Consciousness and the Two-Track Mind

Question 1

manifest content

Answer 1

according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from its latent, or hidden, content).

Question 2

night terrors

Answer 2

a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during NREM-3 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered.

Question 3

addiction

Answer 3

compulsive drug craving and use, despite adverse consequences.

Question 3

alcohol dependence

Answer 3

(popularly known as alcoholism). Alcohol use marked by tolerance, withdrawal if suspended, and a drive to continue use.

Question 4

tolerance

Answer 4

the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug’s effect.

Question 5

REM rebound

Answer 5

the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation (created by repeated awakenings during REM sleep).

Question 5

sleep apnea

Answer 5

a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings.

Question 5

withdrawal

Answer 5

the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug.

Question 6

psychoactive drug

Answer 6

a chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods.

Question 7

depressants

Answer 7

drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions.

Question 7

hallucinations

Answer 7

false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus.

Question 7

insomnia

Answer 7

recurring problems in falling or staying asleep.

Question 8

change blindness

Answer 8

failing to notice changes in the environment.

Question 9

opiates

Answer 9

opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety.

Question 10

nicotine

Answer 10

a stimulating and highly addictive psychoactive drug in tobacco.

Question 10

REM sleep

Answer 10

rapid eye movement sleep, a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active.

Question 12

alpha waves

Answer 12

the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state.

Question 12

latent content

Answer 12

according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content).

Question 13

blindsight

Answer 13

a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it.

Question 13

near-death experience

Answer 13

an altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death (such as through cardiac arrest); often similar to drug-induced hallucinations.

Question 14

LSD

Answer 14

a powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid (lysergic acid diethylamide).

Question 14

selective attention

Answer 14

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.

Question 15

posthypnotic suggestion

Answer 15

a suggestion, made during a hypnosis session, to be carried out after the subject is no longer hypnotized; used by some clinicians to help control undesired symptoms and behaviors.

Question 17

cognitive neuroscience

Answer 17

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language).

Question 18

THC

Answer 18

the major active ingredient in marijuana; triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations.

Question 19

stimulants

Answer 19

drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, Ecstasy, and methamphetamine) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions.

Question 20

consciousness

Answer 20

our awareness of ourselves and our environment.

Question 22

circadian

Answer 22

rhythm the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle.

Question 24

hallucinogens

Answer 24

psychedelic (“mind-manifesting”) drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input.

Question 26

delta waves

Answer 26

the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep.

Question 27

sleep

Answer 27

periodic, natural, reversible loss of consciousness-as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation. (Adapted from Dement, 1999.)

Question 29

dual processing

Answer 29

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks.

Question 31

dissociation

Answer 31

a split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others.

Question 32

narcolepsy

Answer 32

a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times.

Question 34

barbiturates

Answer 34

drugs that depress central nervous system activity, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment.

Question 35

psychological dependence

Answer 35

a psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emotions.

Question 36

dream

Answer 36

a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind. Dreams are notable for their hallucinatory imagery, discontinuities, and incongruities, and for the dreamer’s delusional acceptance of the content and later difficulties remembering it.

Question 37

inattentional blindness

Answer 37

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.

Question 39

hypnosis

Answer 39

a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur.

Question 40

amphetamines

Answer 40

drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speededup body functions and associated energy and mood changes.

Question 41

physical dependence

Answer 41

a physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued.

Question 42

Ecstasy (MDMA)

Answer 42

a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and longer-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition.

Question 43

methamphetamine

Answer 43

a powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, with speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes; over time, appears to reduce baseline dopamine levels.