Module 8: Consciousness - Some Basic Concepts

Consciousness

Our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment (external)

Cognitive Neuroscience

Interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition

How does conscious experience arise?

A stronger stimulus engages multiple areas of the brain

Selective Attention

Focusing conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Inattentional Blindness

Failing to see objects when our attention is directed elsewhere (gorilla video)

Change Blindness

Failing to notice changes in the environment; a form of inattentional blindness

Dual Processing

The principle that info is often simultaneously processed on separate unconscious and conscious tracks

Blindsight

A condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it

Visual Perception Track

Enables us to think about the world - to recognize things and plan future actions

Visual Action Track

Guides our moment to moment movements

Parallel Processing

Processing multiple aspects of a stimulus or problem simultaneously

Sequential Processing

Processing one aspect of a stimulus or problem at a time; generally used to process new info or to solve difficult problems

Waking Consciousness

State in which thoughts, feelings, and sensations are clear and organized, and the person feels alert

Altered State of Conscious

State in which there’s a shift in the quality of pattern of mental activity as compared to waking consciousness