Chapter 5: Theorising consciousness Flashcards

1
Q

Homunculus fallacy

A

If consciousness is a stage with a homunculus as the actor and an audience present, do the audience members also have a homunculus (iteratively)

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1
Q

Global workspace

A

Internal system used to store mental images across different specialised processes

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2
Q

Solutions to homunculus fallacy

A

Dennett - replace audience’s intelligence with explicit algorithms
Baars - replace audience with other unconscious processors

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3
Q

What is consciousness according to William James?

A

Consciousness is an organ developed specifically to direct a nervous system too complex to self-regulate

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4
Q

Which regions of the brain are not as well connected?

A

Sensory areas tend to only be connected to other related areas

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5
Q

Which region of the brain is more developed for connections with other regions?

A

The prefrontal cortex connects to all major hubs reciprocally, usually with interconnections as well

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6
Q

Role of the thalamus

A

Attention, vigilance, synchronisation

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7
Q

Role of the basal ganglia

A

Decision making and motor control

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8
Q

Role of the hippocampus

A

Episodic memory and recollection

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9
Q

Why is one of the signatures of consciousness an increase in activity in the prefrontal and parietal lobes?

A

These areas have the most long-distance connections to other regions
- more common and prominent in humans
- dendrites are larger and more numerous at the front of the brain compared to the back

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10
Q

FoxP2 gene

A

This gene has two mutations specific to humans relevant for modulation of language networks

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11
Q

How does facial recognition work?

A
  1. short connections clean incoming image from retinas
  2. compressed image sent to thalamus then V1 in occipital lobe
  3. image transmitted to face clusters in right fusiform gyrus
  4. image transmitted to necessary part of cortex
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12
Q

How can there be so many possible differentiated conscious states from a limited number of assemblies?

A

Each state is made up of a combination of independently activated local assemblies

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13
Q

Selfridge’s pandemonium model

A

The brain is a hierarchy of daemons specialised for tasks and each one competes for their own interpretation to be the main one.

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14
Q

What is one limitation of Selfridge’s pandemonium model

A

It assumes and organises for a strict feedforward hierarchy - in reality, neural systems have several recurrent loops and bidirectional projections

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15
Q

Attractor state

A

Group of neurons that form reproducible and long-lasting patterns of activity which progressively come to concordant agreement

16
Q

Convergence zones

A

Send and receive projections to and from distant brain regions to allow integration
- mainly in prefrontal cortex, anterior temporal lobe, inferior parietal lobe and precuneus

17
Q

Why are inactive neurons still useful?

A
  • says its interpretation is not present or relevant to current context
  • perception only possible through silencing of irrelevant neurons
  • P3 wave occurs from inhibitions’ positive potentials
  • slow negative waves from activation of parallel neurons
18
Q

Simultaneity of activations in peripheral vs higher-order levels

A

Peripheral levels had simultaneous activations of light and sound neurons

Higher-order levels could only have one single integrated state of firing

19
Q

Endogenous global activation

A

Can occur in the absence of a stimulus from higher-order areas to sensory areas. This activation can block and prevent attention
- inattentional blink