Exam #2 Flashcards
Mind-Body Problem
the issue of how the mind is related to the brain and the body
the problem of other minds
the fundamental difficulty we have in perceiving the consciousness of others
minimal conciousness
low-level kind of sensory awareness and responsiveness that occurs when the mind inputs sensations and may output behavior
ex: driving a car and suddenly realize that you dont remember the past 15 minutes of driving.
full consciousness
occurs when you know and are able to report your mental state
ex: when you realize that your leg or arm hurts
self-consciousness
distinct level of consciousness in which the person’s attention is drawn to the self as an object
ex: when you are embarrassed, looking in the mirror, evaluating oneself, when someone focuses a camera on you
mental control
the attempt to change conscious states of mind
ex: one might choose to not think about a certain issue because it causes too much anxiety or thought… leads to thought suppression
thought suppression
the conscious avoidance of a thought
rebound effect of thought suppression
- the tendency of a thought to return to consciousness with greater frequency following suppression
- suggests that the act of trying to suppress a thought may itself cause that thought to return to consciousness in a robust way
ironic processes of mental control
proposes that such ironic errors occur because the mental process that monitors errors can itself produce them
ex: in the attempt not to think of a white bear, a small part of the mind is ironically searching for the white bear
dynamic unconscious
an active system encompassing a lifetime of hidden memories, the person’s deepest desires and instincts, and the person’s inner struggle to control these forces
repression
a mental process that removes unacceptable thoughts and memories from consciousness and keeps them in the unconsciousness
cognitive unconscious
all the mental processes that give rise to a person’s thoughts, choices, emotions, and behavior even though they are not experienced by the person
subliminal perception
when thought or behavior is influenced by stimuli that a person cannot consciously report perceiving
-factors outside of our consciousness can influence our behaviors
four basic properties of consciousness
- intentionally
- unity
- selectivity
- transience
altered state of consciousness
a form of experience that departs significantly from the normal subjective experience of the world and the mind
-can be accompanied by changes in thinking, disturbances in the sense of time, feelings of the loss of control, changes in emotional expression…etc.
hypnagogic state
presleep consciousness- associated with hypnic jerk (feeling of falling)
REM sleep
- the fifth stage of sleep
- characterized by rapid eye movements and a high level of brain activity
- EEG patterns become high-frequency
- pulse quickens
- blood measurements of muscle movements indicate that the sleeper is very still
- if awaken during REM sleep, 80% report dreams
insomnia
difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep
- could be related to depression, anxiety
- results from lifestyle choices sometimes
sleep apnea
disorder in which the person stops breathing for brief periods while asleep
- usually snores
- mostly occurs in middle age men
somnambulism (sleepwalking)
occurs when a person arises and walks around while sleeping
- most common in children
- happens most in slow-wave sleep
- eyes usually open in glassy stare
- fumble, clumsy
narcolepsy
disorder in which sudden sleep attacks occur in the middle of waking activities
-last from 30 seconds to 30 minutes
sleep paralysis
experience of waking up unable to move
- sometimes associated with narcolepsy
- happens as you are awakening from REM sleep but before you have regained motor control
- typically lasts only a few seconds or minutes and can be accompanied by hypnopompic (when awakening) or hypnagonic (when falling asleep) hallucinations
night terrors (or sleep terrors)
abrupt awakenings with panic and intense emotional arousal
- more in kids than adults
- happen most often in non-REM sleep early in the sleep cycle
- usually cannot remember the dream
activation - synthesis model
proposes that dreams are produced when the brain attempts to make sense of random neural activity that occurs during sleep
freudian theory and the activation-synthesis model differ how?
freud’s theory: dreams begin with meaning
activation: dreams begin randomly, but meaning can be added as the mind lends interpretations in the process of dreaming
freudian theory
dreams are confusing and obscure because the dynamic unconscious creates them to be that way
-problem is that there are so many interpretations `
psychoactive drugs
chemicals that influence consciousness or behavior by altering the brain’s chemical system
depressants
substances that reduce the activity of the central nervous system
- calming effect
- tend to induce sleep in high doses
- ex: alcohol
expectancy theory
suggests that alcohol effects can be produced by people’s expectations of how alcohol will influence them in particular situations
myopia
theory that proposes that alcohol hampers attention, and leads people to respond in simple ways to complex situations
stimulants
substances that excite the central nervous system, heightening arousal and activity levels
- increase the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain
- ex: caffeine, amphetamines, nicotine, cocaine, ecstasy
amphetamines (also called speed)
- originally prepared for medical uses and as diet drugs
- when widely abused, they can cause insomnia, aggression, and paranoia with long-term use
marijuana
plant whose leaves and buds contain a psychoactive drug called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
-drug produces an intoxication that is mildly hallucinogenic
anadamide
- involved in the regulation of mood, memory, appetite, and pain perception
- normally activates receptors in the brain (which is also what THC does)
- some chemicals that mimic anadamide are found in dark chocolate for example
hypnosis
refers to a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) makes suggestions that lead to a change in another person’s (the subject’s) subjective experience of the world
posthypnotic amnesia
the failure to retrieve memories following hypnotic suggestions to forget
hypnotic analgesia
the reduction of pain through hypnosis in people are susceptible to hypnosis
3 key functions of memory
encoding, storage, and retrieval
memory
the ability to store and retrieve information over time
encoding
the process of transforming what we perceive, think, or feel into an enduring memory
storage
the process of maintaining information in memory over time
retrieval
the process of bringing to mind information that has previously encoded and stored
semantic encoding
the process of relating new information in a meaningful way to knowledge that is already stored in memory
during semantic judgement, the _____________ lobe of the brain is active.
lower left frontal lobe
During visual judgments, the _______________ lobe is active.
occipital
During organizational judgments, the ________________ is active.
upper left frontal lobe
visual imagery encoding
the process of storing new information by converting it into mental pictures
organizational encoding
the process of categorizing information according to the relationships among a series of items
survival encoding
draws on elements of semantic, visual imagery, and organizational encoding, which may give it an advantage over any one of the other three
sensory memory
type of storage that holds sensory information for a few seconds or less
2 types of sensory memory
iconic memory and echoic memory
iconic memory
a fast-decaying store of visual info
echoic memory
a fast-decaying store of auditory info
short-term memory
holds nonsensory info for more than a few seconds but less than a minute
rehearsal
process of keeping info in short-term memory by mentally repeating it
chunking
involves combining small pieces of info into larger clusters or chunks that are more easily held in short-term memory
working memory
refers to active maintenance of info in short-term storage
- manipulates visual images or verbal info
ex: contemplating your next move
long-term memory
type of storage that holds information for hours, days, weeks, or years
difference between short and long term memory
long term has no known capacity limits
anterograde amnesia
the inability to transfer new info from the short-term store to the long-term store
retrograde amnesia
the inability to retrieve information that was acquired on a particular date, usually the date of an injury or surgery
sights, sounds, smells, emotional content of a single memory are stored….
in the cortex
consolidation
the process by which memories become stable in the brain
REconsolidation
the process that causes memories to become vulnerable to disruption when they are recalled, thus requiring them to become consolidated again
long-term potentiation (LTP)
a process whereby communication across the synapse between neurons strengthens the connection- making further communication easier
state dependent retrieval
tendency for info to be better recalled when the person is in the same state (mood) during encoding and retrieval
ex: happy mood when learning, happy when retrieving= more likely retrieving information
encoding specificity principle
states that a retrieval cue can serve as an effective reminder when it helps re-create the specific way in which info was initially encoded
retrieval cues
hints that help bring stored info to mind
ex: mc exams
explicit memory
occurs when people consciously or intentionally retrieve past experiences
implicit memory
occurs when past experiences influence behavior and performance, even without an effort to remember those experiences or an awareness of the recollection
implicit= implied by our actions even though not consciously recalled
procedural memory
a type of implicit memory that refers to the gradual acquisition of skills as a result of practice
-“knowing how” to do things
areas of the brain that are involved in procedural memory
brain regions outside the hippocampal area (including areas in the motor cortex)
semantic memory
type of explicit memory that refers consciously knowing facts and generally knowledge of the world
episodic memory
type of explicit memory that refers to consciously recalling personal experiences and EVENT (time and place)
priming
type of implicit memory that refers to enhanced ability to think of a stimulus, such as a word or an object, as a result of a recent exposure to a stimulus
area of the brain plays an important role in episodic memory
hippocampus- part of the medial temporal lobe
people who have amnesia are not able to retain…
explicit memory
transience
forgetting what occurs with the passage of time
-occurs during the storage phase of memory after an experience has been encoded and retrieved
retroactive interference
situations in which later learning impairs memory for information acquired later
-ex: if you carry out the same activities at work each day, by the time Friday rolls around, it may be difficult to remember what you did on Monday because later activities blend in with earlier ones
proactive interference
refers to situations in which earlier learning impairs memory for information acquired later
-ex: parking car in the same spot each day except for once, and that one time you forget where your car is!
absentmindedness
a lapse in attention that results in memory failure (lack of attention)
prospective memory
remembering to do things in the future
blocking
(tip-of-the-tongue) a failure to retrieve info that is available in memory even though you are trying to produce it
misattribution
assigning a recollection or an idea to the wrong source
suggestibility
the tendency to incorporate misleading information from external sources into personal recollections
bias
the distorting influences of present knowledge, beliefs, and feelings on recollection of previous experiences
persistence
the intrusive recollection of events that we wish we could forget
flashbulb memories
detailed recollections of when and where we heard about shocking events
ex: remember when you heard about robin williams death?
