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Chapter 8
Consciousness
47
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
11/16/2009

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Term
Consciousness
Definition
The person's subject experience of the world and the mind.
Term
Cartesian Theater
Definition
(after philsopher Rene Descartes) A mental screen or stage on which things appear to be presented for viewing by the mind's eye.
Term
Phenomenology
Definition
How things seem to the conscious person.
Term
Problem of other minds
Definition
The fundamental difficulty we have in percieving the consciousness of others.
Term
Mind/Body problem
Definition
The issue of how the mind is related to the brain and body.
Term
Dichotic listening
Definition
A taskin in which people wearing headphones hear different messages presented to each ear.
Term
Cocktail party phenomenon
Definition
A phenomenon in which people tune in one message even while they filter out others nearby.
Term
Minimal consciousness
Definition
A low-level kind of sensory awareness and responsiveness that occurs when the mind inputs sensations and may output behavior.
Term
Full consciousness
Definition
Consciousness in which you know and are able to report your mental state.
Term
Self-consciousness
Definition
A distinct level of consciousness in which the person's attentions is drawn to the self as an object. 
Term
Mental control
Definition
The attempt to change conscious states of mind.
Term
Thought suppression
Definition
The conscious avoidance of a thought.
Term
Rebound effect of thought suppression
Definition
The tendency of a thought to return to consciousness with greater frequency following suppression.
Term
Ironic processes of mental control
Definition
Mental processes that can produce ironic errors because monitoring for errors can itself produce them.
Term
Dynamic unconscious
Definition
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.
Term
Repression
Definition
A mental process that removes unacceptable though and memories from consciousness.
Term
Cognitive unconscious
Definition
The mental processes that give rise to the person's thoughts, choices, emotions, and behavior even though they are not experienced by the person.
Term
Subliminal perception
Definition
A thought or behavior that is influenced by stimuli that a person cannot consciously report perceiving.
Term
Altered states of consciousness
Definition
Forms of experience that depart from the normal subjective experience of the world and the mind.
Term
Circadian rhythm
Definition
A naturally 24-hour cycle.
Term
REM sleep
Definition
A stage of characterized by rapid eye movements and a high level of brain activity.
Term
Electrooculography (EOG)
Definition

An instrument that measures eye movements.

 

Term
Insomnia
Definition
Difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep. 
Term
Sleep apnea
Definition
A disorder in which the person stops breathing for brief periods while asleep.
Term
Somnambulism
Definition
(sleepwalking) Occurs when the person arises and walks around while sleeping.
Term
Narcolepsy
Definition
A disorder in which sudden sleep attacks occur in the middle of waking activites.
Term
Sleep paralysis
Definition
The experience of waking up unable to move.
Term
Night terrors
Definition
(or sleep terrors) Abrupt awakenings with panic and intense emotional arousal.
Term
Manifest content
Definition
A dream's apparent topic or superficial meaning.
Term
Latent content
Definition
A dream's true underlying meaning.
Term
Activation-synthesis model
Definition
The theory that dreams are produced when the brain attempts to make sense of activations that occur randomly during sleep.
Term
Psychoactive Drug
Definition
A chemical that influences consciousness or behavior by altering the brain's chemical message system.
Term
Drug tolerance
Definition
The tendency for larger doses of a drug to be required over time to achieve the same effect.
Term
Depressants
Definition
Substances that reduce the activity of the central nervous system.
Term
Expectancy theory
Definition
The idea that alcohol effects can be produced by people's epectations of how alcohol will influence them in particular situations.
Term
Balanced placebo design
Definition
A study design in which behabior is observed following the presence of absence of an actual stimulus and also following the presence or absence of a placebo stimulus.  
Term
Alcohol myopia
Definition
A condition that results when alcohol hampers attention, leading people to resond in simple ways to complex situations.
Term
Stimulants
Definition
Substances that excite the central nervous system, heightening arousal and activity levels.
Term
Narcotics or opiates
Definition
Highly addictive drugs derived from opium that relieve pain.
Term
Harm reduction approach
Definition
A response to high-risk behaviors that focuses on reducing the harm such behaviors have on people's lives.
Term
Endorphins or endogenous opiates
Definition
Neurotransmitters that have a similar structure to opiates and that appear to play a role in how the brain copes internally with pain and stress.
Term
Hallucinogens
Definition
Drugs that alter sensation and perception and often cause visual and auditory hallucinations. 
Term
Marijuana
Definition
The leaves and buds of the hemp plant.
Term
Hypnosis
Definition
An altered state of consciousness characterized by suggestability and the feeling that one's actions are occuring involuntarily.
Term
Posthypnotic Amnesia
Definition
The failure to retrieve memories following hypnotic suggestions to forget.
Term
Hypnotic Analgesia
Definition
The reduction of pain through hypnosis in people who are suceptible to hypnosis.
Term
Meditation
Definition
The practice of international contemplation.
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