Attention, Hypnosis, and Awareness

Selective attention

Focusing conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.

Inattentional blindness

Failing to see visible objects when attention is directed elsewhere.

Change blindness

Failing to notice changes in the environment.

Dual processing

The idea that information is processed both consciously and unconsciously.

Parallel processing

Processing many aspects of a problem or scene simultaneously.

Blindsight

Responding to visual information without consciously seeing it.

Cognitive neuroscience

Study of brain activity linked with mental processes.

Conscious processing

Deliberate, controlled mental activity requiring awareness.

Unconscious processing

Automatic mental activity occurring without awareness.

States of consciousness

Levels of awareness, including wakefulness, sleep, dreaming, and altered states.

Meditation

Focused attention and awareness practice that promotes relaxation.

Mindfulness

Paying attention to the present moment without judgment.

Psychoactive states

Altered states of consciousness caused by drugs.

Near-death experience (NDE)

Altered state of consciousness reported after close brushes with death

Theory of mind

Ability to understand others’ mental states—beliefs, desires, and intentions.

Metacognition

Thinking about one’s own thinking and understanding one’s cognitive processes.