Chapter 14: Consciousness, Free Will, and the Law Flashcards
Access-consciousness
Book definition: “The mental experiences of which we are aware and have the ability to report on without the capacity to report on how the content was built up by all the neurons, neurotransmitters, and so forth, in the nervous system. (p. 616)”
Backward referral hypothesis
Book definition: “Libet’s hypothesis that the awareness of a neural event is delayed approximately 500 milliseconds after the onset of the stimulating event, and this awareness is referred back in time to the onset of the stimulating event. (p. 619)”
Blindsight
Book definition: “Residual visual abilities within a field defect in the absence of awareness. Blindsight can be observed when there is damage in the primary visual cortex. The residual function is usually observed with indirect measures such as by prodding the patient to look at or point to the location of a stimulus, even if the patient denies having seen the stimulus. (p. 610)”
Chaotic systems
Book definition: “Systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. Although their future behavior is determined by their initial conditions, approximate determinations of these initial conditions cannot be used to approximate the future condition. (p. 625)”
Complex system
Book definition: “A system composed of many interconnected parts, such that when the parts self-organize into a single system, the resulting system exhibits one or more properties not obvious from the properties of the individual parts. (p. 626)”
Consciousness
Book definition: “The human ability to be aware of some of the contents of mental activity and potentially describe these mental states to other individuals. (p. 609)”
Dualism
Book definition: “A major philosophical approach to describing consciousness, which holds that the mind and brain are two separate phenomena. Variations include popular dualism, property dualism, epiphenomenalism, and interactionist property dualism. (p. 609)”
Emergence
Book definition: “The appearance of a new, previously nonexistent, structure with a new level of organization and new properties, which occurs from the self-organization of a complex system. (p. 626)”
Free-rider
Book definition: “A person who benefits from another’s goods or services with no cost to him/herself. (p. 641)”
Interpreter
Book definition: “A left-brain system that seeks explanations for internal and external events in order to produce appropriate response behaviors. (p. 620)”
Materialism
Book definition: “A major philosophical approach to describing consciousness, based on the theory that the mind and brain are both physical mediums. Variations include: philosophical behaviorism, reductive materialism, and functionalism. (p. 609)”
Microstimulation
Book definition: “Injection of electrical current in the vicinity of a group of neurons of interest, in order to induce neural activity. Microstimulation allows the experimenter to manipulate normal neural activity and observe the consequence on behavior. (p. 618)”
Multiple realizability
Book definition: “A philosophy of mind thesis that contends that a single mental state or event (such as pain) can be realized by many different physical states or events. (p. 628)”
Qualia
Book definition: “A philosophical term referring to an individual’s personal perception or experience of something. (p. 609)”
Quantum theory
Book definition: “The study of the smallest particles that make up atoms in order to understand the fundamental properties of matter. (p. 625)”
