Consciousness and Attention Flashcards
In what way is consciousness a threshold phenomenon? (2)
if a stimulus activates enough neurons to a certain level, the activity magnifies and extends over more brain areas
if a stimulus fails to reach that level, the pattern fades away
How is attentional bias measured in the lab?
Stroop Test
Which brain areas are active during the Stroop test? (4)
What are their functions? (4)
Dorsolateral PFC - inhibitory control
Anterior cingulate cortex - detects conflict and signals need for increased cognitive control
Visual cortex - processes visual info
Premotor cortex - prepares response
What difference does the Emotional Stroop test show, compared to the Neutral Stroop test?
What does this indicate?
difference in reaction times of emotional and neutral words
indicates how much attention is focused on the emotional content
Describe the relationship between consciousness and attention (2)
you can be conscious WITHOUT paying attention to anything
you CANNOT pay attention without being conscious
What is inattentional blindness?
the tendency to miss things that are right in front of you if you aren’t focusing on those things
Describe the phenomenon of blindsight
people with cortical blindness can still respond to visual stimuli, even though they aren’t consciously aware of seeing anything
What is cortical blindness?
damage to the primary visual cortex
Name and explain the 2 theories that try to explain blindsight?
Residual Processing - low-level visual processing occurring in damaged areas, allowing for unconscious responses
Subcortical Pathways - visual info is routed through subcortical structures not damaged, enabling responses without conscious awareness
Describe spatial neglect (1) and which brain areas it is caused by (2)
ignoring the left side of the body/objects due to damage to the right hemisphere
inferior right parietal cortex - neglect left side of the body
superior right temporal cortex - neglect left side of objects
What evidence proves that spatial neglect is a problem in attention, not in sensation?
usually, someone with right hemisphere damage neglects the left arm
however, if the left arm crosses over or under the right, attention to the left arm increases
What is change blindness?
a change in a visual stimulus is introduced and the observer does not notice it
