Paller and Suzuki (2007)

Question 1

two meanings of consciousness

Answer 1

• the subjective experience of the world, resulting from brain activity
• the state or a process of an individaul

Question 2

elements of consciousness

Answer 2

• subjective point of view; our unique view of the world
• qualia: individual experiences; what things are like for that person
• metacognition: reflect upon thoughts and draw judgement upon them
• inner speech: our verbal narrative of the reasons for and reflections on our behavior
• volition: making and sticking to decisions

Question 3

dualism

Answer 3

mental (our consciousness) and physical are different substances

Question 4

reductionism or reductionist views

Answer 4

mental phenomena can be explained via descriptions of physical phenomena

Question 5

brain region responsible for body awareness

Answer 5

• thalamus
• cortical regions

-angular gyrus

Question 6

Neuronal Correlates of consciousness theory

Answer 6

-measures the least amount of neural (brain) activity we can look at

Question 7

social neuroscience theory…consciousness

Answer 7

• to allow us to predict what people are going to do

- predict our own behavior

Question 8

supramodel integration theory

Answer 8

–connects systems together and allows communication between brain regions that would not be able to communicate with one another on their own

-allows us to overrides some automatic systems or the dominant response

Question 9

global neuronal workspace model…. consciousness

Answer 9

• arises from when brain regions/ circuits are active
• subjectively experienced brain activity
• different areas responsible for conscious awareness of different types of information

Question 10

brain regions responsible for consciousness according to GNW

Answer 10

• prefrontal

- inferior parietal cortices

Question 11

GNW evidence

Answer 11

• Hemineglect patients are unaware of part of the visual
• Patients are unaware of their left visual field, but live their lives normal and sometimes don’t even realize they cant see objects on their left visual field

Question 12

information integration theory

Answer 12

• proposes shared information itself constitutes consciousness
• we are conscious of many things, but experience all the information as a whole

Question 13

What is the relationship between the richness of consciousness and the structure of shared information?

Answer 13

-consciousness is highly structured, highly differentiated (informationally rich), and highly integrated

Question 14

brain regions responsible for consciousness according to ITT

Answer 14

• cortex

- thalamus

Question 15

ITT evidence

Answer 15

Anesthesia like propofol and xenon disrupt brain’s ability to integrate information by altering neurotransmitter levels

Question 16

two distinct ways to make decisions

Answer 16

• automatic

- controlled

Question 17

controlled processes

Answer 17

• used for tasks that require little or no consciousness
• fast and effortless
• involuntary action
• involves focal cortical areas

Question 18

automatic processes

Answer 18

• used for complex or unfamiliar tasks

- slow and effortful

Question 19

global levels of consciousness

Answer 19

• alert wakefulness
• REM sleep
• deep sleep
• brain death
• persistent vegetative state
• minimally conscious state
• locked in syndrome

Question 20

alert wakefulness

Answer 20

-highest level of arousal and consciousness

Question 21

REM sleep

Answer 21

• very active brain
• low arousal
• more consciousness than in deep sleep

Question 22

brain death

Answer 22

• complete and irreversible loss of brain function
• heart not beating on its own, no coming back
• no blood circulation, brain stem not functional

Question 23

persistent vegetative state

Answer 23

• low to no normal brain activity or consciousness detected

- less likely to emerge from

Question 24

minimally conscious state

Answer 24

-some response to stimuli, some awareness of surroundings

Question 25

locked-in syndrome

Answer 25

• normal brain activity, but body cannot respond

- permanent sleep paralysis while brain is fully awake

Question 26

deep sleep

Answer 26

-lowest level of arousal and consciousness

Question 27

brain regions important for consciousness

Answer 27

• prefrontal

- parietal lobe