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PSYC 100 > Chapter 5: Consciousness > Flashcards

Chapter 5: Consciousness Flashcards

(95 cards)

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1
Q

Consciousness

A

A person’s subjective experience of the world and the mind

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2
Q

Phenomenology

A

How things seem to the conscious person

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3
Q

Problem of other minds

A

The fundamental difficulty we have in perceiving the consciousness and mind of others; just because someone says something about their state of consciousness doesn’t make it true

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4
Q

The Mind-Body Problem

A

The issue of how the mind is related to the brain and body.
Descartes imagined that the “seat of the soul” and consciousness might reside in the pineal gland, which was where the mind affected the brain and body; derived from his idea of dualism

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5
Q

Intentionality

A

The quality of consciousness being directed toward an object; described by unity, selectivity, and transience

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6
Q

Unity

A

Consciousness’s tendency to resist division; its ability to integrate sensory information into a coherent whole

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7
Q

Selectivity

A

Consciousness’s capacity to include some objects but not others; dichotic listening and the cocktail party phenomenon

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8
Q

Transience

A

The tendency of consciousness to change

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9
Q

Minimal consciousness

A

Low-level sensory awareness and responsiveness that occurs when the mind inputs sensations and may output behavior

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10
Q

Full consciousness

A

Consciousness in which you know and are able to report your mental state

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11
Q

Self-consciousness

A

Distinct level of consciousness in which the person’s attention is drawn to the self as an object

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12
Q

Mindfulness

A

Purposeful awareness and attention in the present moment; non-judgmental and enjoyable; achieved through formal or informal meditation

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13
Q

What has mindfulness been empirically shown to do?

A
  • battle anxiety and depression
  • reduce stress
  • reduce physical pain
  • improve sleep
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14
Q

How do we learn about the contents of other people’s consciousness?

A

Experience-sampling or ecological momentary assessment (EMA) techniques; people are asked questions such as, “what’s on your mind?” or “how are you feeling?” that prompt them to report their conscious experiences

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15
Q

Daydreaming

A

A state of consciousness in which a seemingly purposeless flow of thoughts comes to mind; the brain has no specific task at hand; this is an example of activation of the default network

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16
Q

Mental control

A

An attempt to change the conscious states of mind; ironic processes

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17
Q

Ironic process of mental control

A

The idea that trying to control your thoughts and behaviors may result in the opposite outcome; ironic errors occur because monitoring for errors can itself produce them; happens outside of consciousness

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18
Q

Thought suppression

A

Conscious avoidance of a thought; can cause rebound effect

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19
Q

Rebound effect of thought suppression

A

Tendency of a thought to return to consciousness with greater frequency following suppression (white bear study)

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20
Q

Freudian unconscious

A

Dynamic unconscious, repression

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21
Q

Dual-Process Theories

A

We have two different systems in our brain for processing info: System I (fast, automatic, unconscious) and System II (slow, effortful, conscious); these two systems work together

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22
Q

Altered state of consciousness

A

A form of experience that depart ssignificantly from the normal subjective experience of the world and the mind

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23
Q

Which experiences may accompany an altered state of mind?

A
  • changes in thinking, sense of time, and emotional expression
  • loss of control
  • altered body image and sense of self
  • perceptual distortions
  • changes in meaning or significance
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24
Q

What is the main mechanism of sleep?

A

The endocrine system and the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus

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25
How does the SCN work?
It receives signals about light from the retina, signals the pineal gland to secrete melatonin, and melatonin induces feelings of sleepiness
26
What are three sleep states?
Hypnagogic state, hypnic jerk, hypnopompic state
27
Hypnagogic state
Presleep consciousness; wandering thoughts and images and odd juxtapositions
28
Hypnic jerk
Sudden quiver or sensation of dropping, as if missing a step
29
Hypnopompic state
Postsleep consciousness; foggy and imprecise perceptions
30
REM sleep
A stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements and a high level of brain activity similar to awake levels of activity; the body is immobilized and dreaming occurs most often in this state; pulse quickens, blood pressure rises, signs of sexual arousal
31
Electrooculograph (EOG)
An instrument that measures eye movements, especially during REM sleep
32
What are the seven stages of the circadian cycle?
1) Awake 2) Drowsy 3) Stage 1 sleep 4) Stage 2 sleep 5) Stage 3 sleep 6) Stage 4 sleep 7) REM sleep
33
Which waves are present in an awake brain?
Beta waves (high-frequency activity) and alpha waves (lower-frequency activity)
34
Which waves are present in a drowsy brain?
Alpha waves (lower-frequency activity)
35
Which waves are present during stage 1 sleep?
Theta waves (very low-frequency activity)
36
Which waves are present during stage 2 sleep?
Sleep spindles and K complexes (short bursts of higher activity)
37
Which waves are present during stage 3 and 4 sleep?
Delta waves (very slow waves); known as slow-wave sleep
38
Which waves are present during REM sleep?
Fast, random, high-frequency sawtooth waves; similar to beta waves
39
What are two reasons we need sleep?
- memories deteriorate unless sleep occurs - sleep after learning is essential for memory consolidation
40
Desynchronosis
Jet lag: fatigue, sleepiness, and unusual sleep-wake cycles that occur when the internal circadian rhythm is out of phase with the environment
41
Weight regulation and sleep
Sleep deprivation tends to decrease insulin sensitivity and increase propensity to gain weight
42
Name six sleep disorders
- insomnia - sleep apnea - narcolepsy - sleep paralysis - night terrors - somnambulism (sleep walking)
43
Dreams
Altered state of reality where images and fantasies are confused with reality; REM dreams vs. non-REM dreams
44
REM dreams
Vivid and active; activation of brain areas associated with motivation, emotion, and reward; studies suggest that these dreams happen in "real time"
45
Non-REM dreams
Less intense with dull content
46
What are three hypothesized reasons that we dream?
- manifest vs. latent content - evolved threat rehearsal strategies - activation-synthesis hypothesis
47
Manifest vs. latent content
Freud's theory of dream symbolism where dreams must "mean something" and reveal something about the unconscious - Manifest content: a dream's apparent topic or superficial meaning - Latent content: a dream's true underlying meaning
48
Evolved threat rehearsal strategies
The idea that dreaming activates our limbic structures and allow rehearsal of responses to threats; assumes that dreams must have meaning
49
Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis
The idea that dreams are random neural firings that the brain tries to make sense of, but there's no real meaning. Involves the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and pons. Led to the Activation Information Mode model.
50
Activation Information Mode (AIM) model
A revised version of the activation-synthesis hypothesis; says that the information that is accessed during waking hours can have an influence on the synthesis of dreams
51
Lucid dreaming
Conscious awareness of dreaming; is a learnable skill
52
Hypnosis
A social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) makes suggestions that lead to a change in another person’s (the participant’s) subjective experience of the world; can take the form of hypnotic induction (trance) or autohypnosis (self-help, meditation, etc.)
53
Hypnotizability
A person's capacity to be hypnotized; varies from person to person
54
Posthypnotic amnesia
The failure to retrieve memories following hypnotic suggestions to forget; also proves that people can be convinced to "remember" something that never happened
55
Hypnotic analgesia
The reduction of pain through hypnosis in people who are susceptible to hypnosis
56
Meditation
Designed to enhance self-knowledge and well-being through reduced self-awareness
57
Psychoactive drugs
Chemicals that influence consciousness or behavior by altering the brain's chemical message system
58
Tolerance
The tendency for larger drug doses to be required over time to achieve the same effect
59
Physical dependence
When the body adjusts to and is dependent on a drug; this is an outcome of tolerance. Dependence is addiction!
60
Psychological dependence
The desire to return to a drug even when physical symptoms of dependence are gone
61
Drug withdrawal
Occurs with physical and psychological dependence
62
Drug addiction definition
Most users do not become addicted; the definition of addiction changes with time and across cultures
63
Depressants
Cause reduced activity of the CNS - barbiturates and benzodiazepines - alcohol
64
Barbiturates and benzodiazepines
Prescribed for anxiety or sleep issues
65
Alcohol
The most widely used drug; depressant; the only drug where withdrawal can be fatal - expectancy theory and balanced placebo design - alcohol myopia
66
Expectancy Theory
The idea that the effects of alcohol can be produced by people's expectations of how alcohol will influence them in particular situations; tested by the balanced placebo design
67
Balanced Placebo Design
Behavior is observed following the presence or absence of an actual stimulus and following the presence or absence of a placebo stimulus; tests the expectancy theory
68
Alcohol myopia
A condition that results when alcohol hampers attention, leading people to respond in simple ways to complex situations
69
Stimulants
- excite the CNS - heighten arousal and activity - elicit euphoria, motivation, and confidence - caffeine, amphetamines, nicotine, ecstasy, modafinil, cocaine, etc.
70
Narcotics
- opiates - highly addictive, derived from opium - heroin, morphine, methadone, codeine - drug properties closely related to endorphins
71
Hallucinogens
- alter sensation and perception - often cause visual or auditory hallucinations - LSD, PCP, ketamine - dramatic and unpredictable effects
72
Marijuana
- leaves and buds of the hemp plant - produce mildly hallucinogenic intoxication - related to the neurotransmitter anandamide - controversial medicinal uses - harm-reduction approach
73
Harm-reduction approach
A response to high-risk behaviors that focuses on reducing the harm such behaviors have on people's lives rather than going straight to the root cause (usage)
74
Dimensions of mind perception
In order to try to perceive another mind, we tend to judge the mind's capacity for experience and agency
75
Capacity for experience
The ability to feel pain, pleasure, hunger, consciousness, anger, fear, etc.
76
Capacity for agency
The ability for self-control, memory, planning, thought, etc.
77
The timing of consciousness
Studies suggest that while we feel that we think of an action and then perform that action, electrical activity in the brain increases before we consciously recognize the thought
78
What are the four basic properties of consciousness?
Intentionality, unity, selectivity, transience
79
Dichotic listening studies
Studies in which people wear headphones that transmit different messages into each ear and are told to focus on and relay the messages from only one side. As a result, they rarely noticed anything about the other message
80
Cocktail party phenomenon
In which people tune into one message and filter out others nearby
81
Dynamic unconscious
An active system encompassing a lifetime of hidden memories, a person's deepest instincts and desires, and their inner struggle to control these forces (id, ego, superego)
82
Repression
A mental process that removes unacceptable thoughts and memories from consciousness and keeps them in the unconscious
83
Freudian slip
Evidenc of the unconscious mind in speech errors and lapses of consciousness; these errors are not random and hold special meaning
84
Cognitive unconscious
All the mental processes that give rise to a person's thoughts, choices, emotions, and behaviors even though they are not experienced by the person
85
Circadian rhythm
Naturally-occuring 24-hour cycle of waking and sleeping
86
Sleep cycle timeline
Sleep cycles between REM and slow-wave sleep stages every 90 minutes, with periods of REM sleep lasting longer as the night goes on and slow-wave stages 3 and 4 eventually disappearing entirely
87
Effects of sleep deprivation
A few hours of sleep deprivation each night has the cumulative effect of reduced mental acuity and reaction time, increased irritability and depression, and increased risk of accidents and injury. - REM sleep deprivation is psychologically detrimental - Stage 3 and 4 sleep deprivation is physically detrimental
88
Insomnia
Difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep - Self-induced: results from lifestyle choices such as working night shifts - Secondary: response to depression, anxiety, or some other condition - Primary: no obvious causal factors
89
Sleep apnea
A disorder in which the person stops breathing for short periods while asleep; occurs most often in middle-aged, overweight men and may result in sleep loss or insomnia
90
Somnambulism (sleepwalking)
When a person arises and walks around while asleep; most common in children, occurs during slow-wave sleep, person usually doesn't remember episode in the morning
91
Narcolepsy
A disorder in which sudden sleep attacks occur in the middle of waking activities; genetic basis
92
Sleep paralysis
The experience of waking up unable to move; sometimes accompanied by hallucinations
93
Night terrors
Abrupt awakenings with panic and intense emotional arousal; usually happens in children during early sleep stages and without dream content
94
Five major characteristics of dream consciousness
1) Intense emotion 2) Illogical thought 3) Fully-formed sensation 4) Uncritical acceptance of bizarre events 5) Difficulty remembering post-waking
95
Gateway drug
A drug whose use increases the risk of the subsequent use of more harmful drugs; marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco are controversially considered gateway drugs

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