Lecture 5 (Chapter 9) Flashcards

Question

How does the case study of blindsight show the existence of unconscious perception?

Answer 1

● Blindsight : People with damage to the primary visual cortex can still respond to visual stimuli unconsciously. ● Example: A person with cortical blindness cannot "see" a red ball but can still point to it . ○ Emotional conditioning also does not require conscious representation in mind ● Suggests that parts of the brain process information unconsciously.

Answer 2

The notion that, when confronted with a decision, if a person can put it out of their conscious mind for a period of time, then the “unconscious mind” will continue to deliberate on it, helping the person to arrive at a “sudden” and often correct decision some time later. ● When making simple decisions , conscious thought is best. ● When making complex decisions with many factors, unconscious thought is better. ● Research study ( Dijksterhuis et al., 2006 ) found: ○ People who consciously deliberated made better choices with 4 attributes. ○ People who distracted themselves first (letting the unconscious work) made better choices with 12 attributes

Answer 3

○ Id : Primitive part of the psyche, driven by instincts and immediate gratification. ○ Ego : Operates based on the reality principle , balancing the id’s desires with societal norms. ○ Superego : The moral compass, internalizing societal values and ideals.

Answer 4

● The id is present from birth and is driven by the pleasure principle (The desire for immediate gratification. The id operates according to this need; therefore, it does not listen to reason, does not follow logic, has no values or morals (other than immediate gratification), and has very little patience.). 拿不到想要的玩具就哭的小孩 ● It seeks instant gratification with no regard for logic, morals, or reality. ● Operates through primary process thinking (irrational and fantasy-based). ● If the id’s urges cannot be immediately satisfied, it may create wish fulfillment (mental images or fantasies of satisfaction). ○ 幻想殴打霸凌你的大块头

Answer 5

● Develops within the first three years of life. ● Operates under the reality principle , postponing id urges until appropriate. ● Uses secondary process thinking (rational problem-solving). ● Redirects the id’s desires into acceptable behaviours. 在学校取笑别人可能比直接打人更加合规，又满足了孩子本我想要攻击别人的冲动 ● Related to ego depletion : Self-control drains mental energy, making later self-control more difficult.

Answer 6

Self-control relies on a limited pool of mental energy. ● Experiments showed that resisting temptation (e.g., avoiding cookies) led to decreased persistence in later problem-solving tasks. ○ Participant eat radish quit earlier in puzzles compared to cookies group ■ Because according to ego depletion, self-control to not eat the cookies result decreased psychic energy to work on later puzzle ● Hagger et al. (2016) : Large-scale replication failed to find a significant ego depletion effect, leading to debate in the field. ○ Experiment failed 23 times to replicate ● States counteract with ego depletion: stay positive, humours, have plans

Answer 7

● Develops around age 5 through socialization. ● Divided into: ○ Conscience : An internalized sense of right and wrong. (societal view) ○ Ego-ideal : Represents the person’s ideal self. (unconsciously) ● Can be overly harsh, leading to perfectionism and guilt.

Answer 8

● The ego mediates between the id’s desires and the superego’s moral restrictions. ● Imbalance among these components can lead to: ○ Anxiety and internal conflict. ○ Excessive id control → Impulsivity and aggression. ○ Excessive superego control → Guilt, self-criticism, and unrealistic moral demands.

Answer 9

1. Objective Anxiety : ○ Fear that arises in response to a real external threat. ○ Example: Being confronted by an aggressive person in a dark alley. 2. Neurotic Anxiety : ○ Occurs when the ego fears losing control over unacceptable desires of the id . ○ Example: A person panicking over sexual attraction or excessive worry about acting inappropriately in public. 3. Moral Anxiety : ○ Caused by a conflict between the ego and the superego . ○ Results in guilt, shame, or feelings of not living up to high moral standards. ○ Example: A person with an eating disorder excessively punishing themselves for eating "forbidden" foods.

Answer 10

● The unconscious prevents unacceptable thoughts, desires, or memories form reaching awareness. ○ Unpleasant memories are less memorized→ repressed ○ Ego use it repress the impulses of unconscious ● Example: A person forgetting traumatic childhood experiences

Answer 11

● Refusing to accept reality to avoid anxiety. ● Keeping an experience out of memory, refuse to see the fact ● Example: A smoker denying the health risks of smoking. ○ Husband left her for reason, reject the evaluation of others ○ Blame the event out of persons’s control known as fundamental attribution error - Also appears in daydreaming and fantasy, deny the present situation by focusing on how things could have been otherwise

Answer 12

● A threatening or unacceptable impulse is redirected to another less threatening source ● Redirecting emotions from the original source to a safer target. - Sometimes may result in a domino effect ● Example: Being angry at a boss but taking out frustration on a family member. ○ Sexual desire of a subordinate to husband ○ Experiment: frustrated students are equally aggressive later to all others Note: deliberately redirecting one's anger is not displacement. Real displacement is an unconscious means of avoiding the recognition that one has certain inappropriate or unacceptable feelings (anger or sexual attraction) toward a specific other person or a specific object

Answer 13

● Generating acceptable reasons for outcomes that might otherwise appear socially unacceptable. ● Justifying behaviours with seemingly logical but false explanations. ● Example: A student blames a teacher for failing a test instead of admitting they didn't study.

Answer 14

● Acting opposite to one's true feelings and flurry behaviour that indicate opposite impulse to reduce anxiety. ● The concept of killing someone with kindness ( unconscious anger→ lead to actions like giving others an umbrella while others keep refusing it) ● Example: Being overly kind to a person one dislikes. ○ Do opposite of what otherwise think they will do

Answer 15

● Project one’s own unacceptable qualities thoughts or feelings to others, then hate them instead of hating ourselves, then we can disparage the characteristics without admitting that we possess them ● Example: A dishonest person accusing others of lying. ● Currently called the false consensus effect ○ Tendency that others are similar to us ■ Eg. extroverts think many others are extroverted

Answer 16

● Channelling unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable behaviors. ● More positive one ● Example: A person with aggressive tendencies becomes a professional boxer. ○ Chop wood when you are angry ○ Watch football when angry

Answer 17

● Helpful use : Can reduce stress and help cope with difficult emotions. ● Harmful use : Can interfere with productivity and relationships when overused. ● Mature personality development : According to Freud, involves balancing defenses while confronting problems directly.

Answer 18

● Freud’s theory of development is called the psychosexual stage theory . ● Children seek sexual gratification at each stage by investing libidinal energy in a specific body part. ● Each stage is named after the body part where sexual energy is invested. ● If a conflict is unresolved at a stage, the child may experience fixation , leading to an immature way of obtaining pleasure in adulthood.

Answer 19

1. Oral Stage (Birth to 18 months) ● Focus: Mouth, lips, and tongue (sucking, biting, swallowing). ● Conflict: Weaning (transition from breastfeeding/bottle to solid food). ○ Id want immediate gratification from eating ○ Pleasure vs dependency ● Fixation Effects: ○ Oral receptive personality: Dependent, passive, overindulging (e.g., overeating, smoking, nail-biting, drug addiction). ○ Oral aggressive personality: Hostile, sarcastic, verbally aggressive. ■ Another conflict due to parents discouraging a child from biting

Answer 20

2. Anal Stage (18 months to 3 years) - development of ego at this stage, learning to self control ● Focus: Anus (pleasure from defecation and control over bowel movements). ● Conflict: Toilet training (learning self-control over bowel movements). ● Fixation Effects: ○ Anal expulsive personality: Messy, careless, disorganized, reckless. ■ Children did not develop self-control at this stage ○ Anal retentive personality: Perfectionist, overly neat, rigid, obsessive. ■ Overly self-controlled at this stage

Answer 21

3. Phallic Stage (3 to 5 years) ● Focus: Genitals (self-exploration, awareness of sexual identity). ● Conflict: Oedipus/Electra Complex ○ Oedipus Complex (Boys): Unconscious desire for mother, rivalry with father, resolved by identification with father. ○ Castration Anxiety (Boys): Fear of losing their penis, Fear of father’s retaliation, leading to suppression of desires for mother. ○ Electra Complex (Girls): Desire for father, resentment toward mother. ○ Penis Envy (Girls): Feelings of inferiority due to lack of penis. ● Fixation Effects: ○ Phallic personality: Narcissistic, vain, reckless, may struggle with relationships.

Answer 22

4. Latency Stage (6 years to puberty) ● Focus: Sexual energy is dormant, and social and intellectual development takes precedence. ● Conflict: No major conflict; focus on same-sex friendships and learning. (psychological rest) ● Fixation Effects: Generally not problematic, as sexual energy is repressed

Answer 23

5. Genital Stage (Puberty to Adulthood) ● Focus: Mature sexual relationships, reproduction, and social responsibilities. ● People reach this stage only if they resolved previous stage conflicts ● Conflict: Successfully navigating adult relationships and responsibilities. ● Fixation Effects: If conflicts from previous stages are unresolved, difficulties in forming healthy relationships and managing sexual energy may arise.

Answer 24

● Freud’s ideas significantly influenced psychology and psychotherapy. ● The "talking cure" and psychoanalytic therapy stem from Freud’s work. ● The Division of Psychoanalysis is the second-largest division in the American Psychological Association. ● Even modern therapy uses Freud’s concepts like free association and transference (patients recreating interpersonal problems with the therapist). ● Research psychology has seen a revival in interest in Freudian concepts like: ○ The unconscious ( Bornstein, 1999 ) ○ Psychic energy ( Baumeister et al., 2007 ) ○ Defence mechanisms ( Cramer & Davidson, 1998 ) ● Freudian terms like id, ego, superego, Oedipus complex , and anal-retentive are common in everyday language. ● Freud laid the foundation for developmental personality theories , addressing: ○ Internal conflicts ○ Basic elements of personality ○ The dynamic relationships among them

Answer 25

● Freud’s theories remain controversial among psychologists. ● Some argue psychoanalysis should be abandoned . ● Others argue psychoanalysis is still alive . ● The debate on psychoanalysis' validity is passionate and ongoing. ● The Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Personality Psychology book explores these debates: ○ Some critics claim Freud’s work is completely outdated and invalid . ○ Others see it as one of the most complete human nature theories . ○ The truth likely lies between these extremes.

Answer 26

● Freud’s ideas influenced Western thought, psychology, literature, anthropology, and media . ● Many developmental psychology concepts come from Freud. ● Modern therapies still use Freudian techniques , including: ○ Interpreting dreams ○ Analyzing free association ○ Using transference ● Psychoanalysis is frequently referenced in pop culture (books, movies, TV shows).

Answer 27

● Kihlstrom (2003b) : Freud’s theory is historically valuable but has little contemporary scientific relevance . ● Criticism #1: Lack of empirical evidence ○ Mainstream psychology journals rarely publish research supporting classical psychoanalysis. ○ Freud’s theories are not falsifiable , making them more of a belief system than scientific fact ( Koszewski, 1994 ). ● Criticism #2: Case Study Method ○ Freud relied on case studies rather than experimental research. ○ His patients were wealthy, highly educated women , making his conclusions limited and unrepresentative . ○ His observations were subjective interpretations rather than neutral facts.

Answer 28

● Many argue Freud’s focus on childhood sexuality is outdated and reflects his own era rather than universal development. ● Alternative theories suggest personality development continues through adolescence and adulthood . ● Some psychologists propose a modern view of the unconscious ( Kihlstrom, Barnhardt, & Tataryn, 1992 ). ● Freud’s negative view of human nature (self-centred, violent, and impulsive) is disputed . ● Freud’s view of women : ○ He suggested women were harder to treat because of their weaker moral character. ○ He believed women had "penis envy" , making them unconsciously desire to be more like men. ○ Feminist scholars criticize Freud for misrepresenting women’s true potential and reinforcing sexist norms.