Understanding human consciousness

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Chapter 1

• Introduction

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Understanding human consciousness

• Mind-body question
• Dualism the belief that the body is physical
  but the mind (soul) is not
• Monism the belief that the world consists only
  of matter and energy and that the mind is a
  phenomenon produced by the workings of the
  nervous system

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Understanding human consciousness

• Blindsight
• Def the ability of a person who cannot see
  objects in his or her blind field to accurately
  reach fro them while remaining unconscious of
  perceiving them
• Caused by damage to the mammalian visual system
  of the brain
• Suggests the common belief that perceptions must
  enter consciousness in order to affect our
  behavior is incorrect

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Understanding human consciousness

• Split brains
• Corpus callosum the largest commissure of the
  brain, interconnecting the areas of neocortex on
  each side of the brain
• CC connects the 2 cerebral hemispheres (L and R)
• Epilepsy split-brain operation
• Can detect olfactory stimuli on ipsilateral
  (same) side, but not on contralateral (opposite)
  side
• If split-brain patient is given olfactory
  stimulus (eg flower odor) to only right nostril,
  they will say they smell nothing (b/c right side
  cannot pass info onto left side which controls
  speech).
• However, even though they are not conscious of
  smelling it, they can then choose the correct
  object to stand for the stimulus (eg rose)

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Understanding human consciousness

• Unilateral neglect
• Def a syndrome in which people ignore objects
  located toward their left and the left side of
  objects located anywhere
• Caused by damage to the right parietal lobe

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The Nature of Physiological Psychology

• The Goals of Research
• Generalization a type of scientific
  explanation a general conclusion based on many
  observations of similar phenomena
• e.g. man has fear of dogs because he was attacked
  as a child
• Reduction - a type of scientific explanation a
  phenomenon is described in terms of the more
  elementary processes that underlie it
• e.g. the women feels hungry because her stomach
  is producing high levels of ghrelin

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The Nature of Physiological Psychology

• Biological Roots of Physio Psych
• Hippocrates On the Sacred Disease
• Descartes organisms mere mechanical devices
  responding to envt
• Reflex an automatic, stereotyped movement that
  is produced as the direct result of a stimulus
• Model a mathematical or physical analogy for a
  physiological process
• Müller
• Learn about nervous system only by
  experimentation
• Doctrine of specific nerve energies because all
  nerve fibers carry the same message, sensory info
  must be specified by the particular nerve fibers
  that are active
• Experimental ablation the function of a part of
  the brain is inferred by observing the behaviors
  an animal can no longer perform afterwards

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The Nature of Physiological Psychology

• Broca
• Stroke in left side of brain (later named
  Brocas area) left patient with inability to
  speak
• Helmholtz
• Measured speed of electronic conduction by
  nerves saw that more than just a simple message
  being transmitted

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Natural Selection and Evolution

• Darwin
• All of an organisms characteristics serve a
  functional purpose
• Functionalism the principle that the best way
  to understand a biological phenomenon is to try
  to understand its useful functions for the
  organism
• Natural selection the process by which
  inherited traits that confer a selective
  advantage become more prevalent in a population
• Mutation change in the genetic info that can be
  passed on to an organisms offspring provides
  genetic variability
• May also provide a selective advantage

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Evolution of the Human Species

• Evolution a gradual change in the structure and
  physiology of plant and animal species
  generally producing more complex organisms as a
  result of natural selection

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Evolution of the Human Species

• Evolution of Large Brains
• Humans evolved into beings capable of many
  complex behaviors and cognitions
• Requires a larger brain
• Neoteny a slowing of the process of maturation,
  allowing more time for growth

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Ethical Issues in Research with Animals

• Humane and Worthwhile
• Compare numbers of animals used in research vs
  those used for food/hunting/unwanted
  pets/clothing etc.
• Researchers care about their animals!

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Careers in Neuroscience

• Physiological psychologist a scientist who
  studies the physiology of behavior, primarily by
  performing physiological and behavioral
  experiments with lab animals
• Professor at University (teaching and running a
  research lab)
• Private or public research institutions
• Society for Neuroscience www.sfn.org

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HW for next class

• Read Chapter 2 Structure and Function of Cells
  of the Nervous System
• Suggest reviewing todays lecture