Lecture 9 Control

Question 1

Single celled Organisms

Answer 1

Behavior maps directly from detectors on cell membrane to action. ( Our patellar reflex is like this, brain is nit involved, action comes from spinal cord))

Question 2

Basal Ganglia

Answer 2

Is where our actions are stored

Question 3

Habits

Answer 3

are built through repetition
not goal or reward based
40% of what we do everyday

Question 4

Cognitive control

Answer 4

Contains three main faculties: attention, working memory and goal management. (willpower, goals suppresses older brain areas) Also rationalizes habitual behavior.

Question 5

People with more willpower

Answer 5

Are Happier, Healthier, live longer, make more money, have better relationships, get better grades

Question 6

Impaired cognitive control impaired by

Answer 6

Sleep deprivation, older age, stress, intoxication

Question 7

The reward system

Answer 7

Tries to get you to do things that will make you feel better and avoid things that will make you feel worse.

Question 8

Dopamine system

Answer 8

(not always pleasurable) think of picking a scab, or addictive behaviors, you keep eating after you stop enjoying it. (urge driven)

Question 9

The mind wandering system

Answer 9

(the default mode network) makes you think about things irrelevant to your current environment (such as longer-term goals and anxious thoughts)

Question 10

habit system is a car

Answer 10

habit system is a disinterested parent driving the normal route
the cognitive system: the other parent in the passenger seat, telling the driver to go where they should go
the reward system: the kid screaming for ice cream in the back seat.
The mind-wandering system: the car radio playing with an ad for a weight-loss program

Question 11

Top down processing

Answer 11

interruptions from other goals and concerns

Question 12

Bottom-up processing

Answer 12

interruptions from the world

Question 13

Information forming

Answer 13

we are hungry for information, (we stay at one “information source” until we feel we aren’t getting much information for it.)

Question 14

The distraction cycle

Answer 14

Boredom drives more frequent task switching

• > Rapid, unpredictable rewards,
• > you get more easily bored ->

Question 15

Habits are triggered by

Answer 15

H: humans you're around
A: Activity 
B: Bearings (your location)
I: Internal states (e.g., hunger)
T: Time of day

Question 16

Improving cognitive control

Answer 16

Meditation, Exercise, getting enough sleep, knowing how your mind works, discipline, the six second rule.

Question 17

Extrinsic ambition

Answer 17

Money, looking good, fame generally leads to diminished happiness

Question 18

Intrinsic Ambition

Answer 18

Community, self-acceptance, health generally leads to increased happiness

Question 19

implementation intentions

Answer 19

replace your bad habits with good habits.

Question 20

Improving reward system

Answer 20

Reward works better: save something you love for when you’ve done the thing you want to do more of.
Temptation bounding example( only watch tv on treadmill
Make it harder to do tempting things
Changing the environment is easier than using willpower.