General Psychology - Consciousness and Emotion

These flashcards cover key concepts and terminology related to consciousness, self-awareness, emotions, and related psychological theories.

Consciousness

The state of being aware of and able to think and perceive one's surroundings.

Phenomenal Consciousness

The aspect of consciousness involving subjective experiences and perceptions.

Access Consciousness

The ability to use perception for communication or reasoning.

Self-awareness

Understanding that one is separate from their environment, including their own behaviors and emotions.

The Mirror Test

A test used to determine self-awareness by observing an animal's reaction to its reflection in a mirror.

Theory of Mind (ToM)

The ability to recognize that others have their own thoughts, feelings, and perspectives.

Egocentrism

The tendency of young children to assume that others experience the world the same way they do.

Two-factor Theory of Emotion

The theory that emotion is based on physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation of that arousal.

Misattribution of Arousal

The process by which people incorrectly label the source of their physiological arousal.

Chronic Stress

A prolonged stress response that can lead to negative health outcomes such as anxiety and heart disease.

Circadian Rhythm

The body’s biological clock that regulates sleep-wake cycles.

Activation Synthesis Theory

The theory that dreams are a product of the brain's attempt to make sense of random neural activity during sleep.

Memory Consolidation

The process of stabilizing a memory trace after the initial acquisition.

REM sleep

A stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movement and vivid dreams.

Basic Emotions

A set of emotions that are believed to be universal across cultures, identified by Paul Ekman.