Chapter 6 - Consciousness Flashcards
Consciousness
Self-awareness and stream of flowing thoughts
States of consciousness
Level of awareness of our extrernal surroundings
Contents of consciousness
Specific thoughts we are aware of
Inattention blindness
We don’t notice something even though it is detectable because we weren’t paying attention (gorilla video)
Reticular formation
helps us be awake and conscious
Thalamus & hypothalamus
Information processing
Cerebral cortex
important for the awareness aspects of consciousness
Damage to reticular formation
loss of consciousness
Damage to hypothalamus
Disturbance of alertness
damage to thalamus
lack of conscious awareness
damage to cerebral cortex
lack of awareness
When does conscious awareness develop?
18 months
When does full conscious awareness develop?
22 months
Preconsciousness
level of awareness which information can become readily available
Automatic behaviors
processes are easy to bring to mind (brushing teeth)
Unconscious state
information is not easily accessible
Explicit memory
knowledge we are fully aware of
Implicit memory
knowledge we have stored we are not aware of
Adaptive theory of sleep
organisms sleep for self-preservation (hide from predators)
Restoration theory of sleep
we sleep to restore brain and body
Circadian rhythm
biological clock - patterns of feelings sleepy or aware that can correspond to daylight and night
Suprachiasmatic nucleus
group of neurons responsible for coordinating rhythms of the body
Why does artificial lighting have an impact on sleep quality?
photoreceptors send message to SCN about daylight - releases dopamine and melatonin keeping you awake
How long is a sleep cycle
90-100 min
How many stages does one cycle have
5 stages
Stage 1
a few minutes - alpha waves change to theta waves - transition from wakefulness and sleep
Stage 2
15 - 20 mins - more relaxed - sleep spindles
Stage 3
Deep sleep - delta waves
Stage 4
low heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing
What stage of sleep is sleepwalking likely?
Stage 4
Stage 5
REM sleep
What is the pre-sleep period also known as
Hypnagogic state