¶ … consciousness has been studied actively since the 1960s. Interestingly, Taylor (2003) notes, "Consciousness is a subtle phenomenon, which has so far resisted all attempts to understand it." Taylor's statement may be an exaggeration, as the author of this assigned reading goes on to discuss a number of facets of consciousness that have been well studied. These include biological rhythms, facets of waking consciousness, automatic vs. controlled processing, shifts in self-awareness, sleep, and drugs that alter consciousness.
This article notes that circadian rhythms can be either short-term or longer term, and are simply biological rhythms that occur as regular changes in our bodily functions and processes. The pineal gland plays an important role in long-term biological rhythms like hibernation through its production of melatonin. Human differences between day and night people is a common example of biological rhythms in humans.
The author then moves on to examine common disturbances in circadian rhythms, including jet lag and shift work. Jet lag occurs when we have trouble adjusting our internal clock to a change in location. Importantly, light can act to reset our internal clocks, thus alleviating symptoms of disturbed circadian rhythms seen in shift workers and those suffering from jet lag.
The author then provides an excerpt titled "counteracting the 'drowsy driver' syndrome. This article suggests a number of ways to increase driver alertness, including drugs, caffeine, and environmental stimuli, including sounds and pleasant fragrances.
Waking states of consciousness are then examined, including...
Consciousness There are numerous technical intricacies to neurobiological research. The human brain is a completely intricate mechanism and holds numerous neurons. This creates problems in studying consciousness particularly in comprehending how brain processes trigger human consciousness, and how the brain realizes consciousness. The major aspect of perception is that for every conscious condition, people experiences some qualitative disposition to that state of being consciousness. In this regard, this paper assesses the
Consciousness can be defines as both internal and external awareness; the awareness of external stimuli and an internal awareness of the self as a unique being (Weiten 2007, pp. 186). The interaction between the perceived external stimuli and the sense of self is what produces many of the distortion of consciousness discussed by Pinker (2007): the patient's sense that he would recognize his family leads him to conclude that
Consciousness Part 1 "What are the key challenges facing a science of consciousness?" The study of consciousness has been plagued by the perception that traditional scientific methods are not capable of explaining or exploring the meaning of human consciousness adequately. This is essentially due to the division between science and religion that occurred in the development of Western thought. As a result of this fact, the science of consciousness is faced with
Consciousness" in the Annual Review of Neuroscience, John Searle questions the philosophical and epistemological accuracy of the paradigm that has defined the language and study of consciousness for centuries. His contention is that the study of consciousness must be guided by the idea that consciousness is not the "airy-fairy and touch-feely" phenomenon that many assume it to be (558), but rather is a concrete result of certain biological processes
Consciousness The term consciousness has been defined as "mental awareness of sensations, perceptions, memories, and feelings" (Brown, et al. 2003, p. 166). Most human beings live in three states of consciousness: waking, sleeping, and dreaming. Two other states of consciousness, meditation and drug-altered consciousness, can be induced. This essay will explore these five states further and will conclude with a discussion on their psychological relevance. Waking Most of our lives are spent
To not fit in is probably one of the most difficult things a child can face, and it happens all the time in America to the children of immigrants. It is easy to talk about "celebrating your heritage," but much more difficult to do when you are a child, and have no friends because of your skin color and your culture. Now, it is easier for me, but there
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now