Exam 1

Question 1

What are the five types of research?

Answer 1

Case studies, naturalistic observation, surveys, archival research and longitudinal/cross-sectional

Question 2

What are the 4 steps of the scientific method?

Answer 2

Theory, hypothesis, research, observation

Question 3

Describe how theories and hypotheses are different

Answer 3

Hypotheses are testable predictions and theories are overarching constructs

Question 4

What surprising thing could the blind patient do? Which pathways did she use to do this?

Answer 4

She could use “blind sight”. Using the “where” pathways in the brain she could detect objects but could not see them consciously because of issues with her “what” pathway

Question 5

What does blind sight and loss of color vision demonstrate about vision?

Answer 5

It demonstrates that vision is composed of multiple areas of the brain working together to create one conscious image we see

Question 6

What does blind sight illustrate about other parts of the brain?

Answer 6

Blind sight illustrates that senses and perhaps other functions of the brain are composed of multiple subcomponents working together.

Question 7

What does Ramachandran say the example of blind sight tell us about the self?

Answer 7

He says that blind sight demonstrates that there is not a single “I” within us because we have many automated processes working without our awareness to create the sensation of a single
“I”

Question 8

What is Anosognosia?

Answer 8

It is the disorder of being unaware of illness through denial of symptoms.

Question 9

What do less extreme patients with anosognosia do to avoid confronting reality?

Answer 9

They come up with rationalizations as to why they can’t do things. Like being tired or not wanting to do it.

Question 10

What behaviors does Ramachandra believe normal people share with Anosognosia patients

Answer 10

He believes that normal people also have psychological defense mechanisms that prevent them from dealing honestly with reality

Question 11

What is the Freudian view of anosognosia?

Answer 11

The Freudian view is that the patient does not want to confront the unpleasantness of their paralysis

Question 12

What is the neurological view of anosognosia?

Answer 12

The neurological view is that it is the consequence of neglect syndrome which occurs when there is damage to the right hemisphere and leaves the patient indifferent to the left side of their body

Question 13

What are the two problems with Freudian explanations of anosognosia?

Answer 13

1. It does not explain the difference in magnitude of defense mechanisms between normal people and anosognosia patients
2. It doesn’t explain the asymmetry of anosognosia almost always being associated with the right side of the brain

Question 14

What are the two problems with the Neurological view of anosognosia?

Answer 14

1. Neglect syndrome does not account for continued denial of the paralysis even after the patient is made aware of it.
2. Neglect syndrome and denial both can occur independently of each other.

Question 15

What does Ramachandran say are the functions of the left and right hemispheres?

Answer 15

Right hemisphere- functions in understanding metaphor, allegory, and ambiguity

Left hemisphere- functions in producing speech, language syntax, and semantics

Question 16

How might each hemisphere explain some symptoms of anosognosia?

Answer 16

Right hemisphere - devil’s advocate, if damaged no longer working to integrate new information

Left hemisphere - maintains old information - does not look to update info and wants to keep things stable

Question 17

What “even more fundamental difference” between the hemispheres explains the Freudian defenses?

Answer 17

The left hemisphere ignores inconsistencies in information and the right hemisphere works to examine and integrate information that is inconsistent with previous beliefs.

Question 18

How are the two hemispheres differences adaptive?

Answer 18

The world is chaotic so being able to maintain stability of beliefs is important to making decisions while integrating new information allows for outdated beliefs to be updated.

Question 19

What is the experiment with Betty meant to show?

Answer 19

It is meant to show that denial is not only link to a lack perceived movement in her left arm, the denial persists even if she perceives her right arm not moving. The denial can be on either side

Question 20

Ramachandran squirts ice water into an ear to active REM movements. Does this experiment support multiple consciousnesses.

Answer 20

I don’t think it’s good evidence of multiple consciousnesses. I think it shows that not all information is consciously available at all times, though I don’t believe its a complete shift in consciousness to access previously unavailable information.

Question 21

Does anosognosia provide evidence for denial?

Answer 21

Anosognosia provides evidence by showing a clear link between physiological changes in the right side of the brain and strong denial of observable reality

Question 22

How are temporal lobe seizures and Transcranial Magnetic stimulation of the temporal lobe linked?

Answer 22

The both produce intense religious experiences

Question 23

What stimuli were patients with Temporal Lobe Personality syndrome responsive to and unresponsive to?

Answer 23

Patients were highly responsive to religious stimuli and unresponsive to sexual stimuli, violent stimuli and familiar faces.

Question 24

What is more impactful on intelligence culture or genetics?

Answer 24

I think genetics are more powerful because there is evidence for people that have very little formal education on a topic such as math that can intuitively do advanced math.

Question 25

What are the two languages of experience?

Answer 25

The two languages are spoken language and nerve impulse language

Question 26

What does Ramachandra propose we do to overcome the limitations of spoken language in communicating experience?

Answer 26

The we create a cable of neural pathways between brains to directly transfer the sensory information from one brain to another.

Question 27

What are the three laws of qualia?

Answer 27

1. It is irrevocable - meaning that it can’t be chosen, it just happens
2. It leads to flexible actions
3. It exists long enough to be worked with

Question 28

Why is the closing mechanism of a Venus flytrap not considered conscious?

Answer 28

The response lacks the second law. It is inflexible because it only has one output despite possessing the other two laws.

Question 29

Where does Ramachandra think the seat of consciousness is?

Answer 29

He thinks the seat of consciousness is in the temporal lobes because dysfunction there creates action without conscious control.

Question 30

Make your own argument if the embodied self is a critical component of the self overall

Answer 30

The embodied self is a critical component because it is the interface between the internal self and the external experience of the world. Without the embodied self a person would have no self in the world.

Question 31

Why are emotions critical to defining consciousness?

Answer 31

They are critical because emotions allow us to assign importance to objects and events. Without that flexible action would be nearly impossible.