Consciousness & the Two-Track Mind (Modules 7-9)

Question 1

Our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment

Answer 1

Consciousness

Question 2

A social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) suggests to another (the subject) that certain perceptions, feelings, thoughts, or behaviors will spontaneously occur

Answer 2

Hypnosis

Question 3

The interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)

Answer 3

Cognitive Neuroscience

Question 4

Focusing conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Answer 4

Selective Attention

Question 5

Failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

Answer 5

Inattentional Blindness

Question 6

Failing to notice changes in the environment; a form of inattentional blindness

Answer 6

Change Blindness

Question 7

The principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

Answer 7

Dual Processing

Question 8

A condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it

Answer 8

Blindsight

Question 9

Processing many aspects of a stimulus or problem simultaneously

Answer 9

Parallel Processing

Question 10

Processing one aspect of a stimulus or problem at a time; generally used to process new information or to solve difficult problems

Answer 10

Sequential Processing

Question 11

A periodic, natural loss of consciousness—as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation

Answer 11

Sleep

Question 12

Our biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle

Answer 12

Circadian Rhythm

Question 13

Rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active

Answer 13

REM Sleep

Question 14

The relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

Answer 14

Alpha Waves

Question 15

False sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

Answer 15

Hallucinations

Question 16

The large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

Answer 16

Delta Waves

Question 17

The first stage of non-REM (NREM) sleep; marked by the slowed breathing and irregular brain waves

Answer 17

N1 Sleep

Question 18

During this stage of sleep, sleep spindles – bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain-wave activity that aid memory processing – occur periodically; you could still be awakened quite easily, but you are now clearly asleep

Answer 18

N2 Sleep

Question 19

This stage puts you in deep sleep; during this slow-wave sleep, your brain emits large, slow delta waves and you are hard to awaken

Answer 19

N3 Sleep

Question 20

A pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm. In response to light, the SCN causes the pineal gland to adjust melatonin production, thus modifying our feelings of sleepiness

Answer 20

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)

Question 21

1) Sleep protects, 2) Sleep helps us recuperate, 3) Sleep helps restore and rebuild our fading memories of the day’s experiences, 4) Sleep feeds creativity thinking, and 5) Sleep supports growth

Answer 21

Why We Sleep

Question 22

Recurring problems in falling or staying asleep

Answer 22

Insomnia

Question 23

A sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times

Answer 23

Narcolepsy

Question 24

A sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings

Answer 24

Sleep Apnea

Question 25

A sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during N3 sleep, within 2 or 3 hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered

Answer 25

Night Terrors

Question 26

A sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind

Answer 26

Dreams

Question 27

1) To satisfy our own wishes, 2) To file away memories, 3) To develop and preserve neural pathways, 4) To make sense of neural static, and 5) To reflect cognitive development

Answer 27

Why We Dream

Question 28

According to Freud, the symbolic, remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from its latent, or hidden, content)

Answer 28

Manifest Content

Question 29

According to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content)

Answer 29

Latent Content

Question 30

The tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation

Answer 30

REM Rebound

Question 31

A chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods

Answer 31

Psychoactive Drugs

Question 32

A disorder characterized by continued substance craving and use despite significant life disruption and/or physical risk

Answer 32

Substance Use Disorder

Question 33

Psychoactive drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions

Answer 33

Depressants

Question 34

(popularly known as alcoholism) Alcohol use marked by tolerance, withdrawal, and a drive to continue problematic use

Answer 34

Alcohol Use Disorder

Question 35

Drugs that depress central nervous system activity, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment

Answer 35

Barbiturates

Question 36

Opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety

Answer 36

Opiates

Question 37

Drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamine, and Ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions

Answer 37

Stimulant

Question 38

Drugs (such as methamphetamine) that stimulate neural activity, causing accelerated body functions and associated energy and mood changes

Answer 38

Amphetamines

Question 39

A stimulating and highly addictive psychoactive drug in tobacco products

Answer 39

Nicotine

Question 40

A powerful and addictive stimulant derived from the coca plant; produces temporarily increased alertness and euphoria

Answer 40

Cocaine Bear

Question 41

A powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, with accelerated body functions and associated energy and mood changes; over time, reduces baseline dopamine levels

Answer 41

Methamphetamines

Question 42

(a street name for MDMA) A synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and longer-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition

Answer 42

Ecstasy

Question 43

Psychedelic (“mind-manifesting”) drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input

Answer 43

Hallucinogens

Question 44

An altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death (such as cardiac arrest); often similar to drug-induced hallucinations

Answer 44

Near-death Experience

Question 45

A powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid

Answer 45

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)

Question 46

The major active ingredient in marijuana; triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations

Answer 46

THC