BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR INSTITUTE 2002

Forum 5- Behavior without "awareness"? What about this "I-function idea"?


Name:  sam howell
Username:  samuelhowell@hotmail.com
Subject:  awareness?
Date:  2002-07-09 13:17:41
Message Id:  2187
Comments:
There have been a few times in my career as a teacher where I felt as the behavior of a child was without awareness. I mean, taking what I know and observe, really witnessing behaviors that appeared with no apparent input and seemingly without the student really realizing it. But, who am I to say what is happening in the brain of another.

There are students who have been diagnosed with Terets Syndrome...


Name:  Aliya
Username:  aliyabradley@aol.com
Subject:  Nature vs. Nurture
Date:  2002-07-09 13:30:46
Message Id:  2188
Comments:
I believe that most behave is nurtured from a very young age. I think that the I function is controlled by both nature and nurture as well. the I fuction is that part of you that has the control over fuctions of the body - move the foot, kick the ball - when one loses that fiction then they still may have body movement, but lose the control of the movement. the I fuction for our purposes then should make up who we are because without it WE can't conrol anything.

Aliya.


Name:  Gerry, Dana
Username:  Brownthankyou@AOL.com
Subject:  Brainboxes
Date:  2002-07-09 13:35:13
Message Id:  2189
Comments:
Sleepwalking, nightmares, It could be hazzardous to your health. How much of paralysis is psychlogical? Can you condition certain outputs? Gerry
Dana
Name:  Hope M. Glover
Username:  hg7151@aol.com
Subject:  Medulla Obligations
Date:  2002-07-09 13:37:25
Message Id:  2190
Comments:
The "I function" is like an small child that can't be responsible for most things. Just about all of our important bodily functions, those that keep us alive such as respiration, circulation, digestion etc occurs without the "I function" giving any thought. The "I fuction" is most cases loses what little control it has when there is danger of sort to self.

The "I fuction" is real in that we can decide to move left or right during times when the body is not in any danger. The "I function" is probably more a part of the "ego" or "Mind" that part of me that is conscious of my environment.

Emily was describing the "I function" in her poem more so than anything else. Wounldn't she be surprised!


Name:  Dawn
Username:  realteacher@aol.com
Subject:  Unknown. . .
Date:  2002-07-09 13:37:59
Message Id:  2191
Comments:
In the classroom. Students always seem to do things without knowing how it happened because they didn't do it. If nobody did it, yet it was done. . .well, you'll know the rest of the story. Sleepwalkers are awake yet in need of being awakened(but you're not suppose to wake them). In Mr. Deeds the movie, his wicked frostbite has left his foot without feeling. Though he tells the butler to beat it senseless. I am not sure of its importance in general, but educationally, it has great implications because it has to affect a student's attention. If we don't have their attention how can they learn?
Name:  charles foster
Username:  cncfoster@hotmail.com
Subject:  behavior response
Date:  2002-07-09 13:40:24
Message Id:  2192
Comments:
I can think of examples of autistic children who seemed to be exhibiting behavior that the students appeared to unaware of as they were acting out. But how do we really what is happening in their brains or nervous system. I guess if someone is daydreaming or sleeping they may act in certain ways ie. swating a fly that's harassing them.
Name:  Ray Lucci, Bob Farber
Username:  GANYMEDES@AOL.COM, Robtfarber@cs.com
Subject:  I Function questions
Date:  2002-07-09 13:40:29
Message Id:  2193
Comments:
1.) eating & talking at the same time, speech patterns & accents, gesticulations, riding a bicycle, Driving, Eyes focusing on objects at different distances

2.) Instead of having to utilize the entire concious Central Nervous system to perform all daily routines, this allows the shift of responsibility for these routines to boxes containing subroutines. This may explain differences in learning styles and classroom adaptabilities.

3.) "I think, therefore, I am". HAL in "2001" had an "I" function. Is the IMac the progenitor of HAL?


Name:  Cynthia Brown/Lois Mackey
Username:  cybrown@phila.k12pa.us/loismackey@yahoo.com
Subject:  Behavior without awareness
Date:  2002-07-09 13:41:43
Message Id:  2194
Comments:
There was a time when I gave birth to a child and I had a Cecerian Section and was given a saddle block to prevent pain. I was consciously aware of the surgery yet there was no pain.
Cinny
Laser surgery was used for the removal of moles on the face, although counciously aware of the lazer on the face there was no pain.
Lois
Name:  Tunde, Shellie, Sharon
Username:  Anonymous
Subject:  Sleepwalking
Date:  2002-07-09 13:43:27
Message Id:  2195
Comments:
Another circumstance where behavior is altered without awareness maybe sleepwalking. You are walking and yet you are not conscious of it. The thing that is a concern is how are you all coordinated without the brain's involvement.

In general for education we maybe missing an opportunity to have our children learn because we presume that they are not paying attention or day dreaming. Therefore, we need to continue to reach out to all students at all timesand not assune that they are not retaining information.

"I function" I am feeling blocked--that's an I function. My brain is not connecting--no thoughts coming.
I funcion is putting pressure on us to produce. We need to be less wrong.
I need more on I function.


Name:  Gerri and Dana
Username:  Anonymous
Subject:  Brain boxes Part II
Date:  2002-07-09 13:44:09
Message Id:  2196
Comments:
Other circumstances of unaware behavior are when a person "zones" out right in the middle of whatevers happening or; when one hallucinates or; sleeping with eyes open; hearing a call but no one is calling (no input).
Name:  Brian & Joan Malin
Username:  malinb1@yahoo.com
Subject:  I function
Date:  2002-07-09 13:44:12
Message Id:  2197
Comments:
Other behaviors involving non-awareness that are interesting to us are: -sleep walking
-hyponosis
-anesthesis
-altered states resulting from medication
-injury to nervous system
-digestion
-sleeping
-heart action and circulation
-reactions to colors, smells, temperature,etc.
-decision-making ability

Implications for educators working with children with special needs and "normal" children as well are profound. Teaching children involves engaging children in an interactive process. Children with/without special needs present teachers with situations that are often difficult for most teachers to evaluate their students' awareness/ non-awareness. Children on medication, on drugs, depressed, stressed- may be perceiving material that you are presenting differently than how you think or intend.

I-function is located within a cluster of neurons in the brain. Where? How is it different from other control centers? Is it a central locus for integrating many "boxes"? How does it create it's sense of self? What's it's evolutionary purpose? Is a hightened sense of self evolutionarily beneficial?


Name:  MichaelBoyd/RaMona Adams
Username:  mboyd@aol.com
Subject:  "I" Function
Date:  2002-07-09 13:46:43
Message Id:  2198
Comments:
The"I" Function idea was a provoking thought for discussion. It was intriguing to learn that Christopher Reeves could experience movement in his feet but, was unable to feel pain when pinched. It leaves me to wonder why this is so. My prior belief was that if any part of the nervous system was damaged there would be no movement or feeling.

We have learned that when dealing with the "I" Function you can have movement in some parts of the body but, cannot experience any information transmitting to the brain ("No pain No gain"). Several years ago my mother (Mrs. Adams) had lymph nodes removed from her left armpit which resulted in no feeling in her left arm. Whenever she goes to the doctor for blood work, they cannot take blood from her left arm. I now wonder how this experience is connected to the "I" function. Mother can move her arm but, she feels no pain in it.

In conclusion, we are still processing the concept of the "I" Function. Some things that we have learned are new to us. And that is learning, however, we are still working through it for ourselves.


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