Lesson Notes

Lesson 5.1a Controlled versus Automatic Processes

In this lesson we will try to distinguish between three major types of consciousness – controlled and automatic processes.

Controlled processes are behaviours that are require us to be really focused on. Typically this is something that is “new” to us. This heightened level of focus can sometimes make us unaware of the things around us. For those of you who are learning to drive are most likely experiencing a controlled process. I remember when I was learning to drive I was so focused on where my hands should be, how hard to push the gas, checking my mirrors, etc, that having the radio on (or whether it was even on) would have been outside of my consciousness. Another example is when you are focusing on studying. Even if you are listening to music (which doesn’t work by the way) if you are concentrating hard enough on the work, the songs can go by and you won’t even notice that the song is finished.

Automatic processes are the instances where you only require minimal attention in order to perform the task. This usually occurs after several instances of controlled processes. In other words, tying your shoes, reading, even driving become automatic processes for most people. There comes a time where you start to pay less attention to the little details needed to perform the task. Think about it, you didn’t all of sudden learn how to read. A long time ago you had to learn how to make all of these letters sound like words. Now you are at the point where you simply “read” without having to decipher each consonant, vowel, and syllable.

The third level of awareness we are going to explore is our subconscious. There has been debate for decades of whether our subconscious could be manipulated…which was tried by several companies back in the 1950s. What we do know is that our subconscious includes not only these subliminal perceptions, but also sleep and dreams. Try out this cool website on subliminal messages.