Chapter 13 – The nature of consciousness<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/nav>\n\nChapter 13 – The nature of consciousness<\/h1>\n\n\n Consciousness is everything you experience during every waking moment of your life. Attempts to understand what consciousness is and how it works represents one of humanity\u2019s biggest questions. The past two decades have witnessed substantial progress in the field, with the study of consciousness having many practical consequences. Achieving a better understanding of consciousness is important for moral, scientific and legal questions including whether animals have consciousness, what happens when people lose consciousness (e.g., following a seizure or coma) and whether computers can ever become self-aware? This chapter considers methods and theories of consciousness, before posing the question \u2018What is consciousness for?\u2019. The chapter also explores the extent to which human behaviour is governed by conscious versus unconscious processes, and the limits of free will.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\n\nChapter 13 – Flashcards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Qualia<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Subjective or qualitative properties of experiences that are accessible to introspection <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Consciousness<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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The state of being awake and aware of the one\u2019s own internal states such as feelings and memories <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Quantum physics<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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A theoretical explanation of how things work at an atomic and subatomic level<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Phenomenological<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Focused on an individual\u2019s lived experiences within the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Binocular rivalry<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Presentation of images to each eye which cause a perceptual alternation between the two images rather than a perceptual fusion of both images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Cerebral networks<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Interconnected brain regions involved in functions such as information processing which are revealed by neuroimaging techniques such as fMRI and PET.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Blindsight<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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A neurological condition whereby patients are able to respond to visual stimuli without consciously perceiving them<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Unilateral neglect<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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A condition characterised by a failure to response to people or objects presented to the side opposite a brain lesion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Prosopagnosia<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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A neurological condition characterised by the inability to recognise the identity of faces<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Neural correlates of consciousness (NCC)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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A specific pattern of brain activity that correlates with conscious experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Inattentional blindness<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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A failure to notice a fully visible object because attention is engaged elsewhere<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Transcranial magnetic stimulation<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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A non-invasive method that involves externally applying weak electric currents leading to temporary changes in neuronal activity. The technique can be used to selectively activate or inhibit targeted brain structures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Vegetative state<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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A vegetative state is when a person is awake but is showing no signs of awareness; they may open their eyes, wake up and fall asleep at regular intervals and have basic reflexes; they’re also able to regulate their heartbeat and breathing without assistance<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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General anaesthesia<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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A state of controlled unconsciousness induced through medicines to ensure that you are unaware and unable to feel pain during surgery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Self awareness<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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An awareness of one\u2019s own body and internal mental states such as feelings and desires <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Natural selection<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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An evolutionary mechanism whereby organisms that can successfully adapt to their environment are more likely to survive and pass on their genes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Repetition priming effect<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Improved processing (eg faster, easier) of a stimulus when it is repeated compared to when first encountered<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Errorless learning<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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An approach where errors are eliminated as much as possible while learning new information.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Errorful learning<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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An approach where errors are not reduced during the learning of new information<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Preferential looking<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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A visual technique for assessing the perceptual and memory capabilities of nonverbal individuals such as human infants and animals<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Secondary task<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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A task that is peripheral to the central or main task but that requires some attentional resources to complete<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Replication crisis<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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A concern, not just limited to psychology, that the results of some scientific studies are difficult to replicate or cannot be reproduced at all<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Cognitive control<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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The ability to focus on goals or plans to achieve a desired behaviour whilst inhibiting information that is not relevant<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Subliminal primes<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Stimuli that are exposed to an individual below a threshold for conscious perception of those stimuli<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Free will<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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The ability to freely choose between different possible courses of action<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n
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Human-computer interfaces<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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The means by which a person interacts with a computer and exchanges information and instructions<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/button>\n <\/div>\n\n \n
Press Enter or Space to flip the card<\/div>\n