Chapter 6 - Consciousness Flashcards

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1
Q

Visual agnosia

A

The inability to visually recognize objects

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2
Q

Consciousness

A

Our moment-to-moment awareness of ourselves and our environment

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3
Q

Selective attention

A

The process that focuses awareness on some stimuli to the exclusion of others

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4
Q

Controlled (conscious or explicit) processing

A

The conscious use of attention and effort

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5
Q

Automatic (unconscious or implicit) processing

A

Can be performed without conscious awareness or effort

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6
Q

Divided attention

A

The ability to respond, seemingly simultaneously, to multiple tasks or demands

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7
Q

Blindsight

A

A condition where people are blind in part of their visual field yet in special tests respond to stimuli in that field despite reporting that they cannot see those stimuli

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8
Q

Priming

A

Exposure to a stimulus influences (primes) how you subsequently respond to that same or another stimulus

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9
Q

Implicit memory

A

When memory influences our behavior without conscious awareness

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10
Q

Attention

A

The process of concentrating on some features of the environment to the possible exclusion of others

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11
Q

Describe the cocktail party phenomenon

A

P. 225

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12
Q

Automaticity

A

Required when a task no longer requires conscious control

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13
Q

Circadian rhythms

A

Daily biological cycles

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14
Q

Suprachiasmatic nuclei (in the brain)

A

Control most circadian rhythms

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15
Q

Melatonin

A

Hormone with a calming effect on the body

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16
Q

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

A

A cyclic tendency to become psychologically depressed during certain seasons of the year

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17
Q

Beta waves

A

The activity shown in the brain when you are awake and alert

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18
Q

Alpha waves

A

The slower activity shown in the brain when we are feeling relaxed and drowsy

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19
Q

Restoration model (sleep)

A

States that sleep recharges our bodies and allows us to recover from physical and mental fatigue

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20
Q

Evolutionary/circadian sleep models

A

Models of sleep that focus on the position that sleep’s main purpose is to increase a species’ chances of survival in relation to environmental demands

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21
Q

Memory consolidation

A

A gradual process where the brain transfers information into long-term memory

22
Q

Insomnia

A

Chronic difficulties in going to sleep, staying asleep and/or experiencing restful sleep

23
Q

Narcolepsy

A

Extreme daytime sleepiness and sudden, uncontrollable sleep attacks that may last from less than a minute to an hour

24
Q

Night terrors

A

Frightening dreams that arouse the sleeper to a state of near-panic

25
Q

Sleep apnea

A

The repeated stopping and restarting of breathing during sleep

26
Q

Wish fulfillment (Freud’s psychoanalytic theory)

A

The gratification of our unconscious desires and needs

27
Q

Activation-synthesis theory

A

States that dreams do not serve any particular function, but are merely a byproduct of REM neural activity

28
Q

Problem-solving dream models

A

State that, because dreams are not constrained by reality, they can help us find creative solutions to our problems and ongoing concerns

29
Q

Cognitive-process dream theories

A

Propose that dreaming and waking thought are produced by the same mental systems in the brain

30
Q

Fantasy-prone personality

A

People who have a vivid imagination

31
Q

Blood-brain barrier

A

A special lining of tightly packed cells that lets vital nutrients pass through so neurons can function

32
Q

Neuromodulator

A

A specific group of neurotransmitters that have a widespread and generalized influence on synaptic transmission

33
Q

Tolerance

A

Decreasing responsively to a drug

34
Q

Compensatory responses

A

The brain produces reactions opposite to that of the drug to restore balance

35
Q

Withdrawal

A

Occurrence of compensatory responses after discontinued drug use

36
Q

Substance dependence

A

Maladaptive pattern of substance use that causes a person significant distress or substantially impairs that persons life

37
Q

Alcohol myopia

A

Short-sighted thinking caused by the inability to pay attention to as much information as when sober (Steele and Joseph’s 1990)

38
Q

Stimulants

A

Increase neural firing and arouse the nervous system

39
Q

Opiates

A

Opium and drugs derived from it, like morphine, codeine and heroin

40
Q

Hallucinogens

A

Mind-altering drugs that produce hallucinations

41
Q

THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)

A

Marijuana’s major active ingredient

42
Q

Effects and dangers of alcohol

A

Effects: relaxation, impaired physical and psychological functioning, lower inhibition

Risks: disorientation, unconsciousness and possible death

43
Q

Effects and dangers of barbiturates/tranquilizers

A

Effects: drowsiness, impaired motor functioning and reflexes, reduced tension

Risks: shallow breathing, clammy skin, weak and rapid pulse, come and possible death

44
Q

Effects and risks of amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy

A

Effects: increased alertness, pulse and blood pressure, elevated mood, suppressed appetite

Risks: hallucinations, paranoid delusions, convulsions, long term cognitive impairment, possible death

45
Q

Risks and effects of opium, morphine, codeine and heroin

A

Effects: euphoria, pain relief, drowsiness and impaired motor and psychological funcitoning

Risks: shallow breathing, convulsions, coma, possible death

46
Q

Risks and effects of LSD, mescaline, phencylidine

A

Effects: hallucinations and visions, distorted time perception, loss of contact with reality, nausea

Risks: psychotic reactions (delusions, paranoia), panic, possible death

47
Q

Risks and effects of marijuana

A

Effects: mild euphoria, enhanced sensory experiences, increased appetite, impaired memory and reaction time

Risks: fatigue, anxiety, disorientation, sensory distortions, psychotic reactions

48
Q

Hypnosis

A

A state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness characterized by an enhanced capacity for response to suggestion

49
Q

Hypnotic susceptibility scales

A

A standard series of pass-fail suggestions that are read to a subject after a hypnotic induction

50
Q

Dissociation theories (hypnosis)

A

Theories that view hypnosis as an altered state involving a division (dissociation) of consciousness

51
Q

Social cognitive theories (hypnosis)

A

Theories which propose hypnotic experiences result from expectations of people who are motivated to take on the role of being hypnotized