brain and Consciousness essay
Psychology 367 Lecture 8 Consciousness
Harry Stark, Ph.D.
Consciousness
Consciousness (is subjective =relate to individuals )we are talking about reality of cognitive process. When you don’t know what you are doing in unconsciousness
Involves subjective experiences
Alertness to various stimuli in the environment
External – Sights and sounds and all other senses of what is around us. What is danger, smell, sounds, tempruature for example our brin process is quickly
Internal – memories, emotions, as well as sensation from within the body physical sensation of body, emotional state and memory
Includes the process of being able to tell the difference between Internal and External Different between you and somebody else( I stop. You start)
Lezak et al. (2012) differentiates between an awake state and aware state. Be go to. Not enough physically be awake we need awarness. She make diffrentiations active (assuming)and passive process. Aware is the active one
Lezak, M. D., Howieson, D. B., Bigler, E. D., & Tranel, D. (2012). Neuropsychological Assessment (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press p. 35.
Consciousness
Early theories on Consciousness
William James stated “psychology is the science of mental life” (James, 1890/1983, p. 15) not interested in passive stuff (12:00 8 march)
Freud posited the “conscious” as the mind’s awareness of subject matter one can discuss rationally.
Adler did not use the term “Conscious” rather used term “awareness” to allow for unity of purpose (in contrast with Freud). Why you do something, if you know it is conscious but you don’t know it is uncounsion
In the 20th century, behaviorism pushed discussion of “consciousness” out of the way.
Theories on memory, perception, and processing of information brought back idea of “consciousness”
Consciousness
No single theory is accepted which states what happens in the brain to make “consciousness” possible. (13:14)
Potential that “unconscious” processing can influence conscious decision making (Paller & Suzuki, 2014).
This can be through Memory
This can be through Sensation
Example: if midbrain feel danger, brain fight and flight response. That influence your decision making and your action. From memory and different sensation can impact your dicision
Consciousness
Most theories that seek physical evidence for consciousness require a structure or structures that act continuously across neurons that are spread into different areas. Information has to send through nerouns pathway. We are (16:13 8 march) base on what was going on on that nerouns are decision making impacts. Example: something bodering in 9 morning and at night suddenly your brain find the answer of that problem …(neurons work space)
Dehaene & Changeux (2004) discuss a “neuronal workspace” that operates outside of consciousness in sync with local processors that allows for rapid communication.
Fuster (2003) notes the prefrontal lobes integrate all information both conscious and unconscious.
Reticular Activating System (series of nuclei/structures that control wakefulness) is a precondition for conscious Behavior (G. Roth, 2000; Tononi & Koch, 2008). If you don’t press dial on phone you not gonna get any connection. When brain is not in active position)
Consciousness
The role of the “Claustrum” has been addressed recently in understanding consciousness (Stiefeld, 2014). Claustrum is In integral
The Claustrum is a sheet of neurons under the cortex.
Many cortical areas reciprocate their connection with the Claustrum
Visual and auditory cortex areas send axons to the claustrum
The claustrum sends back axons to these same regions.
Each lobe has it own operation and connection to claustrum. It sends out neouron in to lobes of cortex, and these neuron come back. It is 2 way communication with that lobe and with the other lobes. And within the claustrum. It is like orcestra. They use (25: 00 8 march) communication directly to each lobe . Communication between lobes go by claustrum
Consciousness is extremely relable to function of claustrum.
It hit the specific nerouns of claustrum. Effect claustrum than others. They test people by hallucination. Consciousness and active thinking is extremely reliable on claustrum. Fuck with claustrum cause problem in perceiving things.
Consciousness
Crick & Koch (2005) posited that the Claustrum coordinates cortical functions much in the way as a conductor would an orchestra.
Stiefel, Merrifield, and Holcombe (2014) tested this.
Use of Salvia divinorum – mint type plant native to Mexico
This plant substance acts on the receptors mostly specific to the Claustrum and disrupts/inhibits their function.
Review of experiences of people who took this substance (similar to LSD and psylocibin) and found:
Sensation of altered environment/physical space
Perception of “other beings” (e.g., dead people, aliens, mythical creatures)
Cessation of the perceived existence of The Self
Core elements of “consciousness” are altered when the Claustrum is disrupted, rather than a selection of hallucinations… So, the Claustrum appears to have a significant role in Consciousness.
Consciousness
Solso et.al. (2003 & 2007) Offer use of AWAREness model
A = Attention mean
W = Wakefulness
A = Architecture
R = Recall (of knowledge)
E = Emotive
Consciousness
Attention – focuses cognition on internal and external stimuli.
This attention is orchestrated to aid in developing a cohesive perception that makes sense. Focuse on the thing and make sense of what you see. Example of star war. It supposed to be quickly such as sport player should make dicision in a moment who is open to pass the ball to them
Wakefulness – the continuum between alert and sleep (arousal). How awake are you compare to sleep
Architecture – the types of structures related to perception and how they function. Example Some people process visualy than aduiotary,
Recall of Knowledge – pulling information from various sources where wisdom come in (having experience and storing in memory and then recall it in other way in best manner you can to solve new problems)
Self-Knowledge – who you are, what you are doing, your own feelings I know I’m not good in math. Example I got a new phone and I knew my information about technology is not good. So I get help from AT&T guy. Part of recall
World Knowledge – use of Long-Term memory to give context to that which is perceived. We try to understand of what we doing and how the world working. That’s where every thing come in by recall. Activation of using of your awake and then using your empathy(serious component to be with other peoples) example: in 1980 the macjine called VCR come to market that had VHC caset. It could record. My friend bought it. He want to go out and wanted to record the football game. He use his self knowledge and world knowledge (follow the instructor) but he couldn’t. he did it 4 more time, on fifth time he hit it. After couple time he take it an throw on floor and jump on it and throw out of window. His wife show her that he didn’t push on thing on caset, it is self knowledge, world and activation knowledge
Activation of Knowledge – involves intuition and empathy so one can be involved cooperatively with others.
Consciousness
Emotive – the emotions that are associated with one’s consciousness having emotional reaction, such as happiness and frustration all have play in it. Our emotion impact how well we able to process information. Anxious mind attend more to dangerous things for example. Sit with some one ask where are you now and where you sitting right now. Identify how many dangerous things are around you. Fundamentally nothing in your environment is dangerous because nothing happening. No one is hear to attack you. They can be dangerous but they are not now. If you see danger that impact your decision. (in that test the quickness and number of danger thing will show how anxious you are (15 seconds) . Appropriate integration of data we receive.
Novelty – seek out the new (impact on mood and environment) we go after new things, looking for things going on and where stand with things, do we have experience about things. Active secretary in nervous system that are checking out environment to see any danger in environment.
Emergence – consciousness develops from assessments of internal processes (rather than automatic processes e.g., eyes adjusting to changes in light in a room).
Selectivity and Subjectivity – process of determining focus and how that thing that is object of focus is experienced (e.g., art = good/bad). In nerous section make evaluation that your awarness is working or not.(3:40 march 10) poker player . Subjectivity is your own test. His wife go to art gallery and I choose the big picture because I thought it is good , but my wife thought I was idiot but it was my tast.
Consciousness
Why do we need Consciousness? For volitional movement(your determine) opposite of involuntary movement. It is for cope with anything in environment for example you are cold so you cope with it by putting on clothes. It is voluntary . So each voluntary movement needs consciousness. Raising hand are volitional. But some one push you and you jump is shock and not volitional
Peirson & Trout (2005) – it is needed for volitional movement.
Better for coping and adjusting the environment.
Better for survivability
Consciousness
Better for pro creation
Without consciousness there is
no success to do it
Consciousness
Baars & McGovern (1996) offered functions for Consciousness help understand situation you are in. concept of setting. Such as going to comedy show what they say there look comic because you are in that setting.
Context Setting - Uses knowledge in memory and context of situation to aid understanding. Difficulty that lot of people have is example the president say something and you heard it in another setting you probably you will become anxious no matter you are in which setting. The concept is important because it is from president
Adaptation and Learning – novel situations need awareness. Mobilize our resources
Prioritizing – need consciousness to sort out which information is most needed in a situation.
Consciousness is important for these
Uses knowledge in memory and context of situation to aid understanding.
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Consciousness
Baars & McGovern (1996) (con’t)
Recruitment & Control – selection of skills needed to operationalize voluntary tasks. You face situation you can solve it in single way or couple way, it is you by consciousness using to solve problems. To figure out how to best response.
Decision Making/Executive Function in prefrontal cortex which has limited consciousness. It is controlling all these things and organized in prefrontal cortex when data comes in.
Draw out necessary info./resources from the “unconscious” to aid choices
Exerting control over these resources
Consciousness
Baars & McGovern (1996) (con’t)
Error Detection/Editing you need consciousness for when you make a mistake. Certain pattern are familiar and we understand the what is new and we are not familiar look error. Move searching for bobi fisher. Is about kid who play chest. In final competition the other person did a move in that competition that shouldn’t do and kid wasn’t familiar(goes some way that shouldn’t go(movement)) child use consciousness to see how to deal with that
Accessing unconscious rule systems to inform re: mistakes made or being made
Consciousness
Baars & McGovern (1996) (con’t)
Self-Monitoring where we are, how we operating
Self-reflection
Inner speech talking to your self
Imagery imagination and visual us doing thing or not doing things
(All need consciousness)
Example: he in therapy a client tell him that my mind says me that I slap you(thouse thoughts which we say I should do that or don’t do that)
Consciousness
Baars & McGovern (1996) (con’t)
Organization and Flexibility
Uses reflexive responses developed over time and experience with common situations. Not as much consicouness. It is more cognitively(reflexive) some one need help and you response need consciousness. In store when asking you how are you doing is reflexive.
Accesses specific information stored and applicable to novel situations.
Consciousness
Sleep
Consciousness
REM Stage Sleep and why we dream. Sleep is unciousness but the rem is a little level of consciousness go on.
Psychoanalytic and General Psychodynamic perspective:
Information from the unconscious is seeping through to consciousness.
Problems of the day continue processing despite sleeping. Math you tried to solve
Developing emotional energy to trigger choice making. To adler model. Which Adler was in fault about it because he believe your dream is significant when there is emotional concept. People who not go to Rem don’t see dream, not remember actually. But we see dreams in any way
Consciousness
REM Stage Sleep and why we dream. A lot theories about why we dream. One theory is:
Activation Synthesis Hypothesis your brain look at activity by movement of eye in rem. Transfer happen from short to long term memory.
REM brain activity is understood by the brain in ways that are familiar.
Uses memory from LTM
Manners in which one communicates
Consciousness
Dreams
If dreams are unreal they are interpreted as DREAMS. If dream percieve unreal, our mind understand that it was dream. But if dream be real (realistic)such as stocking in traffic and you have exam, when you wake up you check your environment to be sure it was dream. So make confusion.
If dreams are potentially real, the interpretation can lead to disorientation upon awaking.
Consciousness
COMA opposite of consciousness. It can last days, years. Most comma are result of head injury.
Unconscious condition in which person cannot open his/her eyes.
Coma leads to either conscious, minimal conscious, or vegetative state.
Can last days, weeks, months, years.
Usually the result of TBI
Pape
Consciousness
COMA
Pape and associates (2015) found: if they hear from family member telling story , 4 times a day cause them recovery. So it prove there is little consciousness there. Or person who come back tells I remember what you where talking on that time. Every brain scan and medicals show there is no activity in brain when you are in coma. So we don’t know a lot about brain.(hearing family member voices make the long term memory active)
Coma patients heared stories from family members 4x’s/day for 6 weeks (used headphones and recordings).
Recovered consciousness sooner and overall improved recovery.
Consciousness
COMA
Pape and associates (2015) con’t:
Hypothesis is the stories in the voice of parents and siblings activates connections in the brain responsible for LTM.
In MRI see increases in neural activity in regions related to:
Understanding language
Retrieval of LTM
Consciousness
Drugs
Can slow the nervous system (depressants)
ETOH alcohol (over writing 50:00)
Barbituates
THC marijuana
Make consciousness slow
Consciousness
Drugs
Can excite the nervous system (stimulants)
Nicotine
Cocaine
Amphetamines
Caffeine
Consciousness
Drugs
Can alter perceptions of reality (hallucinogens)
LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide)
Psylocibyn (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine)
PCP (phencyclidine)
They can disturb clastrum
Consciousness
Meditation
Consciousness
Meditation
Relaxed concentration
Can involve chants, mantras, body positions…
Reduces stress & pain & increases physically relaxed states (Austin, 1999; Lazar et al., 2000).
Can impact Left Prefrontal Cortex (planning, reasoned decision making, & positive mood) Bennett-Goleman, 2001). Improve your mood
Consciousness
Baars’s Global Workspace Theory (1997)
Like on a stage – there is a spot light (attention) and then the stuff on the fringe and behind the scenes. Think like stage, anything out of that spot light the less focus you have on it. Farther out of spot light less focus.
Despite a complex organization of neurons this need to focus on specific information in a linear fashion pervades…. Why?
Is this where we find instincts?
Background information processing outside of awareness but still to our benefit.
So finding a strange feeling of warning can require disengagement from Foreground focus to sort through other material – just need to find quick solutions to allow for this shift.
Baars, B.J. (1997). In the theater of consciousness: Global workspace theory, a rigorous scientific theory of consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 21(4), 292 – 309.
Consciousness
Automatic processes
Uncontrollable (no intent)
Very efficient
Uses Implicit Memory (non-declarative)uses prior experiences
driving home without actually recalling the process (my car knows how to go); baseball and muscle memory, riding a bike. He made it not any one of his anterns ask how you feel today, it will be automatic answer. Or his wife says come here, I will ask what I need to do. It is automatic response
Consciousness
Priming
Brief exposure to a form of data (often on lowest sensory threshold). Give people to categorize themselves in groups. (58:00). Can percieve your past events. Impact consciousness in positive way. You provide brain some exposure to something briefly, give people a line to categorize themselves as a group, such as frame, simbles, of filme, you see a commercial of coke, you get the thing go on there
Influences responses or recognitions
Faster for related words/topics/data
Advertising uses this well to create product recognition and association…
Consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness
Daniel siegal: whee of awarness
1.Engage in relaxation of the body (breathing, muscle relaxation, mindfulness)
2. Goal is integration of consciousness differentiation and then linkage of the various parts of system
3. There are 8 senses divided in to 4 parts
Part 1: 1)sight 2)sound 3)touch4)taste5) smell
Part 2: 1) muscels 2) bones 3) organs(heart, lung, intestine)
Part3: feeling-thoughts-memories-intentions-beliefs-attitude
Part4: with people-with natural environment-with the planet-
This is a mindfulness exercise