Cog Neuro Book Ch 14 Vocabulary

Question 1

architecture (p. 628)

Answer 1

The organizational structure of a system.

Question 2

blindsight (p. 632)

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

complex system (p. 628)

Answer 3

Any system that has a large number of interconnected and interacting components.

Question 4

consciousness (p. 620)

Answer 4

The ability to be aware of some of the contents of mental activity.

Question 5

determinism (p. 648)

Answer 5

The philosophical belief that all current and future events and actions, including human cognition, decisions, and behavior, are caused by preceding events combined with the laws of nature.

Question 6

dualism (p. 620)

Answer 6

A major philosophical approach to describing consciousness, which holds that the mind and brain are two separate phenomena.

Question 7

locked-in syndrome (LIS) (p. 623)

Answer 7

A condition in which one is unable to move any muscle (although sometimes an eye muscle is spared) but is fully conscious and has normal sleep–wake cycles.

Question 8

materialism (p. 620)

Answer 8

A major philosophical approach to describing consciousness, based on the theory that the mind and brain are both physical mediums.

Question 9

mirror self-recognition (MSR) (p. 646)

Answer 9

The ability to recognize that the image one sees in a mirror is oneself. Gordon Gallop proposed being able to recognize oneself in a mirror implies that one is self-aware.

Question 10

multiple realizability (p. 631)

Answer 10

The idea that there are many ways to implement a system to produce one behavior.

Question 11

non–rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep (p. 626)

Answer 11

Sleep that is characterized by high-amplitude brain waves that are less frequent than in rapid eye movement sleep.

Question 12

protocol (p. 629)

Answer 12

In a layered architecture, the set of rules, or specifications, that stipulate the allowed interfaces, or interactions, either within a layer or between layers.

Question 13

qualia (s. quale) (p. 621)

Answer 13

In philosophy, an individual’s personal perceptions or experiences of something.

Question 14

quantum theory (p. 649)

Answer 14

A fundamental theory of physics that describes the nature and behavior of atoms and subatomic particles.

Question 15

rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (p. 626)

Answer 15

Sleep that is characterized by low-amplitude brain waves that are more frequent than in non–rapid eye movement sleep.

Question 16

sentience (p. 648)

Answer 16

The ability to be conscious and experience subjectivity.

Question 17

subliminal perception (p. 636)

Answer 17

The phenomenon by which a stimulus that is not consciously perceived nevertheless influences one’s conscious state.

Question 18

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) (p. 625)

Answer 18

Either of a pair of nuclei, located in the hypothalamus above the optic chiasm, that are involved with the regulation of circadian rhythms.