PSYC 100 L03

Dualism

body and mind are of different quality, or composed of different elements

starting 4-5 years children divide world into mental and physical things

anaxogaras

first to propose concept of dualism

argued that plants, animals and humans are composed of nous (mind) and the material organism

plato

discussed idea of dualism systematically, thus considered the originator of dualism

Cartesian Dualism

mind; non physical, non extended

body; physical, extended

Interaction Problem

how do physical and non-physical substances interact and why

how are the brain and mind/consciousness related

dualist justification

pineal gland connects the body and mind

however there is no justification as to why it is the pineal gland specifically that does this

Idealists (spiritual monists)

mind is fundamental

problem; why and how does a consistent physical world arise

Neutral Monists (monism)

mental and physical are two different ways to represent the same reality which is neutral-- neither mental nor physical

materialists

matter is fundamental

the hard problem

How to account for consciousness?

How can matter give rise to mind?

how do physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experiences

easy problems

perception, learning, memory, attention

massimo pigliucci

the hard problem is an illusion

Patricia Churchland

impossible to decide in advance what is a hard and easy problem. will there be something left for consciousness once we understand the easy problems ?

thomas nagel

What is it like to be a bat?

can we ever know what it is like to be a bat

nagel argues that it is impossible because consciousness is subjective, a private experience

methodological reductionism

explaining a phenomenon at a more fundamental level

the mind body problem

in human experiences there are two different things that cannot be brought together; our own private experience vs the physical world

physical world is assumed to exist and we share it with others

our own experience of this world is inner, private, subjective experience of the physical world; its quality cannot be shared with anybody

qualia

introspectively accessible, phenomenal, private aspects of our mental lives

subject experiences have an ineffable subjective quality

consciousness

no commonly agreed upon definition

- is identical to the physical processes we can observe in the brain. consciousness is not an added something to cognitive processes

-consciousness is an illusion; does not exist

-does exist and is an additional quality added to humans

-functionalist view; consciousness is intrinsic and inseparable quality to humans

panpsychism

All particles in the universe have some form of experience; thus consciousness pervades the entire universe

varela and maturana

argue that wherever there is life, there is consciousness

Gaia Theory

our planet itself is a life form and thus endowed with consciousness

integrated information theory by tononi

all systems that integrate information have some level of consciousness

phi score

the levels of integration of information can be calculated by the phi score

the more information is integrated, the higher the score, the higher the system's level of consciousness

definition of consciousness as per oxford dictionary 5th edition

the state or faculty or a particular state of being aware of one's thought, feelings, actions etc

the totality of the thoughts, feelings, impressions etc of a person

the state of having the mental faculties awake and active

consciousness is discussed in psychology text books in terms of

attention, awareness, circadian rhythms, sleep, dreams, hypnosis etc

consciousness as described by william james

consciousness as a flow or stream

ways to find evidence for unconscious processes as per freud

slips of tongue

dreams

rorschach inkblot test

unconsciousness

mental activities that occur without any awareness

self awareness

capacity to become the object of one's own attention

occurs when an organism focuses not on the external environment but on the internal milieu

organism becomes aware that it is awake and actually experiencing specific mental events, emitting behaviours and possessing unique characteristics

william james on self

self can be separated into I and ME

damasio

core and autobiographical self

gallagher

minimal and narrative self

Dr Dennett's definition of self

the center of narrative gravity -- self as the center of experience but also situated in a broader annd ongoing narrative

default mode network

comprised mostly of medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex, inferior and temporal regions

some argue that activity of the default mode network correlates with the experience of the self

levels of consciousness

levels of alertness or responsiveness are correlated with patterns of electrical activity in the brain (brain waves) recorded by an electroencephalograph (EEG)

irregular alpha and beta waves

during wide awake consciousness, the pattern of brain waves consist of rapid irregular waves of low amplitude voltage

sleep consciousness

during sleep, when consciousness seems to be minimal the brain waves are much slower and of greater amplitude, often coming in periodic bursts of slow waxing and waning amplitudes (gamma, delta and theta waves)

additional measures during sleep studis

EOG, EMG, which, together with other measures, give a hypnogram

stage 1 of sleep cycle

5-10 minute per cycle

transition from alpha waves to theta waves

hypnagogic imagery (or hallucinations)

myoclonic jerks

stage 2 sleep cycle

10-30 minute per cycle

sleep spindles and K complexes

as much as 65 percent of total sleep

Stages 3 and 4 of sleep

15-30 minutes

delta waves (slow wave sleep)

crucial to feel rested; suppressed by alcohol

40% of sleep in children; 25 percent in adults

stage 5 of sleep

(REM sleep; 10-20 minutes/cycle)

Brain activity similar to wakefulness

Becomes longer as the night goes on

many vivid dreams occur

stages 1-4

(Non-REM)

No rapid eye movements, fewer dreams

stage 5

REM sleep

vivid dreams

rapid eye movement

why do we sleep in the first place

serves restorative function

sleep deficits often linked to cognitive deficits, and prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to death

possible functions of rem sleep

memory consolidation

forgetting

both

insight

circadian rhythm

cyclical changes that occur on a roughly 24-hour basis in many biological processes

eg hormone release, body temperature and brain wave activity

circadian rhythm is regulated by

neurons in the hypothalamus

hypothalamus

triggers our sense of fatigue via increasing melatonin

nucleus most critical for circadian rhythm

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN )

hypnosis

process where a subject, with the help of a hypnotist, shifts into a highly relaxed state of mind and becomes readily accepting of perceptions, feelings, thoughts or behaviours that the hypnotist suggests

hypnotic analgesia

method of pain relief where someone who is hypnotised shows significantly less signs of pain

somatosensory cortices receive and process sensory input about the painful stimulus

parts of the limbic system process the emotional aspect of the pain such as how unpleasant it is

different ways hypnotic analgesia can affect the brain regions depending on nature of the hypnotic suggestion

suggestions that the pain will be less intense reduce activity in the somatosensory cortex

suggestions that the pain will be less unpleasant reduce brain activity in the limbic system