Chapter 21: The Resting Brain, Attention, and Consciousness

Question 1

: instead of being idle, a network of brain areas is more active during resting than active states

Answer 1

Resting state

Question 2

(): the brain must deal with the enormous volume of sensory information. Rather than trying to process all of these signals simultaneously, we selectively focus on things that catch our attention

Answer 2

Attentive state

Question 3

(): ability to focus on one aspect of sensory input; preferentially process some information and ignore the
rest

Answer 3

Attention

Question 4

attention involves corresponding changes in the () of neurons at many locations in the brain

Answer 4

sensitivity

Question 5

(): awareness of something

Answer 5

Consciousness

Question 6

Generally, neurons become more active in () processing ongoing perceptual or motor information.

Answer 6

cortical areas

Question 7

quiet and active regions of the brain in the absence of active processing were revealed by ()

Answer 7

PET and fMRI imaging of whole brain

Question 8

Resting State Brain Activity

1. Hans Berger (1929): () activity does not cease even during a rest.
2. Ingvar: () activity reached high levels during rest states (regional cerebral blood flow was measured using xenon 133 inhalation technique.)
3. Increased activity during rest is localized to specific brain regions that prominently include ().

Answer 8

1. EEG
2. Frontal
3. prefrontal cortex

Question 9

Some brain regions are always active at rest and less active during any task

Answer 9

default mode network

anticorrelation -> negative correlation

Question 10

2 hypotheses for the function of the default mode network

Answer 10

1. sentinel hypothesis
2. internal mentation hypothesis

Question 11

functions of the default brain network

even at rest, we must broadly monitor the environment

Answer 11

sentinel hypothesis

Question 12

normal visual field but unable to integrate simultaneous info to understant a complex scene

Answer 12

simultagnosia

component of Balínt syndrome

Question 13

functions of the default brain network

suggests that the default mode network supports thinking and remembering (i.e. the sort of daydreaming we do while sitting quietly)

Answer 13

internal mentation hypothesis

Question 14

the internal mentation hypothesis suggests that memory tasks activate the brain in a similar manner to ()

Answer 14

daydreaming about one’s life

Question 15

when we relax, it is common to daydream, remember, and imagine

Answer 15

spontaneous cognition

Question 16

limited resource or bottleneck in brain processing

Answer 16

(selective) attention

Question 17

(): takes place when we block out certain features of our environment and focus on one particular feature.

Answer 17

Selective attention

Question 18

(): is used when we are paying attention to two things at once

Answer 18

Divided attention

Question 19

(): happens when we can concentrate on a task, event, or feature in our environment for a prolonged period of time

Answer 19

Sustained attention

Question 20

(): is the attention we use when we are making steps toward a particular end

Answer 20

Executive attention

Question 21

directing attention (2 ways)

– A stimulus attracts attention without cognitive input
– Like animal detecting predator

Answer 21

Exogenous attention—bottom–up attention

Question 22

directing attention (2 ways)

– Deliberately directed by the brain
– To serve a behavioral goal

Answer 22

Endogenous attention—top–down attention

Question 23

examples of the behavioral consequences of attention

Answer 23

enhanced visual sensitivity and reaction time

Question 24

While attention may be a high-level cognitive process, effects of attention can be observed in numerous ()

Answer 24

sensory areas

Question 25

a common analogy for the behavioral consequences of attention is that there is a () that moves to illuminate objects of particular interest or significance

Answer 25

spotlight of attention

Question 26

# PET imaging of attention to visual features V4, IT, and other visual areas in temporal lobe -> activated when attending to changes in ()

Answer 26

color and shape

Question 27

# PET imaging of attention to visual features Area MT -> activated when attending to changes in ()

Answer 27

speed of motion

Question 28

assumption as to what happens when you're paying attention to one thing but suddenly notice something else in your peripheral vision

Answer 28

you shift your attention to the new thing before you move your eyes to focus on it

Question 29

enhanced neuronal responses in the parietal cortex is a result of an () needed to accurately perform the task

Answer 29

attention shift

Question 30

# Brain Circuits for the Control of Attention Studies suggest that the circuitry responsible for () plays a key role in guiding attention

Answer 30

saccadic eye movements

Question 31

– Reciprocal connections with most visual areas – Increased neuronal activity with attention to the neuron’s receptive field – **Regulates visual information flow**

Answer 31

pulvinar nucleus (subcortical component)

Question 32

humans with lesions in the pulvinar nucleus respond abnormally slowly to stimuli on ()

Answer 32

contralateral side

Question 33

- cortical area in the frontal lobe; connected to areas influenced by attention - sufficent electrical stim causes saccade to certain place

Answer 33

frontal eye fields (FEF) ## Footnote saccades to motor field

Question 34

small areas in the visual field of neurons in the FEF

Answer 34

motor field

Question 35

# hypothesis of how certain visual features grab attention in bottom-up attention, a () shows locataions of conspicuous features

Answer 35

salience map

Question 36

# hypothesis of how certain visual features grab attention in top-down attention, a () shows locations where attention should be directed based on cognitive input

Answer 36

Priority map ## Footnote priority map = salience map + top-down modulation

Question 37

()—creates priority map based on bottom–up and top–down inputs; guides eye movements and attention

Answer 37

Lateral intraparietal cortex (area LIP)

Question 38

Lesions in () associated with neglect syndrome

Answer 38

parietal cortex

Question 39

The posterior parietal cortex is implicated in attending to objects at () in extrapersonal space

Answer 39

different positions

Question 40

# Pespective on Consciousness – Consciousness arises from physical processes – Based on structure and function of nervous system

Answer 40

materialism

Question 41

# Perspectives on Consciousness – Mind and body are different things. – One cannot be fully explained by the other.

Answer 41

Dualism

Question 42

easy problems of consciousness

Answer 42

Phenomena answerable by scientific methodology

Question 43

hard problem of consciousness: experience of consciousness itself

Answer 43

how subjective experiences arise from physical (objective) processes

Question 44

‘()’: introspectively accessible, phenomenal aspects of our mental lives.

Answer 44

Qualia

Question 45

minimal neuronal events sufficient for a specific conscious percept

Answer 45

neural correlates of consciousness

Question 46

changes in () that correlate with changes in perception may be related to our conscious awareness of one object or another

Answer 46

neural activity

Question 47

different images are seen by the two eyes, and perceptual awareness alternates between the 2 images

Answer 47

binocular rivalry

Question 48

# Human neural activity during visual imagery there is evidence suggesting that () activates some of the same vsual processes drives by external visual stimuli

Answer 48

imagery

Question 49

goal in the search for neural correlates of consciousness

Answer 49

find the minimal brain activiy sufficient for some conscious experience

Question 50

it is possible to have your attention be drawn but still not perceive it; implies ()

Answer 50

attention is or can be independent of awareness

Question 51

examples of conscious awareness without attention

Answer 51

* Artificial sensory experiences by brain stimulation * Involuntary hallucinations and pathological sensations (e.g., tinnitus or auditory verbal hallucinations) * Dream episodes * Spontaneous awareness of an unattended image in binocular rivalry