Psychological ScienceMichael Gazzaniga and Todd Heatherton

Chapter Four:

The Brain and Consciousness

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?

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.

The Spinal Cord Is Capable of Autonomous Function

Grey Matter

White Matter

Spinal Reflexes

Example: The Stretch Reflex

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

The Cerebellum Is Essential for Movement

Cerebellum = “little brain”

Role in motor learning

Beyond motoric training: Multiple cognitive processes Empathy

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

The Cerebral Cortex Underlies Complex Mental Activity

Frontal Lobe

Parietal Lobe

Temporal Lobe

Occipital Lobe

Fig. 4.7

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.

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.”

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

The Brain Can Recover from Injury

Remapping after injury reflects plasticity

The promise of transplanting stem cells

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.

Fig. 4.16

Fig. 4.19

Can We Study Consciousness?

Definitions of Consciousness Allow

Its Empirical Study

Unconscious Processing Influences

Awareness

Awareness Has Many Seats in the Brain

Definitions of Consciousness Allow Its Empirical Study

Subjectivity and “qualia”

Access to Information

Unconscious Processing Influences Awareness

The case for unconscious influence:

Priming effects

The “Freudian Slip”

The Illusion of conscious will

Awareness Has Many Seats in the Brain

“Blindsight”

Neuronal Workspace

Fig. 4.23

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.

Sleep Is an Altered State of Consciousness Stages of sleep

REM sleep

Sleep Is an Adaptive Behavior

Restoration and Sleep Deprivation: Microsleeps

Circadian Rhythms

Facilitation of Learning

Fig. 4.26

Sleep and Wakefulness Are Regulated by Multiple Neural Mechanisms

Brainstem and arousal

REM Sleep

Fig. 4.27

Fig. 4.28

People Dream while Sleeping

What do dreams mean?

Activation-synthesis hypothesis

Evolved threat-rehearsal strategies

Student Website: Study Smarter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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