1. A Course Recapping Where we’ve been and where you’re going…

2. Monism vs. Dualism We started by considering two different theories in philosophy regarding the nature of the mind: –Monism - –Dualism -

3. Monism vs. Dualism Sensory Systems and Perception –We took a “reductionist” approach to perception perception is a result of the actions of neurons within various sensory systems

4. Reductionist Approach Neurons Networks of NeuronsPerceptions

5. Some Themes in Sensation and Perception Sensory systems extract information about the world from the energy around you –acoustic, electromagnetic, mechanical, chemical –sensory receptors transduce this information

6. Some Themes in Sensation and Perception Sensory systems have precise underlying organization: –visual system is organized retinotopically –auditory system is organized tonotopically –somatosensory system is organized somatotopically

7. Some Themes in Sensation and Perception Perception is a constructive process –Your brain applies rules to synthesize “best guess” perceptions: e.g. size constancy, color constancy

8. Some Themes in Sensation and Perception Perception seems to require “top-down” processes Surfaces and background Pattern on Retina brightness and line orientation COMPARE possible identities identity BOTTOM-UP TOP-DOWN

9. Perception is Closely Tied to Attention (a cognitive function)

10. Some Themes in Attention Psychologists use an “information theory” approach to studying perception –how much information gets processed simultaneously? –Is it processed in parallel? Serial?

11. Some Themes in Attention Attention is the interface between the operations of the sensory systems and the conscious mind You tend to be unaware of what your not attending to

12. From Attention to Memory Attention is the gateway to “further processing”, namely encoding sensory memory into longer lasting short-term and long-term storage

13. Some Themes in Memory There are, in some respects, different “kinds” of memory –memory can be differentiated on the basis of timecourse –memory can be differentiated on the basis of the kind of information encoded

14. Some Themes in Memory Sensory memory is a very brief “snapshot” of the what’s in the sensory systems –decays in under 1 second –isn’t processed for meaning –doesn’t require attention

15. Some Themes in Memory Short-term or “Working” memory has a finite capacity –holds a few items (7 +/- 2 ?) “in mind” –requires attentive rehearsal –spatial information and verbal/subvocal information are maintained in somewhat independent systems

16. Some Themes in Memory Long-term memory holds vast amounts of information for periods of years –requires no attentive rehearsal

17. Some Themes in Memory Long-term memory is really a collection of different systems that store different kinds of information: –Semantic Memory - factual knowledge –Episodic Memory - autobiographical memories –Procedural Memory - how to do things

18. Some Themes in Memory Memory is Fallible Because it is Reconstructed –memories are assembled from bits of information rather than simply “played back” –false-memories can be “inserted” and previous memories can be distorted

19. Some Themes in Memory Not all memory is entered into awareness –Virtually all the contents of LTM at any one time –Repressed memories –Explicit vs. Implicit Memory

20. Consciousness –Perhaps the most mysterious phenomenon we’ve discussed –Information can be identified, remembered, and acted upon without awareness although not all “subliminal” information does alter cognition or behavior

21. Consciousness And so we end with Philosophy: –The Hard Problem: what makes networks of neurons aware?

22. The Final Exam

23. Very similar to mid-term –yes/no, true/false, multiple choice (answer every part of every question !)

24. The Final Exam Very similar to mid-term –yes/no, true/false, multiple choice (answer every part of every question !) Cumulative in that understanding of sensation and perception is assumed

25. The Final Exam Very similar to mid-term –yes/no, true/false, multiple choice (answer every part of every question !) Cumulative in that understanding of sensation and perception is assumed Like mid-term, it is a “thinky” test - requires careful reasoning to draw conclusions that follow from experimental results, make predictions based on hypothesis, etc.