DP1: Concepts of NWC & ASC

What is consciousness? The awareness of our thoughts, feelings, behavior, actions and environment at any moment in time. Consciousness can be thought of as operating on a continuum from a high level of consciousness or awareness through to the point of being unconscious (being totally unaware). Consciousness can be described as: selective: you can choose what you want to attend to and what you want to ignore. personal: no two people will have the same thoughts on anything. What we think about day-to-day and what we believe, what we experience or what we interpret is completely unique. continuous: it is a continuous stream of consciousness. The level of awareness of internal events and external surroundings is known as states of consciousness (SOC). Normal waking consciousness (NWC) are the states of consciousness you experience when you are awake and aware of your thoughts, feelings and perceptions from internal events and the surrounding environment. During NWC, you experience: a real sense of time and place and these experiences creates your reality and provides a baseline from which to judge all other SOC. NOTE: It is not unusual to swap consciousness with the term awareness they are linked together. Your level of awareness influences the other characteristics of consciousness.

 NWC occupies the awake to alert zone on the continuum. ASC occupies the reduced awareness and heightened awareness on the continuum. Types of ASC include: daydreaming: a naturally occurring ASC where there is a shift in awareness from external events to internal thoughts.

meditation: a purposely induced ASC where individuals are highly focused on an internal thought at the expense of other stimuli.

alcohol-induced state:

a purposely induced ASC where a substance slows or depresses the brain and nervous system.

DP2: Sleep as an ASC ???

DP3: Methods of studying alertness

Psychological/hypothetical construct: something we believe exists but is difficult to measure Physiological indictors include: heart rate body temperature galvanic skin response (GSR) Measures the electrical conductivity of the skins surface or skins resistance to conductivity.

Psychological/behavioural indicators include: content limitations: the content (type of information) of NWC is generally more limited (restricted) or inhibited. less guarded, not filtered properly during ASC.

perceptual and cognitive distortions: the process of interpreting sensory stimuli. having a real awareness of the internal state and external stimuli. relates to mental activities such as thinking, problem solving, language and reasoning (analysis).

emotional awareness: heightned/lowered emotions. more/less control over emotions. appropriate or inappropriate emotions for the situation.

self-control: direct our thoughts and monitor our impulses and behaviours.

ability/inability to maintain selfcontrol.

time orientation: good/bad awareness of the passage of time.