PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Terri Schiavo Case, Global Workspace Theory, Long Term Ecological Research Network

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Jill L Atkinson

Document Summary

Operational de nition: consciousness: consciousness is that a person is conscious when he or she is able to report his/her own mental state. Blindsight: neural correlates: these are minimal neuronal mechanisms required to produce a speci c conscious precept. Life-and-death decisions: 1998-2005: legal debate over terri schiavo who suffered serious brain damage and fell into a coma and was in a vegetative state. Her husband attempted to have them remove the feeding tube that was keeping her alive but her parents asserted she was conscious and began a legal battle. Ultimately the us supreme court ruled that her husband could make the right decision on her behalf: this shows a true understanding of consciousness is not simply a philosophical pursuit rather it can have very important implications. Coma: can be he nal stage of recovery but is often seen early or after injury and resolves into some other state of awareness.