VCE Psychology Unit 4 AOS 1

VCE Psychology Unit 4 AOS 1 Verified Answers Consciouness our awareness of objects and events in the external world, and of our sensations, mental experiences and own existence at any given moment Consciousness is . an experience . personal (subjective) . selective (can choose to attend to certain things and ignore others) . continuous . constantly changing Contents of consciousness . internal sensations, e.g. breathing . external surroundings, e.g. perceptions of where you are, what you see, hear, feel or smell . your self as the unique person having these experiences . memories of personal experiences . comments you make to yourself . your beliefs and attitudes . your plans for activities later in the day Psychological construct a concept that is 'constructed' to describe specific 'psychological' activity, or a pattern of activity, that is believed to occur or exist but cannot be directly observed In studying an individual's state of consciousness, researchers typically rely on . information provided by the individual (e.g. self-reports) . behaviour that is demonstrated (e.g. responses during experimental research) . physiological changes that can be measured (e.g. recording brain activity) Consciousness as a psychological construct cannot be directly observed or measured, thus, it is referred to as a psychological (or hypothetical) construct Consciousness continuum TOTAL AWARENESS . Focused attention . Normal wakefulness DIVISION BETWEEN NORMAL WAKING CONSCIOUSNESS AND ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS . Daydreaming . Meditative state . Hypnotised . Asleep . Anaesthetised . Coma COMPLETE LACK OF AWARENESS Normal Waking Consciousness (NWC) the states of consciousness associated with being awake and aware of objects and events in the external world, and of one's sensations, mental experiences and own existence . organised clear thoughts . perceive the world as real, accurate perception of time and place Degrees of NWC NWC is not one single state, as there are varying levels or 'degrees' of awareness we shift between when we are awake 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 . mental processing of internal and external stimuli shows measurable changes . e.g. self-awareness, emotional awareness and perceptions of time, place and one's surroundings may change. In addition, normal inhibitions or self-control may weaken Naturally-occurring ASCs a normal part of our lives and occur naturally in the course of our everyday activities without the need for any aid e.g. sleep, daydreaming & dreaming Induced ASCs do not occur naturally and are instead induced (intentionally achieved by the use of some kind of aid) e.g. meditation, hypnosis, alcohol ingestion, medications or illegal drugs Attention a concentration of mental activity that involves focusing on a specific stimulus while