a specific stimulus at the exclusion of others
WHAT MAKES US PAY ATTENTION?
Information that is personally important to us
(eg. the cocktail party phenomenon)
Information that is novel to us, new or unusual
(eg. television advertisers)
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10. CHARACTERISTICS OF NORMAL WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS LEVELS OF AWARENESS
DIVIDED ATTENTION
The ability to distribute our attention and undertake two or more activities simultaneously
Our ability to ‘multi-task’ depends on how much conscious effort is required for the various tasks in which we are engaged
NEISSER & BECKLEN (1975) – BOX 2.2
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11. CHARACTERISTICS OF NORMAL WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS CONTENT LIMITATIONS
Comparing NWC to an ASC, the content (type of information) held in our consciousness is:
More restricted or limited
Organised
Logical
Compare the content held in our consciousness during NWC as opposed to the content held in our consciousness when we are dreaming (an ASC)
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12. CHARACTERISTICS OF NORMAL WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS CONTROLLED & AUTOMATIC PROCESSES
CONTROLLED PROCESS (SERIAL) Involves conscious, alert awareness and mental effort in which the individual actively focuses their attention on achieving a particular goal AUTOMATIC PROCESS (PARALLEL) Requires little conscious awareness and mental effort, minimal attention and does not interfere with the performance of other activities
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13. CHARACTERISTICS OF NORMAL WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS CONTROLLED & AUTOMATIC PROCESSES
THE STROOP EFFECT
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14. CLASSROOM ACTIVITY STROOP’S EXPERIMENTS - BOX 2.3 (pg.104-105)
LEARNING ACTIVITY 2.10 (pg )
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15. HOMEWORK LEARNING ACTIVITY 2.5 (pg.106) LEARNING ACTIVITY 2.6 (pg.106)
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16. CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
USED TO DESCRIBE ANY STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS THAT IS DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT FROM NORMAL WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS, IN TERMS OF LEVEL OF AWARENESS & EXPERIENCE, AND THE QUALITY OR INTENSITY OF SENSATIONS, PERCEPTIONS, THOUGHTS, FEELINGS & MEMORIES
DISTORTIONS OF PERCEPTION & COGNITION
TIME ORIENTATION
CHANGES IN EMOTIONAL AWARENESS
CHANGES IN SELF-CONTROL
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17. CLASSROOM ACTIVITY PERCEPTION OF TIME DURING AN ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUNESS
LEARNING ACTIVITY 2.18 (pg.119)
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18. CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS DISTORTIONS OF PERCEPTION & COGNITION
PERCEPTION = the way that we experience the external environment
Sensory experiences are more vivid (eg.colours, tastes, smells, sounds)
People may hallucinate (experiencing things that are not happening)
They may see visions or hear non-existent voices
Normal pain threshold may increase
COGNITION = thinking, problem-solving, memory
Thought processes are often disorganised
Thinking is illogical and lacking in sequence
Difficulties experienced in problem-solving
People have trouble remembering events that occurred
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19. CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS TIME ORIENTATION
Estimation of time is frequently distorted Time may appear to pass slower or faster depending on the situation SLOW FAST
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20. CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS CHANGES IN EMOTIONAL AWARENESS
Alcohol Induced ASC
People become more emotional and express these emotions more readily
May respond inappropriately to situations (eg. laugh at bad news)
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21. CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS CHANGES IN SELF-CONTROL
Alcohol Induced ASC
Individuals have difficulty in maintaining coordination and controlling movements
May behave aggressively or affectionately when they would normally not behave this way
Hypnotic State
People become more susceptible to suggestion
Can gain greater self-control (eg. to quit smoking)
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22. HOMEWORK LEARNING ACTIVITY 2.11 (pg.111)
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23. CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS DAYDREAMING
AN ASC in which we shift our attention from external stimuli to internal thoughts, feelings and imagined scenarios
Daydreaming is more likely to occur when:
- we are stationary than when we are moving about
- we are alone
- we are waiting to fall asleep
- doing routine or boring activities
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24. CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS DAYDREAMING
PURPOSES OF DAYDREAMING
Allow us to do in our fantasies what we can’t do in reality (this reduces the frustration and tension we experience from unfulfilled wishes and needs) (FREUD)
Enables us to mentally try out a range of courses of action that could be applied to various situations (SINGER, 1975)
May enable us to solve problems or to stay mentally alert in situations in which there is insufficient external stimulation (SCHACHTER, 1976)
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25. CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS ALCOHOL-INDUCED STATE
Alcohol is a psychoactive drug
(chemicals that change conscious awareness, perception or moods)
STIMULANT VS DEPRESSANT
The specific effects of alcohol depend upon:
The concentration of the alcohol consumed
The amount of alcohol consumed
The conditions under which it is consumed
The rate of consumption
The amount of food in the person’s stomach
The person’s body weight, age, gender, body chemistry, physical wellbeing, emotional state and mood
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26. CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS ALCOHOL-INDUCED STATE
THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL
INCLUDE:
A shortened attention span
Impaired perceptions
Impaired thinking
Impaired memory
Slower reaction times
Reduced self-awareness
Impaired emotional awareness and control
Impaired perception of time
Less self-control
Difficulties with voluntary muscle control and fine movements
Deterioration in performance of complex tasks
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27. HOMEWORK LEARNING ACTIVITY 2.12 (pg.114)
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