CHAP6 Exploring Consciousness: Attention, Sleep, and Hypnosis

Dichotic Listening Task

A psychological test that studies selective attention by presenting different messages to each ear.

Unattended Channel

The channel in a dichotic listening task where participants do not focus their attention.

Early Selection Theories

Theories suggesting that selective attention filters information early in the perception process.

Altered States

Changes in normal conscious experience due to factors like sleep, hypnosis, drugs, and sensory deprivation.

Stages of Sleep

Different phases of sleep characterized by distinct brain wave patterns and physiological changes.

Stage 1 Sleep

Light sleep with slowed muscle activity and high frequency, low amplitude brain waves.

Stage 2 Sleep

Sleep stage where breathing and heart rate slow down, with high frequency and slightly higher amplitude waves.

Stage 3 Sleep

Deep sleep begins, characterized by lower frequency and higher amplitude brain waves.

Stage 4 Sleep

Very deep sleep with rhythmic breathing, limited muscle activity, and high amplitude, low frequency delta waves.

Stage 5 Sleep

REM sleep where brain waves speed up, dreaming occurs, and muscles relax.

Sleep Consolidation

The process that makes newly learned information easily accessible, particularly during deep and REM sleep.

Insomnia

A sleep disorder associated with cognitive impairments and health risks, often linked to worry, guilt, or stress.

Parasomnias

Sleep disorders that include abnormal behaviors like sleepwalking and eating during sleep.

Manifest vs. Latent Content

Freudian concepts distinguishing between the literal storyline of dreams (manifest) and the hidden meanings (latent).

Activation Synthesis Model

A theory suggesting that dreams are the brain's attempt to make sense of random neural activity.

Hypnotic Induction

The process of guiding a person into a state of deep relaxation to facilitate hypnosis.

Hypnosis: Clinical

A therapeutic use of hypnosis to create a state of deep relaxation and openness to suggestion.

Hypnosis: Entertainment

A performance art where participants appear to relinquish conscious control to the hypnotist.

Consciousness

The state of being aware of and able to think and perceive one's environment.

Consciousness

A complex concept that can refer to many things, including the state of being awake and alert, being aware of something, and being self-aware.

State of being awake and alert

One of the meanings of consciousness.

Being aware of something

A more general sense of consciousness.

Self-aware/self-conscious

A specific sense of consciousness.

Conscious thoughts or processes

Typically linked to goals and the notion of behavioral control.

Human language

Allows one to transport knowledge and ideas across time and space.

Bi-pedalism

One of the three key factors to human domination of the planet, freeing up our hands.

Frontal cortex

Figures out useful ways to use our hands, contributing to human dominance.

Replay

The ability to mentally replay or reflect on an event, tied to consciousness and advanced learning.

Evolution of language

Allows individuals to communicate experiences or thoughts to others.

Consciousness (Latin origin)

Derived from the Latin 'conscientia', which means 'to know'.

State of awareness

One of the multiple meanings of consciousness.

Current content of awareness

Another meaning of consciousness.

Self-awareness

Focus on ourselves as individuals, considered a form of consciousness.

Stream of consciousness

A term coined by William James to capture the moving, seemingly unbroken flow of conscious agreement.

Freud's view of consciousness

Refers to aspects of the mind that could be retrieved, contrasting with unconscious parts that remain hidden.

Emergence of consciousness

Consciousness likely evolved over time, though the exact point is debated.

James' Theory

Suggests consciousness grows more complex in higher animals, with humans exceeding simpler organisms.

Animal consciousness

Most animals show states of awareness, but self-awareness is likely the rarest form.

Energy conservation in consciousness

Varying alertness, such as sleeping, conserves energy and helps the body repair.

Social influence on sleep

Group-living animals may need more sleep to process social experiences.

Flexibility in response

Conscious awareness allows animals to choose responses instead of relying solely on instinct.

Survival advantage of self-awareness

Self-awareness can strengthen the drive for self-preservation.

Rouge Test

Self-recognition test indicating self-awareness, shown by responding to a mark in a mirror.

Artificial consciousness

Weak AI exhibits intelligent behavior without conscious awareness, while strong AI would require full cognitive abilities.

Turing Test

A machine passes if indistinguishable from a human in conversation.

Self-Awareness in Robots

Some robots may show signs of self-awareness, e.g., recognizing silence when 'muted.'

Human-like Robots

Efforts to make robots more lifelike may help us understand human consciousness.

Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Analogy

These layers are like Russian dolls, with the brain housing the mind, and the mind housing consciousness.

Cerebral Cortex & Thalamus

Interactions between these areas are essential for consciousness.

Thalamus

Damage here can lead to unconsciousness, but the thalamus alone does not produce consciousness.

Reticular Formation

Regulates conscious awareness thresholds, aiding in alertness or drowsiness.

'Enabling' Structures

Structures like the thalamus and reticular formation make consciousness possible but don't provide its content.

Network Activity

Consciousness may depend on network activity rather than specific structures alone.

Default Mode Network (DMN)

The DMN remains active during unfocused thought, preparing the brain for conscious thought.

Energy Use

The brain uses only slightly more energy during focused tasks than unfocused states.

Prediction of Mistakes

DMN activity shifts predict errors in tasks, with decreased focus network activity up to 30 seconds before mistakes.

Unfocused Thought

On average, people spend about 50% of waking hours in mind-wandering states managed by the DMN.

Social Cognition Overlap

The DMN overlaps with areas involved in social cognition, with activity linked to self-related thoughts and interpersonal considerations.

Linking Brain Damage to Consciousness

Studying brain-damaged patients reveals how consciousness is affected by specific neural impairments.

Prosopagnosia

Inability to consciously recognize faces (even close family members) while retaining the ability to recognize other objects.

Cause of Prosopagnosia

Damage to the fusiform face area (FFA) in the temporal lobes.

Unconscious Recognition

Patients may still show different physiological (autonomic) responses to familiar versus unfamiliar faces, suggesting that unconscious pathways for face recognition remain intact.

Capgras Syndrome

Patients recognize faces but feel that familiar people are imposters, sometimes leading to aggressive reactions toward 'imposters.'

Possible Cause of Capgras Syndrome

Likely involves disrupted connections between visual processing areas and the amygdala, which influences emotional responses and feelings of familiarity.

Key Insight

Prosopagnosia and Capgras syndrome illustrate separate brain pathways for face recognition, emotion, and familiarity, highlighting the complex integration required for conscious experience.

Prosopagnosia

A condition illustrating separate brain pathways for face recognition, emotion, and familiarity.

Capgras syndrome

A condition illustrating separate brain pathways for face recognition, emotion, and familiarity.

Seizures

Uncontrolled electrical disturbances in the brain that often alter consciousness.

Epilepsy

A diagnosis for people with recurring seizures.

Cause of Seizures

Seizures may result from brain injury, infection, or imbalances in the neurotransmitter GABA.

GABA

A neurotransmitter whose enhancement can control seizures, while inhibition may trigger them.

Partial Seizures

Seizures that originate in a focal area of the brain and often involve an aura.

Temporal lobe partial seizures

A type of partial seizure that may produce déjà vu or jamais vu.

Generalized Seizures

Seizures that involve widespread activation across the cortex and thalamus without a focal origin.

Tonic-Clonic Seizures

Characterized by a loss of consciousness, muscle contraction, rhythmic convulsions, and a post-seizure coma.

Absence Seizures

Brief lapses in consciousness with minimal motor activity, such as blinking.

Hogan Twins

Canadian conjoined twins who share a bridge between their thalami, allowing them to share sensory experiences.

State of Awareness

Level of consciousness and accuracy in perceiving surroundings, ranging from sleep to full awareness or hallucination.

Content of Awareness

The focus of current internal and external stimuli, such as sounds or thoughts.

Self-Awareness

Understanding oneself as distinct, like recognizing oneself in a mirror.

Circadian Rhythms

24-hour cycles controlled by biological clocks in the hypothalamus, influencing sleep, temperature, and hunger.

Zeitgebers

External cues, like light, that synchronize internal clocks.

Desynchronization

Lack of light that can disrupt circadian rhythms, leading to sleep issues and health risks.

Impact of Technology

Artificial lighting and screens disrupt sleep by decreasing melatonin, leading to health risks.

Shift Work

Nontraditional work hours that increase risks of health and mood problems, especially during evening shifts.

Jet Lag

A condition where eastward travel is harder to adjust to than westward, affecting memory and reaction time.

Daylight Saving Time

The spring shift forward linked to more accidents and heart attacks, likely due to sleep deprivation.

Seasonal Depression

A depressive disorder affecting 4-6% of people due to reduced daylight in winter, treatable with light therapy.

Chronotypes

People have different sleep-wake patterns, with 'larks' preferring mornings and 'owls' preferring evenings.

Age-Related Shifts

Adolescents and young adults tend to sleep later, possibly linked to brain development, with a shift back toward morning patterns in the mid-20s.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Different states of awareness can be described using electroencephalogram EEG recordings, which provide a general measure of overall brain activity.

Circadian Rhythms

Circadian rhythms are influenced by both internal and external factors, managed by the hypothalamus.

Zeitgebers

External cues such as light and eating patterns that synchronize with the internal biological clock.

Light as a Zeitgeber

Light is a dominant zeitgeber; it resets the internal clock daily.

Circadian Desynchronization

A misalignment of the internal clock, which can lead to health risks like sleep issues and disease susceptibility.

Light Therapy

Used in extreme environments, like Antarctica's 110 days of darkness, to help prevent circadian desynchronization.

Modern Lifestyle and Circadian Challenges

Modern inventions, like artificial lighting and screens, affect melatonin production and reduce sleep duration.

Shift Work

Linked to increased accident rates, mood issues, and health risks for night-shift workers.

Jet Lag

Disrupts sleep and alertness when traveling across time zones, with easier adaptation when traveling westward than eastward.

Seasonal Changes

Influence sleep, with increases in accidents and heart attack rates following the 'spring forward' shift.