Week 5 Consciousness

Define consciousness

Consciousness is defined as the subjective awareness of mental processes, including self-awareness, thoughts, feelings and experiences of the world.

What is Selective Attention

Consciousness involves selective attention filtering sensory input up to 11 billion bits per second, to focus on approx 40 bits. It is the act of focusing on a particular object for some time while simultaneously ignoring distractions.

Types of Selective attention

Change blindness, cocktail party effect, inattentional blindness

define the cocktail party effect

the ability to focus on one auditory stimulus (e.g. a conversation) while filtering out others but still noticing personally relevant stimuli like ones name

define change blindness

failing to notice significant changes in visual scenes due to selective attention.

Define Innatentional blindness

Missing obvious changes in a scene when attention is diverted, exemplified by experiments like the “person swap” during a conversation. 

What is Graziano’s Attention Schema Theory

This theory suggests that consciousness is a simplified model of attention used for monitoring and controlling focus. This theory raises philosophical questions about who or what observers this summary, potentially leading to infinite regress.

What is the Global Workspcae Theory

This theory posits that consciousness facilitates information exchange among specialized unconscious neural processes.  Consciousness acts as a global workspace where selected information is spotlighted and shared across brain systems.

What is the constructed nature of conscious experience

Conscious experiences are not direct representations of reality but reconstructions influenced by assumptions and predictions. Examples are the Colour Phi experiment and the blind spot example, as well as ambiguous stimuli like the Necker cube.

What are the challenges of explaining consciousness

Emergent theories suggest consciousness arises from complex neural activity but fail to provide explanatory power (emergence remains vague). Evolutionary perspectives propose that consciousness evolved for survival advantages such as motivating self preservation through an illusion of self. 

State the levels of consciousness

Conscious level, thoughts and feelings currently in awareness. Preconscious level information easily retreivable but not currently in awareness for example memories. Unconsious level, mental processes inaccessible to conscious awareness.

What are the altered states of consciousness

Altered states occur when normal consciousness is disrupted or suspended. Examples include: meditation, a practice at acheiving tranquility by focusing on simple stimuli or iternal processes like breathing. Hypnosis, a state characterized by heightened suggestibility and altered perception. Psychoactive substances like drugs that alter mental processes.

Ways to measure consciousness

Self report methods, observation methods, and brain imaging techniques.

What are self report methods for measuring consciousness? What are the limitations?

Participants describe their conscious experieces using tools like teh Five Dimensional Altered States of consciousness rating scale. Limitations include reliance on conscious awareness for reporting innacuraries due to retroactive reconstruction.

What are observation methods for measuring consciousness?

tests like the mirror tests assess self awareness by observing whether individuals recognize themselves.

What are brain imaging techniques for measuring consciousness? What are the limitations?

Advanced methods like high density EEG and MRI detect neural activity associated with consciousness. Examples include identifying conscious activity in patients previously thought unconscious by asking them to imagine specific actions.

What are the three theories of sleep

restoration theory, evolutionary theory, information consolidation theory

Describe the restoration theory of sleep

sleep allows the body and brain to repair and recover from daily activities

Describe the evolutionary theory of sleep

sleep evolved as a survival mechanism to conserve energy and avoid predators during vulnerable periods.

describe the information consolidation theory of sleep

sleep facilitates memory consolidation and learning by strengthening neural connections.

describe the stages of sleep

Stage 1 (N1) light sleep easily awakened (theta waves), Stage 2 (N2) deeper sleep characterized by sleep spindles and K complexes. Stage 3 (N3) deep sleep or slow wave sleep, crucial for physical restoration (Detla waves). REM (rapid eye movement) stage often associated with vivid dreams and paralysis of major muscle groups.

State the three dream theories

Freuds Psychodyamic theory, activation synthesis theory, threat stimulation theory

Describe the psychodynamic theory of sleep

states dreams represent uncoscious wishes and desires

Describe the activation synthesis theory of sleep

dreams result from random brain activation during REM sleep, with the mind creating narratives to make sense of this activity.

Describe the threat stimulation theory of sleep

states dreams evolved as a way to simulate and prepare for potential threats.

Describe the Circadian Rythm

is a 24-hour cycle in physiological processes influenced by light exposure and regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the brain. Affects sleep wake cycle, hormone release, body temperature, and other important bodily functions.

state and describe the main sleep disorders

Insomnia: difficulty falling or staying asleep, Sleep ApneaL sudden, uncontrollable episodes of sleep during the day, Narcolepsy: sudden, uncontrollable episodes of sleep during the day, Restless Leg syndrome: uncomfortable sensations in legs causing the urge to move them.

describe hypnosis, it use and theories

A state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility . Used therapeutically for pain management habit control and memory recovery (though controversial). Theories debate whether hypnosis is a distinct altered state or form of focused attention and expectation

describe mediation, its types and associations

practice of focusing attention to acheive mental clarity and emotional calmness, various forms include mindfulness, transcendal mediation, and loving kindness meditaiton. Associated with numerous health benefits inclduing stress reduction and important emotional regulation.

describe psychoactive substances and the types

drugs that alter consciousness by affecting brain chemistry. Includes Depressants, which slow down central nervous system examples include alcohol and benzodiazepines. stimulants increase arousal and neural activity examples include caffeine amphetamines. Hallucinogens alter perception and thought processes exmaples include LSD. Opioids are pain releiving euphoria inducing substances examples include heroin and morphine.

desribe consciousness in non human animals, evidence and studies used

Debate over which animals possess consciousness and to what degree. Evidence suggests varying levels of self awareness and conscious experiences across species.. Studies use methods like the mirror test and behavioural observations to assess animal consciousness.

Define artifical consciousness

is the question of wether machines can posses consciousness and remains a topic of philosophical and scientific debate.

neural correlations of consciousness

Specific patterns of brain activity associated with conscious experiences. Research aims to identify which neural processes are necessary and sufficient for consciousness. 

state the disorders of consciousness

Coma, a state of unconsciousness whenre idividuals cannot be awakened. Vegetative state, wakeful unconsciousness with some automatic functions. Minimally conscious state, severely altered consciousness with minimal but definite behavioural evidence of self or environmental awareness.