Consciousness Flashcards
Consciousness
The subjective awareness of the world and of ourselves including internal and external stimuli.
Stream of Consciousness
Consciousness does not appear to itself chopped up in bits, it flows. A river or stream are the metaphors by which it is most naturally described. Arises from brain processes (the mind is what the brain does).
The Hard Problem of Consciousness
We know how we feel or register certain things (ex. we know when we are happy or how we feel when we see the colour pink) but we don’t know why.
Circadian Rhythm
24 hour biological cycle that regulates arousal. Influenced by patterns of light and dark. Retina relays light info to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) which communicates with the pineal gland (the pineal gland releases melatonin). Is endogenous (internally produced) discovered by the cave study (put people in a cave for 6 months and they still maintained a 24 hour biological cycle).
Pineal Gland
Releases melatonin.
Brain Waves
The electrical activity in the brain produced by neurons firing.
Gamma Waves
30-100 Hz. Hyper brain activity. High cognitive functioning.
Beta Waves
12-30 Hz. Alert waking state. Attentive, engaged with the world.
Alpha Waves
8-12 Hz. Very relaxed. Deepening into meditation.
Theta Waves
3-8 Hz. Drowsy and drifting down into sleep and dreams.
Delta Waves
0.5-3 Hz. Deeply asleep and not dreaming.
Stage 1 of Sleep
Brief, transitional (1-7 mins). Theta waves mixed in with alpha waves and hypnic jerks.
Stage 2 of Sleep
Mixed EEG, k complexes (spike waves) sleep spindles (bursts of high frequency waves) (10-25 mins).
Stage 3 of Sleep
Slow-wave sleep. Some delta waves. Hard to wake someone up at this stage (30 mins).
REM
EEG similar to awake. Vivid dreaming, paradoxical sleep (despite having high brain function, the brain suppresses motor function of muscles to prevent us from acting out our dreams) (initially a few mins, progressively longer throughout the night).
Why Do We Sleep?
1) To conserve and protect (safe from predators at night since we can’t see properly).
2) To grow, restore, and repair.
3) For memory consolidation.
4) For problem-solving.
Effects of Sleep Deprivation
1) Impaired Cognitive Abilities
2) Accidents
3) Irritability
4) Memory Bias
5) Relationship Conflict
6) Depressed Immune System
7) Weight Gain
8) Early Death
Dreams
Electrochemical events that involve the brainstem, forebrain, and eyes. Occurs primarily during REM sleep. Pons releases ACh which travels to the forebrain (associated with cortical arousal). Serotonin and norepinephrine suppress and inhibit REM activity (stops dreams). Brainstem blocks signals from the motor cortex. Contain more negative content than positive content.
Common Dream Themes
1) Being Chased
2) Sexual Experiences
3) Falling
What Influences Our Dreams?
1) Concerns of your everyday life.
2) External stimuli.
3) Yourself (lucid dreaming).
Why Do We Dream?
1) Psychoanalytic Theory and Freud (Wish Fulfillment)
—> Manifest (the storyline of the dream) VS Latent Content (the real meaning (usually sexual))
2) Cartwright (Cognitive Problem-Solving)
—> Srinivasa Ramanujan (mathematician)
—> Said goddess Namagiri Thayar appeared in his sleep proposing mathematical formulae.
3) Hobson and McCarley (Activation-Synthesis Model)
—> Mind’s attempt to make sense of random cortical activity.
Sleep Disorders
1) Insomnia (15-17% suffer severe or frequent insomnia).
2) Nightmares during REM.
3) Night terrors (intense bouts of panic and arousal that wakes people up) during NREM (usually Stage 3).
4) Sleepwalking during NREM (Stage 3).
5) REM Behaviour Disorder (no paralysis during REM sleep and results in people acting out their dreams).
6) Narcolepsy (wakefulness into REM sleep (too little of the hormone orexin)).
7) Sleep Apnea (inability to breathe while sleeping).
8) Sleep Paralysis (paralysis during REM sleep goes into wakefulness. Can also see hallucinations).
Non-Conscious Processes
What we do is influenced by things we aren’t aware of.
Confabulation
Coming up with a false explanation or false memories without the intention to deceive.
Selective Attention
We direct our attention to relevant stimuli to the exclusion of everything else ex. talking to a friend in a crowded bar.
Inattentional Blindness
Failure to notice clearly visible objects/events because our attention is directed elsewhere (ex. moonwalking bear).
The Cocktail Party Effect
A partygoer can focus on a single conversation in a noisy room (selective attention).
Broadbent Filter Theory
Information is blocked but attention can shift if you hear your name.
Treisman’s Attenuation Theory
It is not that we are not processing the information, we are just not aware of it (“the volume is turned down”).
Meditation
Practice that involves training attention and awareness. Can be focused attention (ex. transcendental meditation) or open monitoring (ex. mindfulness meditation).
Focused Attention Meditation
Ex. transcendental meditation.
Open Monitoring Mediation
Ex. mindfulness meditation.
Mediation Effects
1) Reduces anxiety, depression, and lowers stress hormones after five days.
2) Increases positive mood, decreases fatigue, and anxiety over four days.
3) Reduces heart rate and blood pressure.
