Chapter 7

Question 1

What is the filter thoery?
Who came up with this theory?

Answer 1

Donald Broadbent

According to this theory, attentional system acts as a filter - filters out sensory experiences that are not immediately important and allow us to focus on the task at hand.
Based on his research, Broadbent came to the conclusion that we are not aware of much of these unattended stimuli, but we are not totally oblivious either.

Question 2

According to Broadbent, will we be aware of anything meaningful from unattended stimuli?

Answer 2

No - nothing meaningful

Question 3

What is the cocktail party effect?
Can it be explained by the filter theory?

Answer 3

can’t be explained by filter theory

• Scenario is to image being at party with different group conversations occurring, but from nearby in another conversation you hear your name being said
  ○ Should not happen according to filter theory - because should not be able to detect meaningful information

Question 4

What is the attenuation theory?
Who developed this theory?

Answer 4

• variation of the filter theory
• different in that attenuation theory says that meaningful aspects of an unattended message are not totally blocked, but weakened (attenuated)
• can explain cocktail party effect
• developed by Ann Treisman

Question 5

What is subliminal advertising?

Answer 5

Hidden messages

Subliminal advertising plays on the idea that we can be focusing on something and then hidden messages are allowed to exist and get through our attentional system and affect our thoughts and emotions, and change our behaviour.

Question 6

Is subliminal advertising effective?

Answer 6

Meta-analysis concluded that subliminal advertising on changing people’s choices or directing consumer choices was very small
- little influence

Question 7

What is implicit priming?
What was the example used in class?

Answer 7

Influence of unconscious mind influencing conscious decisions can be seen in tasks of implicit priming

Words that people have previously seen (ex. clamp) will then show up in the word-stem completion task. Later if you ask them if they have had prior exposure to that word in a previous task, they will more than likely say no.

Question 8

What is inattentional blindness?

Answer 8

• Think we are taking in the entire experience, but often only conscious of a few things
• A lot of our experiences involve filling in the blanks with things we expect to see
  ex. photo with shrub vs. without

Question 9

What is divided attention?

Answer 9

When allocating attentional resources to one task, and another task at the same time

Question 10

Does talking on the phone impact driving ability and reaction time?

Answer 10

Yes - most on cell phone, less on hands-free, least in control

Question 11

Why is it most distracting to listen to music with lyrics while reading?

Answer 11

• Because when reading something, you are processing language
• And music with lyrics also contains language to process
  ○ Processing both sources can cause interference

Question 12

What is cerebral lateralization?

Answer 12

• Some tasks are more highly dependent on processing in one hemisphere as opposed to the other
  ○ Language production and comprehension is heavily lateralized to left hemisphere in most people

2 language-related tasks at once - can interfere with each other because they are processed in the same part of the brain

Question 13

What is split-brain surgery?
What is the purpose?

Answer 13

• involves the complete severing of the corpus callosum
• purpose is to relieve people suffering from severe epilepsy; can eliminate severe seizures
• surgery ends up separating the left hemisphere from right hemisphere, so they operate on an individual level

Question 14

What is spatial attention?

Answer 14

how we process the space around us

Question 15

What does the line bisection task demonstrate?

Answer 15

Shows that there is a left-side bias for our attention to space

Question 16

What part of the brain controls spatial attention?

Answer 16

parietal lobe

Question 17

What is spatial neglect?
How might we see this in someone who has suffered a stroke?

Answer 17

ex. stroke to right side of parietal lobe
- may only be consciously aware of the right side (bias to right side)

ex. seen in drawing tasks and line cancellation task

Question 18

What are the 2 pathways that are used to respond to visual signals?

Answer 18

dorsal pathway: travels to parietal lobe
- pathway that allows us to do the action we want to do
- the WHERE/HOW pathway
- occurs at unconscious level

ventral pathway: travels to temporal lobe
- pathway that allows us to identify what it is we are seeing
- the WHAT pathway

Question 19

Do variations in consciousness occur naturally?

Answer 19

yes, naturally (like in sleep) or manipulated (through brain injury or psychoactive drugs)

Question 20

What is the Global Workplace Model?

What are the areas responsible for?

Answer 20

the idea that multiple areas of the brain allow for full conscious awareness

Frontal lobe - allows us to plan and think, initiate motor movement

Parietal lobe - allows us to be aware of the space around us and the space within our own body

Occipital lobe - allows us to process visual signals

Temporal lobe - allows us to hear what is going on around us, language, form long-term memories

Question 20

What is a TBI?

Answer 20

traumatic brain injury

altered state of consciousness

depending on severity of injury, the symptoms can vary (mild to severe)

Question 21

What does the determination of consciousness depend on?

Answer 21

depends on level of arousal and awareness

Question 22

Describe the different levels of consciousness.

Answer 22

normal - high arousal and awareness

coma - no arousal, no awareness

unresponsive wakefulness syndrome: full arousal, no awareness

minimally conscious state: full arousal, very low awareness

locked-in syndrome: full arousal, full awareness (but trapped in body because they have almost no movement in their body and ability to communicate is extremely restricted)

Question 23

What is hypnosis?

Answer 23

a state between sleep and wakefulness in which a person becomes highly suggestible

Question 24

What are the 2 theories about how hypnosis works?

Answer 24

neodissociation theory: - According to this theory, a person would not do or say things that were completely out of character for them - Follows that hypnosis is a legitimate state of consciousness that a person can be induced to enter sociocognitive theory: - Believes hypnosis is not real - A person in this state is actually fully aware and fully conscious of what is going on, but they are behaving in a way that they think a hypnotized person should behave in □ Conforming to social expectations about what they feel a hypnotized person should behave like

Question 25

How can you alter your state of consciousness through meditation or mindfulness?

Answer 25

Concentrative medication: ○ Person getting into a very relaxed state and focus their attention on one thing (ex. their breathing, a mental image, or repeat a simple phrase or mantra) ○ Person shuts out many things in environment around them and what is going on with their body Mindfulness: - Person lets their thoughts flow freely - Think about many different things and pay attention to them, but do not react to them

Question 26

What area of the brain is prominent in allowing us to maintain our circadian rhythm?

Answer 26

the hypothalamus

Question 27

How do light signals influence circadian rhythm?

Answer 27

light signals allow light to influence the rhythmic activity of the brain visual signals travel from eyes to back of brain, to occipital lobe, then to hypothalamus, and an area called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), then projects to nearby pineal gland

Question 28

What is the SCN?

Answer 28

suprachiasmatic nucleus - area of hypothalamus

Question 29

What is the pineal gland responsible for in circadian rhythm?

Answer 29

responsible for production of hormone melatonin, which is considered a sleep hormone

Question 30

What does melatonin do?

Answer 30

when it enters the bloodstream, it starts to make us drowsy when it gets dark outside, natural response is to start to feel drowsy

Question 31

What are 3 ways to measure sleep? How do they work?

Answer 31

EEG - electroencephalogram - measures brain wave activity EMG - electromyogram - measures activity in muscles; measured through EMG EOG - electroculogram - can measure eye movements (ex. REM)

Question 32

Stages of sleep can be broadly divided into what?

Answer 32

REM sleep Non-REM sleep

Question 33

Often don't enter REM sleep until _hrs into an 8hr sleep.

Answer 33

often @ 2hrs

Question 34

Does most REM sleep occur in start or end of sleep?

Answer 34

end last half of sleep is when most time is spent in REM

Question 35

What happens in sleep studies when you deprive them from REM sleep?

Answer 35

doesn't seem to have any serious consequences on daily functioning do see that in subsequent sleep sessions, they will enter REM earlier than they normally would, and remain in REM sleep for longer - called REM REBOUND

Question 36

Can you only dream in REM?

Answer 36

no, can dream in REM and non-REM - but REM dreams tend to be more vivid

Question 37

What areas of the brain are most active when in REM sleep?

Answer 37

brain regions linked to areas of emotion, motivation, and vision - motor cortex, visual association area, amygdala, brainstem

Question 38

What area of the brain is inhibited in REM sleep? What does this cause?

Answer 38

Prefrontal cortex - involved in reasoning, so REM dreams can be very strange b/c people don't question it while it is going on

Question 39

Signals being sent from brainstem to different parts of the brain and spinal cord can result in what?

Answer 39

atonia - lack of muscle tone in body (body is in a way paralyzed during REM sleep)

Question 40

What are disorders of sleep that people often grow out of and when do they occur?

Answer 40

Sleepwalking Night terrors occur during deep sleep (not rem)

Question 41

What is insomnia? What are the 3 types?

Answer 41

inability to fall asleep onset insomnia: can't fall asleep at beginning of night maintenance insomnia: fall asleep but can't stay asleep (wake up all the time during the night) terminal insomnia: fall asleep and stay asleep for a few hours, but wake up and can't fall back asleep

Question 42

What is narcolepsy? What is cateplexy?

Answer 42

sleep condition in which a person falls asleep at inappropriate times cateplexy - all loss of muscle control - collapse

Question 43

What causes narcolepsy?

Answer 43

biological condition tracked to disfunction of orexin producing neurons within the hypothalamus

Question 44

What part of the brain cycles you through different stages of sleep?

Answer 44

originates in the brainstem

Question 45

What does the Reticular Activating System do?

Answer 45

nearing end of sleep cycle, signals from RAS in brainstem travel to forebrain and allow a person to become consciously awake signals also travel to spinal cord to allow person to move their body

Question 46

Does waking up signal to forebrain and spinal cord at the same time?

Answer 46

yes, usually occurs simultaneously rare situations - can have one area activated before the other (ex. person consciously aware, but can't move body or open eyes - lasts a few seconds)

Question 47

How do drugs alter conscious awareness?

Answer 47

through their effects on neurotransmitters

Question 48

Anti-anxiety or sedative engage what type of receptors?

Answer 48

engage GABA receptors - inhibitory NT

Question 49

What are benzodiazepines?

Answer 49

minor tranquilizers anti-anxiety (main role to calm person down, can become drowsy)

Question 50

What are barbiturates?

Answer 50

- drugs used as general anesthetics - can induce deep sleep

Question 51

What is MDMA?

Answer 51

a stimulant - slow to act, but long-lasting - pill form (therefore digestive system before bloodstream and brain) - causes euphoria, heightened sense of awareness

Question 52

What does MDMA act on?

Answer 52

multiple NT's: serotonin dopamine norepinephrine

Question 53

What are opioids? What is there origin?

Answer 53

analgesics - original intention: pain relievers, but also very addictive - origin in naturally occurring plants (ex. opium poppy seeds)

Question 54

What are common types of opioids?

Answer 54

morphine heroin fentanyl

Question 55

What is morphine named after?

Answer 55

Morpheus - Greek god of dreams

Question 56

What is the effect of morphine, especially at higher doses?

Answer 56

could put a person in a very relaxed, almost hallucinatory state

Question 57

What is the cadillac of pain relief medication?

Answer 57

morphine - still big pain reliever - revolutionized pain relief meds

Question 58

Heroin was first introduced as a drug for what?

Answer 58

Used for cough reliever, for coughing associated with tuberculosis (effective pain reliever) then realized addictive qualities

Question 59

What can heroin overdoses cause?

Answer 59

can slow nervous system right down and result in respiratory failure

Question 60

What is the strength of fentanyl compared to morphine?

Answer 60

80x stronger than morphine

Question 61

In legitimate uses, is fentanyl slow-release or fast-release?

Answer 61

slow-release through patch on arm - then released slowly into bloodstream through skin

Question 62

What is the most prominent hallucinogen?

Answer 62

LSD

Question 63

Who invented LSD and how?

Answer 63

Albert Hofmann - made by accident, ended up ingesting drug and continued to use it throughout his life (lived to be ~100)

Question 64

Are LSD experiences positive?

Answer 64

Can vary greatly - some have euphoric experiences, some have frightening experiences

Question 65

What was the controversial history for LSD?

Answer 65

- Used in counterculture of 1960s - With more reports of dangerous episodes, it was criminalized - Research was halted in medical community - Recently in last 10-15 years - more research on LSD used to be thought as highly addictive and neurotoxic - now known that addiction rates are quite low and taken in proper doses, doesn't show neurotoxicity

Question 66

What was LSD used for in clinical trials in Saskatchewan?

Answer 66

in 1950 and 1960s - used as a potential treatment for alcoholism Thinking behind it was that the person would have a very profound experience when taking LSD and this could provide them insight for themselves and understand their reliance on alcohol trials stopped in early 1970s - became stigmatized in research community