For the journal assignments, I am asking for your thoughts on a topic. The response is informal and need not be in APA format. Just a text entry when you submit the assignment. If you want, you can draft the entry in your word-processing application. Then proofread it, and run your grammar checker and spelling checked. After that, a simple copy and paste to the Canvas text editor.

Just exactly what is a thought? What does it have to do with consciousness? Are dreams thoughts? What do thoughts have to do with emotions?

It does all tie together but the problem with that is how I tie it together is not how you tie it together. To use some psychological terminology, this tying together is a gestalt (something that is made of many parts and yet is somehow more than or different from the combination of its parts). Sort of 2 + 2 =17.

What are your thoughts?

Your reflection should be about 200 – 400 words.

Consciousness is more than being asleep or awake, it also involves awareness of self and varying degrees of that awareness. Think of it as a continuum with hyper-alert awareness of your environment at one end, every-day awareness of your surroundings in the middle, and death at the other end.

Memory is also more than just remembering things. There are processes of sensation, that are then encoded into our brains, forming memories (and there are several types of memory). Once the memory is encoded, you use the process of recall to retrieve the memory, which will probably not be exactly what was encoded since memories will change over time.

Intelligence is another vague construct. It is more than IQ (Intelligence Quotient). Some, such as Gardner, suggest that there are eight areas of intelligence (you will hear numbers ranging from seven to twelve).

This slide presentation should get you started and provide you with some quick resources on consciousness.
[In case you did not peek at your change, The correct answer is (c).]

uploaded:

Module 8 Lecture – Consciousness MK PPT

Intellectually hungry for more? Try these short videos.

This first one is only (18 min) and sets forth some explanations about the mysteries of consciousness.

How do you explain consciousness? (Links to an external site.) https://www.ted.com/talks/david_chalmers_how_do_you_explain_consciousness
This second video (another 18 min) explores memory. Basically, no matter how good you think yours may be, you may be overestimating what a human can do.

How reliable is your memory? (Links to an external site.)
https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_loftus_how_reliable_is_your_memory?language=en

As always, feel free to ask me questions.