Chapter 5 - Keywords

conciousness

a person’s subjective experience of the world and mind

phenomenology

the study of how things seem to the conscious person

problem of other minds

the fundamental difficulty we have in perceiving the consciousness of others

mind-body problem

the issue of how the mind is related to the brain and body

dichotic listening

a task in which people wearing headphones hear different messages in each ear

cocktail-party phenomenon

a phenomenon in which people tune in one message even while they filter out others nearby

minimal consciousness

a low-level kind of sensory awareness and responsiveness that occurs when the mind inputs sensations and may output behavior

full consciousness

when you know and are able to report your mental state

self-consciousness

distinct level of consciousness in which the person’s attention is drawn to the self as an object

mental control

the attempt to change conscious states of mind

thought suppression

the conscious avoidance of thought

rebound effect of though suppression

the tendency of a thought to return to consciousness with greater frequency following suppression

ironic processes of mental control

ironic errors occur because the mental process that monitors errors can itself produce them

dynamic unconscious

an active system encompassing a lifetime of hidden memories, the person’s deepest instincts and desires, 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 unconscious

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

dual process theories

suggest that we have two different systems in our brains for processing information: one dedicated to fast, automatic, and unconscious processing; and the other dedicated to slow, effortful, and conscious processing

altered state of consciousness

a form of experience that departs significantly from the normal subjective experience of the world and the mind

circadian rhythm

a naturally occurring 24-hour cycle

The sequence of events that occurs during a night of sleep is part of one of the major rhythms of human life, the cycle of sleep and waking

REM sleep

a stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements and a high level of brain activity

electrooculograph (EOG)

an instrument that measures eye movements during sleep

insomnia

difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep

sleep apnea

a disorder in which the person stops breathing for brief periods while asleep

somnambulism (sleepwalking)

occurs when a person arises and walks around while asleep

narcolepsy

a disorder in which sudden sleep attacks occur in the middle of waking activities

sleep paralysis

the experience of waking up unable to move

sleep terrors (night terrors)

abrupt awakenings with panic and intense emotional arousal

manifest content

a dream’s apparent topic or superficial meaning

latent content

a dream’s true underlying meaning

activation-synthesis model

the theory that dreams are produced when the brain attempts to make sense of random neural activity that occurs during sleep

psychoactive drugs

chemicals that influence consciousness or behavior by altering the brain’s chemical message system

drug tolerance

the tendency for larger drug doses to be required over time to achieve the same effect

depressants

substances that reduce the activity of the central nervous system

expectancy theory

the idea that alcohol effects can be produced by people’s expectations of how alcohol will influence them in particular situations

balanced placebo design

a study design in which behavior is observed following the presence or absence of a placebo stimulus

alcohol myopia

a condition that results when alcohol hampers attention, leading people to respond in simple ways to complex situations

stimulants

substances that excite the central nervous system, heightening arousal and activity levels

narcotics (opitates)

highly addictive drugs derived from opium that relieve pain

hallucinogens

drugs that alter sensation and perception and often cause visual and auditory hallucinations

marijuana (cannabis)

the leaves and buds of the hemp plant, which contain a psychoactive drug called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

gateway drug

a drug whose use increases the risk of the subsequent use of more harmful drugs

hypnosis

a social interaction in which one person (the hypnotist) makes suggestions that lead to a change in another person’s (the participant’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 who are susceptible to hypnosis