Hard Questions PDF

Qualia: phenomenal private aspects of our mental lives (smell of freshly mown grass, colour of red mcgill sweater EEG: recording electrical activity in the brain as it relates to levels of alertness. Electrooculograms: records electrical poetential b/w front/back of eye. Electromyograms: records ele...

Qualia: phenomenal private aspects of our mental lives (smell of freshly mown grass, colour of red mcgill sweater EEG: recording electrical activity in the brain as it relates to levels of alertness. Electrooculograms: records electrical poetential b/w front/back of eye. Electromyograms: records electrical activity in muscles. Alpha waves: Physically and Mentally relaxed Beta waves: Active thinking REM sleep, Awake Theta waves: NREM (light sleep), daydreams, creativity, insight Delta waves: REM, slow wave sleep REM Sleep: Dreaming Sleep stages: 1-4 (none REM), 5(REM) - dreamss (whole cycle is 90 mins) Sleep stage 1: light sleep (5-10m/cycle) - A/T waves & halucinations Sleep stage 2: burts of sleep spindles (10-30m/cycle) - K-complexes (65% of sleep) Sleep stage 3/4: Deep sleep (15-30m/cycle) - Slow wave sleep(crucial for rest) - 25% of sleep Sleep stage 5: Extremely deep sleep (10-20m/cycle) - brain activity like being awake (vivid dreams). Sleep Spindles: NREM sleep that helps with mem consolidation (look like spikes indicate light sleep) K-Complexes: suppress sleep disruption (light sleep) Sleep functions: Restoration, Growth/cellular repair, rebuilds brain proteins, boosts # of immune cells(need 9 hours) unctions of Slow Wave sleep: memory consolidation, physically restorativ Narcolepsy: Falling asleep with no control RBD: REM sleep behaviourr disorder (dream enactment/ violent movemen Innattentional blindness: not paying attention to things that aren’t focus (man in gorilla suit walks across other side of field) Global workspace hypothesis: consciousness requires info processed from nonconscious parts of the brain which is broadcasted to the other parts of brain (global workspace) Braitenberg vehicles: Simple robots given human characteristics when describing actions. Ockham’s razor: the simplest explanation for a phenomena is the best Reductionism and its limitations : simplest explanations are easier to falsift/test bc inconsistencies can’t be explained away. Reductionism can’t explain what can’t be described (behaviours may be unpredictable). Rationalism: Using reason & Logic (Observation may be misleading) Empiricism: Observation necessary to confirm theorie Inductivism: Observations used to induce theories (I have only seen brown bears therefore all bears are brown) Falsificationism: Tests designed to refute the predicted theor Milgram experiment: Testing obedience by delivering shocks to an actor at increasing intensity. Descriptive methods: Case study, surveys, longitudinal/cross-sectional research, naturalistic research. (focuses on one measured variable Hawthorne effect: Being observed causes participants to change behaviour Hawthorne Experiment: observing efficiency of office workers Experimenter expectancy effect and experiment: what the experimenter expects to happen influences the experiment. (stupid mice). Response bias: responding falsely/innacurately to survey questions (questiosn in surveys that influence response) Logical empiricism: what truly exists can be measured by objective empirical observations (Bacon & Descartes) Empirical structuralism: the goal of science cannot be to verify/falsify a theory. (scientific work intends to increase knowledge of phenomena not refute claims) Epistemological consequences: scientific progress specific to a theory and where said theory can’t be applied Cognitive (R)evolution: dramatic increase in brain size (2.5% of bodyweight, and 25% energy) change in how we think/operate Consequences of cognitive revolution: less muscle, more time spent looking for food, premature birth, cooking/language, commication & coordination Piaget theory of human development: We have some innate knowledge, experiences are combined to concepts of world. (Equilibrium, Assimilation, Accommodation) Empiricism: Everything is learned Proximate causation: Close factors (hormonal state, enviro) influencing behaviour (How) Ultimate causation: evolutionary causes of behaviour (Why) Baby scheme/Kindchenschema: round/cute facial features promotes a caretaking behaviour. Piloerection: goosebumps/hair standing up on body (makes you appear bigger/keeps you warmer) Twin studies on intelligence: enviro & genetics both responsible for IQ (Identical twins in same enviro have closer IQ than frat. twins that did)(If Identical twins grew up apart they have more differences)