Page 55 - The CoESPU Magazine N 1 - 2018

• use of chemical substances
Results very important to consider these variables not only when we take a care of patients, but also
when we are employed in military or sport training.
Only for the more grind people, the cerebral part core of this specific function(s) is the ARAS or RAS.
The ascending reticular activating system (ARAS), also known as the extra thalamic control
modulatory system or simply the reticular activating system (RAS), is a set of connected nuclei in the
brains of vertebrates that is responsible for regulating wakefulness and sleep-wake transitions as well as
attentional functions. This network of neurons is located in the brain stem that project anteriorly to the
hypothalamus to mediate behavior, as well as both posteriorly to the thalamus and directly to the cortex
for activation of awake, desynchronized cortical EEG patterns.

The distinction between automatic, voluntary and controlled processes

This dichotomy corresponds to that described Kahneman between baseline disposition, intended as the
ability to respond to relevant aspects of environmental stimuli for the automatic activation from the
context, and momentary intention, intended as voluntary focus of attention on a task. Termed automatic
are permanent commands to respond readily to environment stimuli.These do not require conscious
information processing, are
elaborated more quickly
and are more difficult to
inhibit (reactions to
orientation, alertness, etc.)
and always are connected
to emotional or stressful
condition. Often inside
these type of behavior
answers we can find
“reflexes” and muscle
memories with all their pro
and cons.
Termed voluntary are those
processes that require
intentionality, awareness;
they are negatively
impacted by the
performance of other
simultaneous processes, by
delaying the task or by the level of difficulty, and are consequently more influenced by variations in
arousal.
In attempting to measure the efficiency of voluntary or controlled attentional processes, one must
carefully consider the attentional costs of the task along with variations in the level of activation.

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