Chapter 5

Question 1

an excitatory neurotransmitter that is commonly found in the body; among the many functions of ACh, it is active within the nicotinic system.

Answer 1

acetylcholine(ACh)

Question 2

theory of dreaming which posits that dreams are meaningless patterns of neural activity that the dreamer re-interprets to add organization and coherence. The neural activity associated with dreaming is theorized to aid memory consolidation, health, and other cognitive abilities.

Answer 2

activation synthesis

Question 3

also known as Dr. Strangelove Syndrome; the phenomenon whereby an individual performs movements that they are unaware they are performing; suggests that the ability to perform an action is not dependent upon conscious awareness.

Answer 3

alien arm syndrome

Question 4

a state of consciousness that is characterized by awareness that is not fully controlled; therefore, things that one experiences during an altered state of consciousness may be misperceived and are not reliable perceptions of reality; there are several types of altered states of consciousness such as substance-induced or behaviorally-induced states

Answer 4

altered state of consciousness

Question 5

individuals who suffer from being unable to form new memories since the trauma that caused the amnesia

Answer 5

anterograde amnesiacs

Question 6

the concentration or focus of one’s cognitive resources towards specific stimuli or patterns; attention is considered a highly limited resource in cognition.

Answer 6

attention

Question 7

a term used to describe the amount of cognitive resources allocated to a specific task; can be thought of as a finite resource that one can spend on one or more activities.

Answer 7

attentional cost

Question 8

activities that one engages in which are usually routine or simple, requiring relatively less attention in order to perform sufficiently; one often learns to automate tasks in order to more minimize their demand on cognitive resources.

Answer 8

Automatic/automated tasks

Question 9

a method of inducing an altered state of consciousness whereby one engages in repetitive and/or enduring movements, rituals, or other activities.

Answer 9

behavioral induction

Question 10

neurological disorders associated with sleep

Answer 10

cataplexy

Question 11

the failure to discern changes between two sequentially presented stimuli that vary slightly; this research suggests how little of the scene we can directly attend to, and how attention is directed.

Answer 11

change blindness

Question 12

concept used to express the degree to how aware one is of their current state; can change drastically from person to person, time of day, or body chemistry; can be altered by physical, pharmacological, and behavioral conditions

Answer 12

consciousness

Question 13

activities that one engages in that are usually novel or complex, and those that require direct attention in order to perform sufficiently.

Answer 13

controlled tasks

Question 14

the feeling that one is experiencing the repetition of a situation, even if it is, in fact, novel.

Answer 14

deja vu

Question 15

Operating a vehicle while engaged in an alternate task such as talking on the phone, texting, changing the radio station, lighting a cigarette; allocating attention to each of these tasks reduces awareness of unexpected events that might occur while driving.

Answer 15

distracted driving

Question 16

the allocation of cognitive resources to multiple stimuli simultaneously; the more divided one’s attention is the lower quality their performance will likely be in those tasks

Answer 16

divided attention

Question 17

also known as alien arm syndrome; the phenomenon whereby an individual performs movements that they are unaware they are performing; suggests that the ability to perform action is not dependent upon conscious awareness.

Answer 17

Dr. Strangelove Syndrome

Question 18

a drug whose chemicals mimic the actions of naturally occurring substances within the body, therefore inducing an altered state of consciousness by enhancing naturally occurring levels of these substances.

Answer 18

drug agonist

Question 19

a drug whose chemicals block or reverse the actions of naturally occurring substances within the body, therefore inducing an altered state of consciousness by blocking naturally occurring levels of these substances

Answer 19

drug antagonist

Question 20

method of inducing an altered state of consciousness whereby drugs mimic or alter the neurotransmitters in one’s brain.

Answer 20

drug induction

Question 21

the recording of electrical activity along the scalp by measuring the firing of neurons within the brain; among other things, this technique may be used to assess brain activity during the sleep cycles.

Answer 21

electroencephalography (EEG)

Question 22

memories that are inaccurate or represent situations that have never occurred.

Answer 22

false memories

Question 23

a state of consciousness that is characterized by one’s ability to intentionally control and evaluate their perceptual experiences; when fully conscious, one is more likely to perceive things as they truly appear and they will evaluate these perceptions with respect to their own life experiences

Answer 23

full consciousness

Question 24

is a behavioral state in which a person is in an altered state of attention that makes them particularly susceptible to suggestions.

Answer 24

hypnosis

Question 25

the failure to notice large or obvious events because attention is engaged elsewhere; this research suggests how attention is directed.

Answer 25

inattentional blindness

Question 26

is the condition in which a person, despite fatigue and a desire for sleep, remains constantly awake.

Answer 26

insomnia

Question 27

a research method in which an individual is asked to describe a plausible event from the past that has not actually occurred. Recall of this fake event is encouraged by coupling it with real events and the testimony of trusted sources as to its validity.

Answer 27

lost-in-the mall paradigm

Question 28

the intentional process of controlling the content and activity of dreams; it has recently been utilized in clinical practice in confronting recurrences of trauma that appear in dreams.

Answer 28

lucid dreaming

Question 29

process whereby memories are encoded and organized for later retrieval.

Answer 29

memory consolidation

Question 30

neurological disorders associated with sleep

Answer 30

narcolepsy

Question 31

a method of inducing an altered state of consciousness whereby physical constraints or conditions, such as extreme temperatures, sleep deprivation, or lack of nutrition affect one’s level of awareness.

Answer 31

physical induction

Question 32

the fifth stage that may occur during the sleep cycles; during this cycle, one experiences rapid eye movements, intense dreaming, increased heart rate and respiration, genital arousal, and loss of voluntary muscle control (known as sleep paralysis). EEG measurements of the brain show similar activity to waking/active states. This cycle lasts about 5 to 30 minutes.

Answer 32

rapid eye movement (REM)

Question 33

a substance that increases the quantity or potency of a particular neurotransmitter by preventing the reabsorption of that neurotransmitter, therefore allowing it to remain active in the synapse for a longer period of time.

Answer 33

reuptake inhibitor

Question 34

attention that one intentionally directs towards parts of their surroundings while disregarding other parts of their surroundings; it is strongly guided by one’s own expectations and beliefs

Answer 34

selective attention

Question 35

a neurotransmitter involved in appetite, sleep, and mood; because of its involvement in these, serotonin is often targeted by pharmaceutical drugs in psychotropic medications for the treatment of depression, anxiety, or other mental disorders.

Answer 35

serotonin

Question 36

a class of drugs that affects the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain by preventing it from being reabsorbed by the axon terminals from which it was originally released.

Answer 36

serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

Question 37

an altered state of consciousness associated with deep rest and inactivity; very important in memory consolidation, physical healing, and promoting mental stability and alertness.

Answer 37

sleep

Question 38

also known as sleepwalking; a variety of behaviors including walking, running, opening doors, or even more demanding; it typically occurs in about 20% of children and adolescents, and is very rare in adults.

Answer 38

somnambulism

Question 39

the second stage of the sleep cycles; during this cycle, one is asleep and experiences a continued decrease in respiration in addition to a decrease in body temperature and occasional muscle twitching. EEG measurements of the brain will tend to display slow and even theta waves with occasional high activity “spindles” (bursts of neural activity). This sleep cycle lasts for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Answer 39

Stage N1

Question 40

the third stage of the sleep cycles; during this cycle, one transitions to deep sleep where their body reaches a consistent low temperature and respiration. EEG measurements of the brain show a transition to the slow pattern of delta wave activity (the slowest neural pattern). This sleep cycle lasts for about 10 to 20 minutes.

Answer 40

Stage N2

Question 41

the fourth stage of the sleep cycles; deep sleep. EEG measurements of the brain will show consistent delta wave activity. This sleep cycle lasts for about 15 to 30 minutes. During this cycle, somnambulism and bed-wetting are most likely to occur.

Answer 41

Stage N3

Question 42

the initial stage of activity as one begins to fall asleep; during this cycle, an individual is still awake but nearly asleep with slow respiration and occasional muscle spasms. EEG measurements of the brain move from the more sporadic patterns associated with being alert to more even theta waves. This sleep cycle lasts for about 5 minutes

Answer 42

Stage W (wake)

Question 43

a long-standing psychological phenomenon that demonstrates how automating routine tasks helps us more efficiently process information, and failing to automate tasks results in a higher demand of our cognitive resources.

Answer 43

stroop effect

Question 44

a psychological task which requires participants to categorize colors that are used to write the name of a different color, revealing the difficulty of not reading a presented word.

Answer 44

stroop task

Question 45

characteristics that may indicate that one is in an altered state of consciousness; including pupil dilation, fatigue, slowed processing, loss of focus and attention, loss of motor control, loss of inhibition, or hallucinations.

Answer 45

symptoms of altered conscious

Question 46

an involuntary and automatic phenomenon whereby one experiences a sensory stimulus not directly related to the sensory receptors (e.g. hearing a color or seeing a sound).

Answer 46

synesthesia or synaesthesia

Question 47

a concept used to express mental activity that one is not aware of, either preconsciously (before awareness) and/or subconsciously (below awareness)

Answer 47

unconsciousness