PHIL 325 FINAL

moral model of addiction

views addiction as a result of personal moral failure or weakness, focusing on blame and responsibility

brain disease model of addiction

frames addiction as a chronic brain disorder involving neurobiological changes that impair control and decision-making

developmental learning model of addiction

emphasizes how learning, environment and development shape addictive behaviors over time, combining neurobiology with psychological and social factors.

Holton and Berridge’s model of addiction

Proposes that addiction involves strong, cue-triggered “incentive salience” (wanting) that can override reflective self-control.

Electroencephalography (EEG)

Measures electrical activity in the brain using electrodes on the scalp, good for tracking timing of brain events.

Positron emission tomography (PET)

Uses radioactive tracers to image brain metabolism or neurotransmitter activity.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Uses magnetic fields to detect brain activity by tracking blood flow changes.

Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) fMRI

A type of fMRI signal that reflects changes in blood oxygenation related to neural activity.

Voxel

A 3D pixel in brain imaging, representing a small volume of brain tissue.

Level of significance

The threshold (often p < 0.05) below which a result is considered statistically significant.

forward inference

Drawing conclusions about which brain regions are active during a known cognitive process.

cognitive subtraction

Comparing brain activity between two tasks to isolate a specific process.

reverse inference

inferring a cognitive process from observed brain activity (often criticized as weak)

problem of multiple comparisons

increased chance of false positives when many statistical tests are run

non-independence error

mistake of using the same data to select and test regions inflating false positives

test-retest reliability

the consistency of a measurement across repeated sessions

Comparing brain activity between two tasks to isolate a specific process.

Using brain data to infer thoughts, feelings, or intentions.

Psychological states vs. psychological traits

States are temporary (e.g., anger now); traits are enduring patterns (e.g., being an angry person).

Comparison question test

A polygraph method comparing responses to relevant and control questions.

Guilty knowledge test

Detects recognition of crime details only the guilty would know.

false positive

incorrectly identifying a condition when it’s not present

false negative

failing to detect a condition when it is present

ethical concerns about brain reading

issues of privacy, consent, accuracy, and misuse of inferred mental content

neuroprediction (criminal and medical contexts)

Using brain data to predict future behavior or health outcomes.

Area under the ROC curve (AUC)

A measure of predictive accuracy (ranges 0–1; higher is better).

Simpson’s paradox

When a trend appears in separate groups but reverses when combined.

Ethical concerns (violent behavior, recidivism)

Risks of discrimination, false labeling, and undermining justice.

Ethical concerns (neurodegenerative diseases

Issues of autonomy, stigma, and psychological harm from predictive information.

descriptive enhancement

any improvement beyond normal

normative enhancement

whether such improvement is good or desirable

pharmacological cognitive enhancement

using drugs to improve mental abilities in healthy people

Methylphenidate (Ritalin), Amphetamine (Adderall)

Stimulants that increase dopamine and norepinephrine levels, boosting attention and alertness.

Ethical concerns (cognitive enhancement)

Debates over safety, fairness, coercion, authenticity, identity, and human flourishing.

short term memory

limited capacity; temporary

long term memory

durable, large capacity

declarative memory

conscious facts/events

nondeclarative memory

unconscious skills/habits

Procedural memory, learned defensive responses, learned affective feelings

Types of nondeclarative memory (skills, automatic reactions, emotional patterns).

episodic memory

personal events

semantic memory

general knowledge

memory blunting (and erasing)

reducing or removing emotional intensity or memory content

consolidation

stabilizing new memories

reconsolidation

modifying memories upon recall

propanolol

a beta-blocker that can weaken emotional memory reconsolidation by blocking noradrenergic activity

ethical concerns (memory blunting)

worries about authenticity,

“Dearth” thought experiment (status quo preference)

A challenge to the idea that we should prefer the current human condition just because it’s familiar.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs)

Systems that link brain activity directly to external devices for communication, control, or feedback.

Closed-loop BCI

A BCI that adjusts in real time based on feedback from the user or environment.

Ethical concerns (BCI enhancement)

Issues of fairness, autonomy, identity, and unintended consequences.

Ethical concerns (BCI treatment)

Risks in clinical use, including safety, consent, and long-term effects.

Engineering model of medicine

Focuses on fixing or replacing malfunctioning biological systems.

Rehabilitation model of medicine

Focuses on restoring function and quality of life, often through therapy and support.

death

Irreversible cessation of biological functioning.

brain death

complete, irreversible loss of all brain function, included brain stem

coma

deep unconscious no wakefulness or awareness

vegetative state

wakefulness without awareness; eyes open, but no conscious response

Minimally conscious state (MCS)

Severely impaired consciousness with minimal but definite signs of awareness.

wakefulness

being physiologically awake

awareness

having conscious experience

neuroscientific evidence for awareness in VS

Brain imaging suggests some patients can show hidden signs of conscious processing.

psychological accounts of personal identity

continuity of memories/personalityb

biological accounts of personal identity

continuity of the living body/brain a

accounts of morally relevant interests/well-being

Hedonistic (pleasure), desire-satisfaction (getting what you want), objective list (certain goods inherently valuable).

Problem of other minds

How can we know others have minds like ours?

Physicalism about the mind

The view that mental states are entirely physical.

type identity

mental states are identical to specific physical kinds

token identity

each particular instance is identical to some physical event

contingent truths

true but could have been otherwise

necessary

true in all possible worlds