Psychology Chapter 3: Consciousness

Question 1

consciousness

Answer 1

our awareness of ourselves and our environment

Question 2

cognitive neuroscience

Answer 2

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

Question 3

dual processing

Answer 3

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate consciousness and unconsciousness tracks

Question 4

blind sight

Answer 4

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

Question 5

selective attention

Answer 5

the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus

Question 6

inattentional blindness

Answer 6

failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere

Question 7

change blindness

Answer 7

failing to notice changes in the environment

Question 8

circadian rhythm

Answer 8

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

Question 9

REM sleep

Answer 9

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 bodily systems are active.

Question 10

alpha waves

Answer 10

the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

Question 11

sleep

Answer 11

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

Question 12

hallucinations

Answer 12

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

Question 13

delta waves

Answer 13

the large slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

Question 14

insomnia

Answer 14

recurring problems in falling or staying asleep

Question 15

narcolepsy

Answer 15

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

Question 16

sleep apnea

Answer 16

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

Question 17

night terrors

Answer 17

a sleep disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during NREM-3 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered

Question 18

dream

Answer 18

a sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind. Dreams are notable for their hallucinatory imagery, discontinuities, and incongruities, and for the dreamer’s delusional acceptance of the content and later difficulties remembering it

Question 19

manifest content

Answer 19

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

Question 20

latent content

Answer 20

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

Question 21

REM rebound

Answer 21

the tendency of REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation (created by repeated awakenings during REM sleep)

Question 22

dissociation

Answer 22

a split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others

Question 23

psychoactive drug

Answer 23

a chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods

Question 24

tolerance

Answer 24

the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug’s effect

Question 25

addiction

Answer 25

compulsive craving and use, despite adverse consequences

Question 26

withdrawal

Answer 26

the discomfort and distress that following continuing the use of an active drug

Question 27

psychical dependence

Answer 27

a physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued

Question 28

psychological dependence

Answer 28

a psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emotions

Question 29

depressants

Answer 29

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

Question 30

alcohol dependance

Answer 30

(popularly known as alcoholism). Alcohol use marked by tolerance, withdrawal if suspended, and drive to continue use

Question 31

barbiturates

Answer 31

drugs that depress central nervous system activity, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgement

Question 32

opiates

Answer 32

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

Question 33

stimulants

Answer 33

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

Question 34

amphetamines

Answer 34

drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speed-ed up body functions and associated energy and mood changes

Question 35

nicotine

Answer 35

a stimulating and highly addictive psychoactive drug in tobacco

Question 36

methamphetamine

Answer 36

a powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, with sped-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes; overtime, appears to reduce baseline dopamine levels

Question 37

Ecstasy (MDMA)

Answer 37

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 cognition

Question 38

LSD

Answer 38

a powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid

Question 39

hallucinogens

Answer 39

psychedelic drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input (examples include LSD, marijuana, mescaline, peyote)

Question 40

dependence

Answer 40

requires one to experience three of the following: tolerance, withdrawal, compulsion (use more than intended), dysfunction (harmful commitment to acquisition and use)