Attention and Consciousness Flashcards
What is the relationship between mind and brain according to monism?
Monism posits that the universe consists of only one substance, and it argues that mental processes and brain processes are essentially the same, described in different terms. Mental activity is considered a result of brain activity.
What does the ‘hard problem’ of consciousness refer to?
The ‘hard problem’ of consciousness addresses why and how brain processes result in conscious experiences, questioning why certain brain activities feel like subjective experiences.
How do experiments using masking contribute to our understanding of consciousness?
Masking experiments in consciousness studies involve briefly presenting a visual stimulus, followed by a longer interfering stimulus. These experiments have shown that while masked stimuli can elicit some brain activity and even bias behaviour, they are not consciously perceived. This suggests that for a stimulus to enter consciousness, the brain activity it generates must be sufficiently large and widespread. In other words, conscious perception requires not only the activation of specific brain regions but also the spread of this activity across a broader network within the brain. These conclusions about the spread of brain activity are drawn from observing the differences in brain activation patterns when subjects are aware of a stimulus compared to when they are not, despite similar sensory input.
What are the primary and higher-order types of consciousness?
Primary consciousness is the awareness of the environment and body states. Higher-order consciousness includes self-awareness and meta-cognitive functions, involving more complex thought processes.
How can consciousness be studied experimentally?
Consciousness can be studied by designing experiments to differentiate between conscious and unconscious perception, using methods like report vs. no-report paradigms, masking, and binocular rivalry.
What does the masking technique reveal about consciousness?
Masking shows that unconscious information can influence behavior and that conscious perception requires sufficient and widespread brain activity.
Describe binocular rivalry in the context of consciousness.
Binocular rivalry, where each eye sees a different image leading to alternating perception, demonstrates how consciousness can shift between stimuli. This is linked to changes in brain activity.
Explain the phi phenomenon in relation to consciousness.
The phi phenomenon, where separate images are perceived as continuous motion, implies that consciousness can be influenced by predictions and expectations, demonstrating a delay in conscious perception.
Discuss the difference between bottom-up and top-down attention.
Bottom-up attention is driven by external stimuli, like novel or unexpected events. Top-down attention, on the other hand, is a deliberate focus guided by goals and expectations, involving the prefrontal and parietal cortices.
What does the Stroop task demonstrate about attention?
The Stroop task highlights the influence of automatic processes on attention and the challenge of overriding these processes. It shows how unconscious information can affect behavior and the need for top-down control.
What is spatial neglect, and what are its implications for attention?
Spatial neglect, often resulting from right hemisphere damage, leads to ignoring the left side of space. It demonstrates that neglect is an issue of attention, not just sensation, as certain strategies can temporarily increase attention to the neglected side.
