consciousness Flashcards
What is consciousness?
It is your awareness of your surroundings and yourself, including everything you are thinking about right now.
What is the stream of consciousness, according to William James?
A: It is a continuing flow of changing thoughts, based on what we’re paying attention to and the intensity of that attention.
What is the Turing Test?
It is a test to determine if an artificial program has reached a level of human-like consciousness.
Name some examples of altered states of consciousness.
Being asleep, having a dream, hypnosis, meditation, anesthesia, and under the influence of psychoactive drugs.
What are the two components of conscious awareness?
(1) States of consciousness - level of awareness (e.g., fully awake or asleep), and (2) Contents of consciousness - specific thoughts about internal or external states (e.g., awareness of a need to go to the bathroom).
Q: What is inattentional blindness?
A: It is the failure to notice things around us that we are not paying attention to.
Q: What role does the thalamus play in consciousness?
A: The thalamus sends signals from the hindbrain to the forebrain, crucial for attention and awareness.
Q: What happens when there is bilateral damage ( thalamus and hypothalamus)?
A: It can lead to a coma.
Q: What is multitasking, and why is it considered a myth?
A: Multitasking is attempting to perform multiple tasks simultaneously; it’s a myth because the brain rapidly switches tasks instead of doing them simultaneously, reducing performance.
Q: Define preconsciousness.
A: It is a level of awareness where information can become readily available to consciousness if needed, like recalling a past meal.
Q: What is the unconscious state?
A: It is when information is not easily accessible to conscious awareness during an awake state, like a repressed memory surfacing later.
Q: What is implicit memory?
A: Implicit memory involves knowledge that we have stored but are not typically aware of, such as automatic skills (e.g., reading, driving).
Q: What did Freud believe about the unconscious mind?
A: He believed that most of our knowledge originates from the unconscious and that painful thoughts may be repressed to avoid conscious awareness.
Q: What is a Freudian slip?
A: A Freudian slip is an unintentional slip of the tongue, where a repressed idea surfaces into consciousness.
Q: What are explicit memories?
A: They are pieces of knowledge we are fully aware of, such as facts that can be intentionally recalled, like a birthdate.
Q: What is the Adaptive Theory of Sleep?
A: It suggests that sleep evolved as a self-preservation mechanism, helping organisms stay safe from predators that are more active at night.
Q: What is the Restoration Theory of Sleep?
A: Sleep allows the brain and body to restore depleted resources and clear out accumulated wastes from the day.
Q: What is Circadian Rhythm?
A: A 24-hour biological cycle regulating sleep and wakefulness, influenced by body temperature and light exposure.
Q: What role does the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) play in sleep?
A: Located in the hypothalamus, the SCN detects light and signals the pineal gland to release melatonin to induce sleep.
Q: How long is a typical sleep cycle, and what stages does it include?
A: Each cycle lasts 90-100 minutes and includes stages 1-4 and REM sleep.
What are the characteristics of Stage 1 sleep?
Transition stage with theta waves, decreased heart rate, and blood pressure. Often includes hypnagogic hallucinations and myoclonic jerks.
What occurs during Stage 2 sleep?
It involves deeper relaxation, muscle twitches, and sleep spindles. Theta waves gradually shift to delta waves.
Q: What brain activity is observed in Stage 3 sleep?
A: Mixture of theta and delta waves, marking a transition into deeper sleep.
Q: Describe Stage 4 sleep.
A: Deepest stage, dominated by delta waves with the lowest heart rate, blood pressure, and relaxed muscles. Sleepwalking and bedwetting are more likely.
Q: What is REM sleep associated with?
A: Rapid eye movements, irregular breathing, dreaming, and arousal of the genitals. It is also linked to memory processing.
Q: What is the Information Processing Theory of Dreaming?
A: Dreams help sort, organize, and encode memories from the day, facilitating problem-solving and creative thinking.
Q: What does the Activation-Synthesis Model of Dreaming propose?
A: Dreams arise from the brain’s attempt to interpret random neural activity during sleep, often producing visual and auditory sensations.
Q: What is Freudian Dream Theory?
A: Freud believed that dreams represent the expression of unconscious wishes or desires, allowing us to release internal energy linked to unacceptable feelings.
Q: What are Manifest and Latent Contents in dreams?
A: Manifest content is the recalled images of a dream, while latent content represents the unconscious meaning behind the dream.
Q: What are Nightmares?
A: Intense anxiety-filled dreams that may wake the dreamer due to terror; they’re more common in people under stress.
Q: What are Lucid Dreams?
A: Dreams where the dreamer recognizes they are dreaming and, in some cases, can control the dream.
Q: What is Daydreaming?
A: A state where a person is awake and aware of reality but partially detached from full consciousness, often fostering creativity.
Q: What is significant about muscle twitches during REM sleep?
A: They activate hippocampal and cerebellar pathways, unlike similar movements during wakefulness.
Q: What are the effects of sleep deprivation?
A: Includes a depressed mood, lowered immune function, concentration issues, higher accident risks, decreased productivity, and more mistakes.
Q: How many hours of sleep do most children need compared to adults?
A: Most children need 9 hours (recommended 12-15), while adults typically need 7-9 hours.
Q: What is Insomnia?
A: A sleep disorder where individuals have difficulty falling or staying asleep, often due to stress, drug dependence, pain, or depression.
Q: What is Sleep Apnea?
A: A disorder where breathing stops repeatedly during sleep, potentially causing oxygen deprivation and frequent awakenings. Often treated with a positive flow ventilator.
Q: What is Narcolepsy?
A: A genetic disorder marked by excessive daytime sleepiness, causing sudden REM sleep episodes lasting up to 15 minutes.
Q: What is Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome?
A: A sleep disorder where individuals struggle to fall asleep at typical hours and may only sleep well in the early morning hours.
Q: What is Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)?
A: A condition where people experience strong urges to move their legs, usually in the evening before falling asleep, often described as a “pins and needles” feeling.
Q: What is REM Sleep Behavior Disorder?
A: A disorder where individuals act out their dreams with vigorous movements instead of the usual muscle paralysis during REM sleep.
Q: What is Hypnosis?
A: An altered state of consciousness with heightened suggestibility, deep relaxation, and intense focus.
Q: What are Posthypnotic Responses?
A: Behaviors suggested to a person during hypnosis, which they may carry out later.
Q: What is Posthypnotic Amnesia?
A: When a hypnotist directs someone to forget information learned during hypnosis.
Q: What are Hypnotic Hallucinations?
A: Perceptions under hypnosis that do not match reality, such as seeing or hearing things that aren’t there (positive hallucinations) or failing to see or hear actual stimuli (negative hallucinations).
Who developed the theory that hypnosis results in a split in consciousness?
Ernest Hilgard.
Q: According to Spanos, what role does belief play in hypnosis?
A: Spanos suggested that strong beliefs in hypnosis lead people to ignore their own contributions to the hypnotic experience, mistaking their behavior for an altered state of consciousness.
Q: What is dissociation in the context of hypnosis?
A: Dissociation is the splitting of consciousness into two dimensions, where one part focuses on the hypnotist’s instructions and the other part, known as the hidden observer, processes background information.
Q: What role does the anterior cingulate cortex play in hypnosis?
A: The anterior cingulate cortex may be involved in hypnosis, potentially helping to reduce pain perception during hypnosis.
Q: Define meditation.
A: Meditation is a technique designed to shift one’s awareness from the outer world toward inner cues and self-awareness.
Q: What are the three types of meditation?
A: 1) Opening-up approach: clear the mind to receive new experiences, 2) Concentrative meditation: focus on a single object or mantra, 3) Mindfulness meditation: focus on being aware of feelings and thoughts non-judgmentally.
Q: What is a psychoactive drug?
A: Any substance that alters mood, perception, awareness, or thought.
Q: Define addiction.
A: A psychological or physical compulsion to take a drug, leading to maladaptive behaviors and physical dependence.
Q: What are the effects of depressants?
A: Depressants act on the central nervous system to suppress bodily processes, leading to relaxation or drowsiness.
Q: What neurotransmitters does alcohol affect?
A: Alcohol influences GABA neurons and receptors, which slow down neural activity.
Q: What is the main effect of opioids on the brain?
A: Opioids activate opioid receptors in the brain, leading to pain relief and a euphoric high.
Q: What are stimulants, and how do they affect the body?
A: Stimulants increase central nervous system activity, enhancing energy, alertness, and bodily processes.
Q: How does cocaine affect the brain?
A: Cocaine blocks the reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, leading to increased dopamine activity and heightened arousal.
Q: What are the effects of amphetamines?
A: Amphetamines increase the release of dopamine and norepinephrine, boosting energy, alertness, and decreasing appetite.
Q: What is the primary effect of hallucinogens?
A: Hallucinogens produce sensory distortions or hallucinations, altering perception.
Q: How does LSD affect the brain?
A: LSD stimulates dopamine and binds to serotonin receptors, enhancing visual perception and focus on small details.
Q: What neurotransmitter does MDMA (Ecstasy) primarily affect?
A: MDMA leads to an increase in serotonin levels.
Q: What is tolerance in the context of drug use?
A: Tolerance is the need to take larger doses of a drug to achieve the same effect, due to physical dependence.
Q: What are withdrawal symptoms?
A: Unpleasant and sometimes dangerous effects experienced when reducing intake of an addictive drug.
