Psychology Lecture 1: Consciousness
32 Questions
0 Views

Choose a study mode

Play Quiz
Study Flashcards
Spaced Repetition
Chat to Lesson

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What role does V1 play in visual consciousness according to TMS studies?

  • V1 feedback is essential for visual perception. (correct)
  • V1 is primarily responsible for color perception.
  • V1 activity completely overrides other brain areas.
  • V1 is not necessary for visual consciousness.

What effect does a second pulse of TMS over V1 have on phosphene perception?

  • It does not affect phosphene perception.
  • It completely impairs phosphene perception. (correct)
  • It enhances phosphene perception.
  • It only affects perception when the first pulse is strong.

In blindsight patients, what phenomenon occurs despite their reported blindness?

  • They can describe their visual experiences accurately.
  • They exhibit complete indifference to light.
  • They react to visual stimuli better than chance. (correct)
  • They can recall visual memories.

What is the implication of the findings from TMS over MT in relation to visual consciousness?

<p>Feedback from MT to V1 is necessary for conscious perception of motion. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Penfield's work from the 1950s primarily demonstrate?

<p>Brain stimulation can evoke physical movement and memories. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What finding supports the idea that FFA is necessary for face perception?

<p>Lesion studies show impaired function without FFA. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is indicated by the microstimulation of V4 cells?

<p>It influences the perception of color. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a key concept of Models of Consciousness regarding the Global Neuronal Workspace?

<p>Conscious states emerge when they enter the Global Workspace. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is typically considered the 'easy' problem of consciousness?

<p>Identifying neural correlates of consciousness (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What major psychological movement is characterized by the study of stimulus and response?

<p>Behaviorism (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes 'phenomenal consciousness'?

<p>The experiential component of consciousness (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In which century did introspectionism emerge as an approach in psychology?

<p>19th century (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main focus of consciousness research since the 1990s?

<p>Neuroimaging techniques (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the 'hard' problem of consciousness primarily concerned with?

<p>Understanding subjective experiences (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following components did human consciousness NOT possess, according to the key features outlined?

<p>Perception (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which landmark psychological approach started in the 1960s and shifted focus toward mental processes?

<p>Cognitive psychology (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main characteristic of information in the global workspace (GW)?

<p>It is accessible to multiple cognitive systems. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which processing stage allows information to influence action after being fed forward?

<p>Stage 2: Deep feedforward processing. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a notable difference between Global Neuronal Workspace (GNW) and Recurrent Processing Theory (RPT)?

<p>GNW focuses solely on access consciousness. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which stage of processing is linked to local recurrent activity that allows for consciousness?

<p>Stage 3: Superficial recurrent processing. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is necessary for activating network feedback and rendering content conscious in the GNW model?

<p>Frontal cortex activity. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of consciousness results from any recurrent activity, according to Recurrent Processing Theory?

<p>Phenomenal consciousness. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does attention relate to consciousness based on the provided theories?

<p>Attention and consciousness are two separate processes. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is primarily lacking in the Global Neuronal Workspace model compared to RPT?

<p>The ability to account for phenomenal consciousness. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is meant by 'phenomenal consciousness' in the context of the brain?

<p>An emergent property arising from the complexity of the brain (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does it mean for consciousness to be an 'emergent property'?

<p>It exists only at the system level and is not present in its individual components (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is phenomenal consciousness considered difficult to explain?

<p>It involves extreme complexity associated with the brain's operations (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does 'binocular rivalry' refer to in the study of visual consciousness?

<p>The presentation of incongruent images to both eyes leading to perceptual alternation (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is one implication of Logothetis' data regarding visual perception?

<p>Conscious awareness may not be associated with activity in early visual cortex (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect of the brain's structure contributes significantly to its complexity?

<p>The number of neurons and synaptic connections (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role does neural oscillation play in consciousness?

<p>It helps the brain operate over various time scales (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes the connectivity in the brain that aids in consciousness?

<p>Connections exist in both feedforward and feedback patterns (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Neural correlates of consciousness

The specific neural processes related to a conscious experience.

Easy problem of consciousness

Identifying the neural processes connected to a specific conscious state.

Hard problem of consciousness

Explaining how brain activity creates subjective experience.

Phenomenal consciousness

The subjective, experiential aspect of consciousness.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Introspectionism

Early psychological approach studying conscious thoughts and experiences through self-examination.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Behaviorism

Psychological approach focusing on observable behaviors, ignoring internal mental states.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Cognitive psychology

Study of mental processes, like thinking, remembering and problem-solving

Signup and view all the flashcards

Neuroimaging

Techniques to study brain activity while observing the mind.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Emergent Property

A characteristic that appears in a complex system but is absent in its individual parts.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Neural Oscillations

Rhythmic patterns of brain activity that occur at different frequencies.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Binocular Rivalry

Presentation of different images to each eye, leading to perceptual alternation instead of fusion.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Neural Correlates of Consciousness (NCC)

The specific brain activity that accompanies a conscious experience.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Consciousness Threshold

A hypothetical level of brain activity required for conscious awareness.

Signup and view all the flashcards

What is the Hard Problem of Consciousness?

The philosophical challenge of explaining how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Why Study Binocular Rivalry?

It provides a controlled way to manipulate visual consciousness and investigate the brain processes associated with it.

Signup and view all the flashcards

TMS & Visual Consciousness

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) can temporarily disrupt brain activity in a specific area, creating a transient lesion. Studies using TMS suggest that the visual cortex (V1) is essential for conscious visual perception.

Signup and view all the flashcards

TMS and Motion Phosphenes

TMS pulses over the MT (motion area) can evoke the perception of moving phosphenes (flashes of light). However, a second TMS pulse over V1, but not MT, after the initial MT pulse, disrupts the conscious perception of these phosphenes.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Blindsight

Blindsight is a phenomenon where individuals with damage to V1 lack conscious vision in a specific area (scotoma) but can still unconsciously detect and react to visual stimuli in that area.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Blindsight & TMS

Blindsight patients with V1 lesions still experience motion phosphenes when TMS is applied to MT, suggesting that feedback from MT to V1 is essential for the conscious experience of motion.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Microstimulation & Face Perception

Microstimulation of the fusiform face area (FFA) with depth electrodes can directly induce the perception of faces, demonstrating its sufficiency for face perception. This suggests that FFA plays a crucial role in our ability to recognize faces.

Signup and view all the flashcards

FFA & Color Perception

Microstimulation of the V4 region, responsible for color perception, can make objects appear colorful. Similarly, stimulating FFA can make inanimate objects appear as faces.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Global Neuronal Workspace Theory

The Global Neuronal Workspace Theory proposes that consciousness arises when information is broadcast to a global workspace, where it becomes accessible to various brain areas and can be used for decision-making and other higher-level functions.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Easy vs. Hard Problem of Consciousness

The 'Easy Problem' of consciousness refers to identifying the brain mechanisms associated with specific conscious states. The 'Hard Problem' seeks to explain how these neural processes create subjective experience itself.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Global Workspace

A theoretical model of consciousness where information is accessible to multiple brain systems, including perception, attention, memory, and motor control. This makes the information available for conscious experience.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Global Workspace Theory (GNW)

A theory that suggests consciousness arises from the activation of a network of neurons with long-range connections in the brain, making information available to various brain systems for conscious experience. It explains "access consciousness", where information is available for use.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Subliminal Processing

Information processing that occurs below the level of conscious awareness. When a signal is not strong enough to reach the global workspace it remains subliminal.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Recurrent Processing Theory (RPT)

A theory that suggests consciousness arises from recirculating activity of information in the brain. This looping activity can occur locally, regionally, or throughout the entire brain.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Feedforward Processing in Vision

Initial processing of visual information that moves forward, from sensory input to higher brain areas. This processing is typically subliminal and inaccessible to further cognitive processing.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Recurrent Processing in Vision

Information loops back to earlier visual areas, making it available for conscious experience. This could involve local loops within early visual areas, or loops between mid-level areas and early visual areas.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Attention & Consciousness: Separate Processes?

The RPT model proposes that attention and consciousness are separate processes. We can pay attention to something without being conscious of it, and we can be conscious of something without actively attending to it.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Study Notes

Lecture 1: Consciousness

  • Essential features of consciousness: Sentience (sensory/perceptual system), wakefulness (not in deep sleep/coma), self-awareness (aware of being awake and sentient), meta-cognition (thinking about thoughts).
  • Human consciousness: Two key components: phenomenal consciousness (subjective experience, what it feels like to be you) and reflexive consciousness (ability to think about thoughts, meta-cognition).
  • Quick history of consciousness (17th-19th C): Began with philosophers like Descartes, Leibniz, and others, leading to introspectionism in the late 19th century (experimental psychology focusing on subjective observations of mental processes, e.g. Fechner, Wundt, Titchener).
  • Early 20th Century : Behaviorism (focus on observable behavior, ignoring the mind, e.g., Watson, Skinner).
  • 1960s : Cognitive psychology (focus on information processing, computation, mental processes).
  • 1990s : Neuroimaging (fMRI, MEG, PET) measuring brain functions while performing tasks).
  • Early 21st Century : Neural networks (simulating consciousness, conscious machines).

Consciousness History: Philosophy of Mind

  • Humanist Thinkers (17-18th C): Descartes, Leibniz, Locke, Hume, and Mill all wrote about the mind and consciousness before modern psychology.
  • Philosophical Perspectives :
    • Dualism: (Descartes) mind and body are separate; mental is distinct from physical.
    • Materialism: (19-20th C): Only matter exists, brain is matter, mental states are a product of the brain.
    • Epiphenomenalism: Mental states are a product of the brain's physical events; have no causal role.

Consciousness History: Introspectionism

  • Experimental Psychology (Late 19th Century): Began with introspectionism (Fechner, Wundt, Titchener).
    • Method: Controlled, replicable subjective reports of mental processes.
    • Goal: To observe "qualia" (subjective conscious experiences, e.g. "redness").
    • Problems: Biased observers, different skills/terms, lack of agreement.

Consciousness History: Behaviorism

  • Early 20th Century: Dominated psychology, focusing on observable behavior.
    • Rejection of the mind as a subject of study.
    • Focus on stimulus and response (S-R) psychology.

Consciousness History: Cognitive Psychology

  • 1960s: Emergence of cognitive psychology, bringing the mind back into psychological study.
    • Reintroduction of brain as an information processor metaphor.

Consciousness History: Neuroimaging

  • 1990s onward: Neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, MEG, PET) for studying brain activity.
    • Allows observation of brain activity during conscious tasks.

Consciousness History: 1990s - Present

  • 1990s: Consciousness became a legitimate scientific research area.
  • What needs to be explained: Chalmers' Easy vs. Hard problem of consciousness.
    • Easy: Linking brain activity to specific conscious states.
    • Hard: Explaining why brain activity produces subjective experiences (qualia).

Phenomenal Consciousness

  • Emergent property: Consciousness may arise from the brain's complexity.
  • Interconnectedness: The brain is highly interconnected non-linearly at all levels.
  • Properties: Notions of complexity are connected and relevant to emergence of consciousness.

Connectivity Within Regional Networks

  • Connections generally go both ways (feedforward and feedback).

Why Consciousness?

  • Interaction with the world (gathering information, planning, actions, and goals).

Models of Consciousness:

  • Global Neuronal Workspace (GNW): Consciousness is a state where information is accessible to multiple systems. Information in the global workspace is conscious, not contained solely in a specific location.
  • Recurrent Processing Theory (RPT): Consciousness does not need frontal activation. Recurrent activity (looping) in the brain provides awareness.

Binocular Rivalry:

  • A paradigm for visual consciousness where incompatible images are presented to each eye, causing perceptual alternation.
    • Purpose: To investigate the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) and to understand which brain regions participate in visual awareness.

Brain Stimulation:

  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): Non-invasive brain stimulation technique. Used to temporarily disrupt brain function in a specific area.

Microstimulation:

  • Direct stimulation of brain areas (e.g., FFA, V4) can produce specific conscious experiences, as shown in studies using implanted electrodes and stimulation.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Quiz Team

Related Documents

Consciousness Lecture Notes PDF

Description

Explore the essential features and history of consciousness, from early philosophical thoughts to modern cognitive psychology. This quiz covers the evolution of consciousness through different eras and key contributors like Descartes and Skinner. Test your understanding of the multifaceted nature of human awareness.

More Like This

Philosophy of Mind: Consciousness and Color Perception
26 questions

Philosophy of Mind: Consciousness and Color Perception

BrightestBoston2440 avatar
BrightestBoston2440
Psikoloji Felsefe: Psychology of Mind
10 questions

Psikoloji Felsefe: Psychology of Mind

PositiveRetinalite9232 avatar
PositiveRetinalite9232
Philosophy of Consciousness Quiz
47 questions

Philosophy of Consciousness Quiz

ThumbUpAgate6549 avatar
ThumbUpAgate6549
Use Quizgecko on...
Browser
Open
Browser
Browser