Brain States and Consciousness Chapter 2 Neuroscience and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Brain States and Consciousness

Chapter 2

Neuroscience and Consciousness

£ How We Decide – Jonah Lehrer

¤ Decision making – ¥ Good decisions require both sides of mind ¥ A brain that can’t feel, can’t make decisions ¥ Historically, rational Rs are supreme; emotional R are mistakes ¥ Role of orbitofrontal cortex – connects amygdala and prefrontal lobe – integrates visceral emotions into decision making process ¥ Evolution: emotions designed to make fast decisions

• n very little info

¥ Reason without emotion is impotent

Neuroscience and Consciousness - Lehrer

£ Role of dopamine

¤ Prediction ¤ Brain learns from mistakes – ACC (anterior cingulate cortex) ¤ Intuitive R

£ Flaws in emotional brain

¤ Too much dopamine – ex. gambling ¤ Danger of randomness for dopamine = perceives patterns which don’t exist – Stock Market ¤ Loss aversion – losses loom larger than gains ¤ Reason can regulate emotions = metacognition

Neuroscience and Consciousness - Lehrer

£ Choking on Thought

¤ Over analysis – ex. golf

£ Moral Mind – ex. psychopaths

¤ Early abuse numbs emotions = no empathy

£ Poker

¤ Need to use conscious brain for simple choices, unconscious brain for complex choices

Conscious vs. Subconscious Mind

£ Brain controls behavior of body’s cells £ Learning from experience = conditioning and reflexes = habits = subconscious mind £ Prefrontal cortex = seat of self-conscious mind – self-reflective – observes own behavior and emotions = evaluating/ changing behavior = foundation of free will? £ Beliefs control biology – but not all learned perceptions are accurate - stay in subconscious

How We Pay Attention

£ Selective attention - £ Selective attention focuses our brain on

• nly most important events around us

£ Change blindness £ Inattentional blindness

How We Pay Attention

£ Film – Inattentional Blindness The Monkey Business Illusion

(vimeo)

Sleep and Dreams

£ Circadian rhythms £ Sleep -

¤ Stages ¤ REM-

• alcohol
• sleeping pills

Sleep Deprivation

£ Immunity to disease £ Function - learning and

memory

£ Deprivation Research

– 4 hours; 5 nights in a row

¤ Accumulative effect ¤ Driving - person

unaware of change

¤ Mood swings

Sleep Deprivation

£ Brain research – 35 hours no sleep; MRI

¤ Negative images = hyperactive R in amygdala ¤ Disconnect between amygdala and prefrontal lobe – same as found in psychiatric disorders

£ Body research – 4 hours sleep for 6 nights

¤ Pre-diabetic state - at risk for type 2 diabetes ¤ Hungry ¤ High blood pressure / stroke indications

£ Quality of sleep- 8 ½ hours sleep with noise

£ Naps £ Sleep deprivation affects metabolism, memory, appetite and how we age

Film - Sleep Deprivation

Sleep Deprivation

£ Sleep management strategy -

¤ Relaxation / Meds ¤ Rigid bedtime and rise time ¤ Limit caffeine ¤ Limit alcohol beverages ¤ Limit dim light during day, bright light at night ¤ Physical activity during the day ¤ Engage in mentally challenging tasks during day ¤ Warm baths/ showers in late afternoon or early evening ¤ Minimize daylight napping

Theories about Sleep’s Function

£ Sleep protects £ Sleep helps us recover £ Sleep helps us remember £ Sleep may play a role in the growth process

Sleep Disturbances

£ Insomnia – drugs

¤ “phase delay” in elderly

£ Apnea –

¤ Disturbed sleep ¤ Truck drivers, pilots, train

• perators need screening

¤ Treatment

£ SID sudden infant death

Film - SID

Sleep Disturbances

£ Narcolepsy £ Sleepwalking and Sleep talking

Theories about Dreams

¤ Freud ¤ Information-processing – REM sleep and memory ¤ Physiological function - exercise ¤ Activation-reaction – making sense

• f neural static

¤ Cognitive-development perspective

Neuroscience and Consciousness: Review

¤ How We Decide – Jonah Lehrer ¤ Conscious vs subconscious mind ¤ Selective attention; change blindness; inattentional blindness ¤ Sleep: stages; REM; theories; circadian rhythms ¤ Sleep deprivation research ¤ Sleep disorders: insomnia; apnea; SID; narcolepsy; sleepwalking ¤ Dreams - theories

Gratitude

Benefits

• better sleep; more refreshed in morning
• fewer health problems
• more optimistic about
• more satisfaction with life
• can move “set point” for happiness

upward to some degree

• emotional benefits
• creates meaning in your life

Gratitude

Tips - but no one right way to do it

• make a commitment – public is best
• depth over breadth
• get personal
• try subtraction, not just addition
• savor surprises, the unexpected
• don’t overdo it – three/four times a week

Gratitude

More tips

• use visual reminders – post-its
• have a gratitude partner
• change your negative tapes
• see each item in journal as a “gift”
• don’t hurry through exercise –

relish each gift Gratitude is a choice.