06 Biology of Mind & Consciousness

Single Choice Questions (only one answer is correct)

In the film "Star Wars," Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke that everything he knows depends on a certain point of view. At the center of each person’s own view of the world is their ______.

a) unconscious

b) consciousness

c) dream world

d) conscience

e) preconscious

b) consciousness

A moment of ______ is an essential ingredient to conscious experiences, and might be described as a period of focused attention and alertness.

a) awareness

b) chi

c) meditation

d) transcendence

e) intensity

a) awareness

Based on her husband’s unusually quiet mood, Martha finds herself worrying that she has done something to make him angry. This demonstrates which problem in the study of consciousness?

a) Most people are relatively unaware of their own thoughts on a moment-by-moment basis.

b) People are very bad at reading the emotions of others.

c) We tend to project our own thought processes onto our perception of others’ thought processes.

d) It is generally impossible to know what another person thinks, even if their actions and words are very consistent.

e) We can infer what another person is thinking but cannot really know it unless they tell us.

e) We can infer what another person is thinking but cannot really know it unless they tell us.

Which of the following is an example of “high awareness”?

a) Feeling hungry after seeing a television commercial for food

b) Adapting to the volume of the radio

c) Being in a drug induced trance

d) Watching a goal being scored at a sporting event

e) Falling asleep

d) Watching a goal being scored at a sporting event

Talking with someone outside of a funeral home might subtly ______their associations with death and dying.

a) prime

b) change

c) correct

d) interfere with

e) replicate

a) prime

Researchers can use ______ to study biases such as racial prejudices without fear that people can easily fake their answers.

a) The Remote Associations Test (RAT)

b) The Implicit Associations Test (IAT)

c) The Aggregate Interventions Test (AIT)

d) Hormone Samples

e) Purchasing Behavior

b) The Implicit Associations Test (IAT)

Which of the following is a cost of low awareness?

a) It weakens the immune system

b) It uses mental effort

c) It allows better focus

d) It can be influenced by subtle factors

e) It is associated with higher rates of forgetting

d) It can be influenced by subtle factors

Jet lag is caused by ______.

a) disruptions in circadian rhythms

b) the depletion of oxytocin with changing altitude '

c) the depletion of melatonin at high altitude

d) the effects of chronic vibrations experienced while flying

e) the increase of melatonin at high altitude

a) disruptions in circadian rhythms

Hallucinogens are substances that ______.

a) alter a person’s perception by generating visions that are not real

b) accelerate the cardiovascular system

c) boost the immune system

d) block the reuptake of dopamine in the brain

e) have no effect on mental capacities

a) alter a person’s perception by generating visions that are not real

Stimulants create euphoria by ______.

a) pumping blood more quickly through the body ‘

b) increasing the neurotransmitter GABA

c) bonding to Oxytocin

d) allowing for the release of extra norepinephrine

e) blocking the reuptake of dopamine to the brain

e) blocking the reuptake of dopamine to the brain

Why don’t people spend all their time in “high awareness”?

a) It uses too much mental effort

b) They lack the motivation

c) They have not taken a mindfulness course

d) They can only access this state while in groups

e) They can only access this state while being alone

a) It uses too much mental effort

Which of the following procedures is used to measure the electrical activity that occurs in the brain over a period of time by placing electrodes on the scalp?

a) electromyography (EMG)

b) electroencephalography (EEG)

c) polysomnography (PSG)

d) electrooculography (EOG)

e) electrocardiography (ECG)

b) electroencephalography (EEG)

Brenda has a bad first impression of Elizabeth. They live in the same dormitory and have regular interactions with each other. According to the ______, Brenda will likely start developing more positive attitudes toward Elizabeth over time.

a) theory of contiguity

b) similarity paradigm

c) law of complementarity

d) mere-exposure effect

e) matching principle

d) mere-exposure effect

Which of the following is the best summary of mere-exposure effects?

a) We are most likely to develop sexual or romantic feelings toward someone who we assess to be about our own level of physical attractiveness.

b) We are often motivated by processes that are wholly, or at least partially, outside of our own awareness.

c) When we share a lot in common with another person we are more likely than not to develop feelings of social attraction for

d) Repeated encounters with a stimulus over time will lead to a more positive attitude toward that stimulus.

e) Being in close proximity to a given person will, by necessity cause you to develop warm feelings toward them.

d) Repeated encounters with a stimulus over time will lead to a more positive attitude toward that stimulus.