Neuroscience of Consciousness and Attention

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in relation to consciousness?

It influences circadian rhythms and acts as the brain's biological clock. (correct)

It regulates cognitive processing speed.

It mediates self-reports of subjective experiences.

It is responsible for behavioral measures of consciousness.

Which of the following definitions best describes consciousness?

The ability to divide attention between multiple tasks.

A physiological measure of brain activity.

The moment-to-moment subjective experience of the world and mental sensations. (correct)

An automatic mental process that occurs without awareness.

Which processing type requires volitional control and attentiveness?

Controlled processing (correct)

Automatic processing

Divided attention

Circadian processing

What hormone is released by the pineal gland to regulate sleep cycles?

Melatonin Signup and view all the answers

How does divided attention affect task performance?

It is easier when tasks use different cognitive resources. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately describes the effects of cocaine?

It was commonly used as a curative in the 1800s. Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of opiates?

They bind to endorphin receptors. Signup and view all the answers

Which law states that an increase in stimulus intensity leads to an increase in response intensity?

Law of Intensity Magnitude Signup and view all the answers

What does behaviorism primarily focus on?

Measurable and observable behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is habituation?

A decrease in response probability after repeated exposure. Signup and view all the answers

Which best describes phylogenetic behavior?

Behavior traits influenced significantly by genetics. Signup and view all the answers

What is a fixed action pattern?

A series of instinctual acts performed in response to a specific stimulus. Signup and view all the answers

What is one limitation of natural selection?

It causes adaptations to become obsolete with environmental changes. Signup and view all the answers

What is a key difference between reinforcement and reward?

Reinforcement occurs only after a behavior is repeated. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes positive punishment?

Adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of negative reinforcement?

Turning off a loud alarm when you get out of bed. Signup and view all the answers

What describes an extinction burst?

A sudden increase in behavior immediately after reinforcement stops. Signup and view all the answers

How does shaping work in behavior modification?

By providing reinforcement for successive approximations to the target behavior. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements is true about discriminative stimuli?

They signal that reinforcement will occur for a particular behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is sensory memory primarily characterized by?

Brief storage of perceptual information for less than 10 seconds. Signup and view all the answers

What does operant extinction involve?

Withholding reinforcers that maintain a behavior. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best defines memory illusion?

A false but compellingly perceived memory. Signup and view all the answers

What effect does positive reinforcement have on behavior?

It increases the frequency and duration of a behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal according to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?

Self-actualization Signup and view all the answers

Which theory suggests autonomy, competence, and relatedness as key components of motivation?

Self-Determination Theory Signup and view all the answers

What does the glucostatic theory propose about hunger?

Hunger creates a drive to eat when blood glucose levels drop. Signup and view all the answers

Which component of emotion refers to the physiological responses such as sweaty palms?

Physiological Component Signup and view all the answers

Which part of the hypothalamus is associated with increased eating when stimulated?

Lateral Hypothalamus Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary characteristic of the mere exposure effect?

Increased familiarity leading to favorable feelings toward a stimulus. Signup and view all the answers

According to the Cannon-Bard Theory, what happens when one perceives a stimulus?

Both emotion and physical reactions happen simultaneously. Signup and view all the answers

What hormone is responsible for signaling reduced appetite?

Leptin Signup and view all the answers

Which eating disorder is characterized by binging and purging behaviors?

Bulimia Nervosa Signup and view all the answers

Which concept describes the unconscious expression of emotions through verbal behavior?

Non-Verbal Leakage Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the fading information from memory over time?

Decay Signup and view all the answers

Which method extends short term memory retention by linking stimuli in a meaningful way?

Elaborative rehearsal Signup and view all the answers

Which type of long term memory involves recollection of personal experiences?

Episodic memory Signup and view all the answers

What term describes the loss of memories from the past?

Retrograde amnesia Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes long term potentiation?

A lasting increase in synaptic strength Signup and view all the answers

What effect does the tendency to remember words at the beginning of a list illustrate?

Primacy effect Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of drive reduction theory in understanding motivation?

It links motivation to the reduction of internal tension. Signup and view all the answers

Which of these best describes procedural memory?

Memory of how to perform tasks Signup and view all the answers

What does infantile amnesia refer to?

Failure to remember early childhood experiences Signup and view all the answers

The misinformation effect involves which of the following?

Creation of false memories from misleading information Signup and view all the answers

What stage of sleep is characterized by delta waves occurring more than 50% of the time?

Stage 4 Signup and view all the answers

Which sleep disorder is characterized by sudden attacks of sleep and loss of muscle control?

Narcolepsy Signup and view all the answers

What does the Activation Synthesis Theory propose about dreams?

Dreams stem from brain activation during sleep. Signup and view all the answers

What effect does alcohol have on GABA and Glutamate levels in the brain?

Increases GABA, decreases Glutamate Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary characteristic of substance use disorder?

Significant recurring impairments in life Signup and view all the answers

Night terrors typically occur during which stages of sleep?

Stages 3 and 4 Signup and view all the answers

Which type of drugs are classified as stimulants?

Nicotine Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the blood-brain barrier?

Protects the brain from harmful substances Signup and view all the answers

What is substance tolerance?

Body no longer responds to a drug's effects Signup and view all the answers

Which symptom is commonly associated with sleep apnea?

Persistent daytime fatigue Signup and view all the answers

How does hypnosis primarily affect individuals?

Alters perceptions and thoughts Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a symptom of narcolepsy?

Cataplexy Signup and view all the answers

What is a common misconception about dreams according to Freud's theory?

Dreams are primarily wish fulfillments Signup and view all the answers

What common experience involves the sensation of reliving a new experience?

Deja Vu Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Consciousness and Altered States

Consciousness is the subjective experience of the world, bodies, and mental sensations. It's a subjective, dynamic, and self-reflective process.
Consciousness involves different disciplines, such as physics, philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and computer science.
Consciousness is measured through self-reports, physiological measures (like EEG), and behavioral measures.

Cognitive View of Consciousness

Cognitive psychology views humans as information processors, where the mind is software and the brain is hardware.
Controlled processing requires conscious effort and attentiveness, while automatic processing occurs without conscious control.
Divided attention is the ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously, which is difficult when the tasks use similar cognitive resources, like texting while driving.

The Science of Sleep

Circadian rhythms are cyclical changes occurring roughly every 24 hours in many biological processes.
Circadian rhythms are regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus, which is the biological clock.
The pineal gland releases the hormone melatonin, which regulates sleep-wake cycles.
Sleep needs vary by age, health, sleep quality, genetics, and species. The recommended amount of sleep ranges from 7-10 hours.

Stages of Sleep

Awake and Alert: Characterized by beta waves (greater than 13 per second).
Calm Wakefulness: Characterized by alpha waves (8-12 per second).
Sleep spindles and K-complexes: Occur during the early stages of sleep and are crucial for good sleep.
Delta waves are present in stages 3 and 4, making these the hardest stages to wake a person from.
REM sleep is characterized by rapid eye movement, increased brain activity, and dreaming.

Sleep Disorders

Insomnia: difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
Narcolepsy: characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks, cataplexy (loss of muscle control), and sleep paralysis.
Sleep apnea: where breathing consistently stops and starts during sleep.
Night terrors: episodes of screaming, sweating, and confusion during deep sleep.
Sleepwalking: walking while fully asleep.

Altered States of Consciousness

Hallucinations: perceptions in the absence of external stimuli.
Out-of-body experiences: sensation that one's consciousness has left their body.
Déjà vu: feeling of familiarity with a new experience.
Hypnosis: techniques used for altering perceptions, thoughts, and emotions.
Drugs: Psychoactive substances that alter consciousness by changing chemical processes in neurons.
Drugs can be categorized into:
- Depressants (alcohol, barbiturates, tranquilizers)
- Stimulants (nicotine, caffeine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, cocaine)
- Opiates (morphine, heroin, fentanyl)
- Hallucinogens (cannabis)

Learning and Behavior

Behaviorism focuses on studying behavior without considering consciousness.
Phylogenetic behavior refers to evolved behaviors influenced by genetics and environment. This includes reflexes (responses controlled by the nervous system), and fixed action patterns ("instinct").
Habituation involves the decrease in response intensity with repeated exposure to a stimulus.
Learning is a change in behavior based on experience.
Types of learning include habituation, respondent conditioning, and operant conditioning.

Respondent Conditioning

Unconditional stimuli elicit unconditioned responses (without prior learning).
Conditional stimuli acquire the ability to elicit conditioned responses after being paired with unconditional stimuli.
Extinction occurs when the conditional stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditional stimulus.
Stimulus generalization is when a similar stimulus to the conditional stimulus elicits a response.
Stimulus discrimination is when only the exact conditioned stimulus elicits a response.

Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning studies how environmental consequences affect behavior.
Consequences can either reinforce (increase) or punish (decrease) the behavior.
Reinforcing consequences increase the frequency, duration, intensity, or quickness of a behavior, and decrease latency (slowness in response) or increase variability in behavior
Positive reinforcement adds a stimulus, while negative reinforcement removes a stimulus.
Positive punishment adds a stimulus, while negative punishment removes a stimulus.

Memory

Memory illusion: false but compelling memories.
Forgetting: deterioration in learning, influenced by retention interval.
Sensory memory: stores sensory information briefly.
Short-term memory: stores information temporarily for limited duration.
Long-term memory: stores information relatively permanently.
Types of long-term memory include semantic, episodic, and procedural.
The neural basis of memory involves the brain's ability to create new pathways of neuron firings which store engrams.
Amnesia is memory loss, and there are different types.

Motivation

Motivation is a process influencing behavior.
Drive reduction theory suggests that drives (hunger, thirst) motivate behavior to reduce tension.
Incentive theory proposes motivation stems from reaching positive goals.
Intrinsic motivation comes from internal goals, while extrinsic motivation comes from external influences.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs prioritizes physiological needs before higher-level needs.
Theories of emotion include common sense, James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and two-factor theories.
The mere exposure effect describes increased positive feelings toward a stimulus with repeated exposure.

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Description

Explore the fascinating connections between consciousness, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and attention through this engaging quiz. Test your knowledge about the relevant hormones and how they affect sleep cycles and task performance. Perfect for students of neuroscience or psychology.