Psychological Science Michael Gazzaniga and Todd Heatherton

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Psychological ScienceMichael Gazzaniga and Todd
Heatherton

• Chapter Four
• The Brain and Consciousness

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Overview of Chapter Questions

• What Are the Basic Brain Structures and Their
  Functions?
• How Does the Brain Change?
• How Is the Brain Divided?
• Can We Study Consciousness?
• What Is Sleep?

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What Are the Basic Brain Structures and Their
Functions?

• The Spinal Cord Is Capable of Autonomous
  Function.
• The Brainstem Houses the Basic
• Programs of Survival.
• The Cerebellum Is Essential for Movement.
• Subcortical Structures Control Basic
• Drives and Emotions.
• The Cerebral Cortex Underlies Complex
• Mental Activity.

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The Spinal Cord Is Capable of Autonomous Function

• Grey Matter
• White Matter
• Spinal Reflexes
• Example The Stretch Reflex

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The Brainstem Houses the Basic Programs of
Survival

• A complement of survival reflexes
• Gagging, breathing, swallowing, etc.
• Brainstem uses spinal reflexes to produce useful
  behavior
• The reticular formation and sleep

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Fig. 4.4
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The Cerebellum Is Essential for Movement

• Cerebellum little brain
• Role in motor learning
• Beyond motoric training
• Multiple cognitive processes
• Empathy

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Fig. 4.5
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Subcortical Structures Control Basic Drives and
Emotions

• The limbic system separates the older and
  newer parts of the brain.
• Hypothalamus
• Thalamus
• Hippocampus and Amygdala
• Basal Ganglia

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Fig. 4.6
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The Cerebral Cortex Underlies Complex Mental
Activity

• Frontal Lobe
• Parietal Lobe
• Temporal Lobe
• Occipital Lobe

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Fig. 4.7
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Fig. 4.8
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Fig. 4.9
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How Does the Brain Change?

• The Interplay of Genes and the Environment Wires
  the Brain.
• The Brain Rewires Itself throughout Life.
• The Brain Can Recover from Injury.

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The Interplay of Genes and the Environment Wires
the Brain

• The Importance of plasticity
• Chemical signals guide growing connections.
• Experience fine-tunes neural connections.
• Plasticity has critical periods.

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The Brain Rewires Itself throughout Life

• Change in the strength of connections underlies
  learning
• Hebbian learning fire together, wire together
• Changes in use distort cortical maps

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The Brain Can Recover from Injury

• Remapping after injury reflects plasticity
• The promise of transplanting stem cells

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How Is the Brain Divided?

• The Hemispheres Can Be Separated.
• The Separate Hemispheres Can Be Tested.
• The Hemispheres Are Specialized.
• The Mind Is a Subjective Interpreter.

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Fig. 4.16
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Fig. 4.17
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Fig. 4.18
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Fig. 4.19
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Can We Study Consciousness?

• Definitions of Consciousness Allow
• Its Empirical Study
• Unconscious Processing Influences
• Awareness
• Awareness Has Many Seats in the Brain

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Definitions of Consciousness Allow Its Empirical
Study

• Subjectivity and qualia
• Access to Information

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Fig. 4.20
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Unconscious Processing Influences Awareness

• The case for unconscious influence
• Priming effects
• The Freudian Slip
• The Illusion of conscious will

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Fig. 4.22
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Awareness Has Many Seats in the Brain

• Blindsight
• Neuronal Workspace

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Fig. 4.23
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Fig. 4.24
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What Is Sleep?

• Sleep Is an Altered State of
• Consciousness.
• Sleep Is an Adaptive Behavior.
• Sleep and Wakefulness Are Regulated by
• Multiple Neural Mechanisms.
• People Dream while Sleeping.

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Sleep Is an Altered State of Consciousness

• Stages of sleep
• REM sleep

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Sleep Is an Adaptive Behavior

• Restoration and Sleep Deprivation
• Microsleeps
• Circadian Rhythms
• Facilitation of Learning

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Fig. 4.25
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Fig. 4.26
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Table 4.1
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Sleep and Wakefulness Are Regulated by Multiple
Neural Mechanisms

• Brainstem and arousal
• REM Sleep

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Fig. 4.27
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Fig. 4.28
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People Dream while Sleeping

• What do dreams mean?
• Activation-synthesis hypothesis
• Evolved threat-rehearsal strategies

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Student Website Study Smarter

• www.wwnorton.com/psychsci
• Diagnostic Quizzes
• Chapter Reviews
• Vocabulary Flashcards
• Studying the Mind videos
• Animations and Activities

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Concept Quiz

• 1. Franz decided to go on some of the rides at a
  fair. Unfortunately, a piece of the carousel
  broke and punctured his skull in Broca's area.
  We know that when he recovers, he is going to
  have difficulty with the
• a. production of language
• b. understanding of language
• c. hearing of language
• d. control of his emotions

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Concept Quiz

• 2. Roger is suffering from severe epilepsy. To
  control it, he opts to have this brain area
  severed thus separating the two hemispheres of
  the brain.
• a. corpus callosum
• b. frontal lobe
• c. hypothalamus
• d. amygdala

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Concept Quiz

• 3. Mike, a split-brain patient, is shown a key in
  his left visual field and a ring in his right
  visual field. He is asked what he sees. Which
  of the following is most likely his answer?
• a. nothing
• b. a key
• c. a ring
• d. a key ring

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Concept Quiz

• 4. Larry has lost his vision following a couple
  of strokes. However, when he takes he kids to
  the mall he amazes them by guessing fairly
  accurately the expressions of people without
  actually seeing them. This phenomenon of visual
  processing without visual awareness is known as
• a. qualia
• b. subliminal perception
• c. blindsight
• d. unconscious awareness

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Concept Quiz

• 5. For revenge, Joe wants to put shaving cream
  on his roommates face and write "STUPID" on his
  forehead. Which sleep stage should he pick for
  his roommate to be least likely to detect this?
• a. Stage 1
• b. Stage 2
• c. REM
• d. Stage 4

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Concept Quiz

• 6. Nancy has been depressed throughout the
  winter. She tries something new and cuts her
  sleep in half for a week. Amazingly, this helps
  lift her spirits. This effect likely works
  because sleep deprivation leads to increased
  activation of __________ receptors.
• a. acetylcholine
• b. dopamine
• c. serotonin
• d. GABA