W12_lec1 Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is hypnosis?
A state of intense concentration, focus, and absorption.
People vary in how susceptible they are to hypnosis.
Similar to meditation, rumination, and prayer — all involve focused attention.
How is hypnotic suggestibility assessed?
Using validated protocols like the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale Form C (SHSS-C).
Gradually increases suggestion complexity.
Observes participant compliance to measure susceptibility
What did Raz et al. (2002) study about hypnosis and attention?
Investigated if hypnosis could make people perceive words as meaningless symbols.
Found: Under hypnosis, people failed to show the Stroop effect!
Conclusion: Hypnosis can override automatic word reading.
Is hypnotic induction necessary to reduce the Stroop effect? (Raz et al., 2006)
No! Suggestion alone (without hypnosis) reduced the Stroop effect in highly susceptible individuals.
Conclusion: Suggestion itself can powerfully influence attention and perception.
Do highly hypnotizable people have unique brain structures?
Yes. MRI scans showed:
Highly Hypnotizable (HH) individuals had differences in the size of the rostrum of the corpus callosum compared to Low Hypnotizable (LH) people.
Implication: Biological differences might underlie hypnotic susceptibility.
What is the difference between learning styles and learning preferences?
Learning preference: What people like (e.g., visual, auditory).
Learning style: The effectiveness of learning in different modalities.
People have preferences, but evidence does not support that learning effectiveness changes by style.
What would true evidence for learning styles look like?
A crossover interaction:
Visual learners perform better with visual material.
Auditory learners perform better with auditory material. But: Research lacks solid evidence of this pattern.
Are there individual differences in learning strategies?
Yes!
Structure Building: Relating new info to existing knowledge.
Rule vs. Example Learners: Rule learners extract principles; example learners memorize specific cases.
What is the Growth vs. Fixed Mindset? (Carol Dweck)
Growth mindset: View failure as an opportunity to learn and improve.
Fixed mindset: Believe abilities are static.
Growth mindset promotes resilience and better learning outcomes.
What strategies do memory champions use?
Acronyms
Method of Loci: Link info to locations in a mental “memory palace.”
Peg Method: Attach info to a structured set of “pegs” (e.g., numbers to letters).
What is the Method of Loci?
Associate information with specific, familiar locations.
Helps recall ordered lists by mentally “walking” through the locations.
Example: Link grocery list items to rooms in your house.
What is the Peg Method?
Build a mnemonic system where numbers/pegs are linked to sounds or words.
Can speed reading improve comprehension?
Speed reading increases speed but reduces comprehension, especially for detailed understanding.
Skimming can capture gist information but not details.
Courses claiming large improvements lack solid evidence.
What is Spritz (RSVP) technology for speed reading?
Displays words in one spot to avoid eye movements.
Increases reading speed but:
Removes helpful regressive saccades.
Reduces parafoveal (peripheral) processing.
Result: Comprehension drops, especially for complex material.
What did Masson (1986) find about RSVP?
Words in predictable sentences were named faster at high speeds (600 wpm).
Sentences can be understood quickly, but paragraph comprehension still suffers.
Conclusion: RSVP works for short, predictable texts — not for deeper understanding.
What did Benedetto et al. (2015) find about Spritz vs. normal reading?
Compared Spritz (RSVP) reading to traditional reading (Orwell’s 1984).
Spritz at 250 wpm (normal rate) was tested.
Finding: Conventional reading performed better for comprehension.
