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