Consciousness

Descartes

Believed that the Mind and the Brain were

two separate things

The mind is not made of matter, it is akin to the soul or the spirit

This position became known as Dualism

According to Descartes our ability to think proved our existence – Cogito Ergo Sum – ‘I think therefore I am’

Likewise the ability to conceive of god must itself constitute the existence of God

Problems with Cartesian Dualism

Brain damage leads to a change in phenomenology – conscious experience

Drugs effect conscious experience

Exactly how the mind (non material) interacts with the brain (material) cannot be demonstrated – magic is not a scientific answer

What is the mind made of?

If we have a Mind why do we need a brain?

Studies show that neural activity precedes conscious awareness of such activity – your brain ‘thinks’ then you become aware of it!

William JamesConsciousness can be likened to a stream

Continuous, Flowing, changing, with many levels

Essays in Radical Empiricism (1912) he set out the metaphysical view most commonly known as “neutral monism,” according to which there is one fundamental “stuff” that is neither material nor mental. 

 Reality or Pure experience, as he called it comes about when two bodies or minds interact, and reality is only accessible in the relations into which they enter

States of Consciousness

Put the folowing states of consciousness in order from most aware to least aware:

• Hypnotised

• Anaesthetised

• Complete lack of awareness

• Total awareness

• Daydreaming

• Focused attention

• Asleep

• Unconscious (coma)

• Meditative state

• Normal wakefulness

1. Total awareness

2. Focused attention

3. Normal Wakefulness

4. Daydreaming

5. Meditative State

6. Hypnotised

7. Asleep

8. Anaesthetised

9. Unconscious (coma)

10.Complete lack of awareness

States of Consciousness

Many things bombard our brain with information but it is our state of consciousness or level of awareness that filters this information and what we pay attention to.

Consciousness is NOT an all or nothing thing. Consider daydreaming or falling asleep.

The are TWO types of consciousness: Normal Waking Consciousness and Altered States of Consciousness.

Normal Waking Consciousness

The states of consciousness associated with being awake and aware of our thoughts, memories, feelings and the sensations we are experiencing from the outside world.

Normal waking consciousness includes all states of consciousness in the upper half of the continuum that involve heightened awareness.

Characteristics of NWC

AttentionSelective attention

Divided Attention

Content LimitationsWhat you think about is normal, logical and ordered

Controlled Processes (tasks)Require selective attention

Automatic processes (tasks)Can be completed with divided Attention

Normal Waking Consciousness -

AttentionSelective Attention Divided Attention

•Involves selectively attending to certain stimuli while ignoring other stimuli.•The focus of our awareness is limited •We notice very little of the information that is not attended to •“Cocktail Party Phenomenon”

•Refers to the ability to distribute our attention and undertake two or more activities simultaneously•Eg- completing a gym workout while listening to music and having a conversation with a friend

The Cocktail Party Phenonemenon

The ability to divide your attention across a range of stimuli.

Specifically if you are in a conversation with a group of people and someone in another conversation mentions your name, you will shift your attention to the alternate conversation.

Imagine being at a party and listening to two conversations at once.

Characteristics of Consciousness

The following characteristics of consciousness vary considerably depending on the state of consciousness.

Content Limitation

Controlled and Automatic Processes

Perceptual and Cognitive Distortions

Emotional Awareness

Self Control

Time Orientation

Characteristics of Consciousness

Activity- Complete the mix and match activity outlining the

characteristics of consciousness

Characteristic of an ASCDistortions of Perception & Cognition

- Vivid or dulled, drugs can cause hallucination

- Cant think straight, hard to make decisions

Disturbed sense of time

- Teleportation home from that party

Changes in emotional awareness

- more emotional…. I love you guys…slur

Changes in self control

- Hypnosis more suggestible,

- control pain response,

- or maybe do something really stupid

 

Examples of ASC’s

Sleep/Dreams

Daydreaming

Meditative state

Alcohol induced state

Other psychoactive drugs

Daydreaming

Shift in attention from external to internal stimuli (thoughts feelings and emotions)

More likely to occur when still

More likely when alone

More likely when tired

Possibly allow us to fulfil fantasies (freud)

Assist with problem solving – try out alternatives

Meditative states

studies show decreased blood flow to the parietal lobes which control our sense of space

Often attention selectively focused on one thing

Brain wave patterns often resemble early stages of sleep

Can help relieve pain

Stress management

Benefits that rest alone can not give

Alcohol induced states

Alcohol is a psychoactive drug – change consciousness perception and mood

Alcohol is a depressant – blocks or retards neural transmission

Excessive acute use can cause death

Drunk people show all elements of ASC

How can you study consciousness?

EEG

How can you study consciousness?

Heart rate

Body temp

GSR - sweating