Deck 6: Consciousness

Question 1

To be fully conscious of an event, we must be aware that we are attending to it.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Which of the following subcortical structures in the brain is especially important for consciousness?

A) hippocampus
B) thalamus
C) hypothalamus
D) amygdala

Answer 2

thalamus

Question 3

Recall your text's discussion of monitoring, remembering, and planning. Which of the following conclusions concerning the nature of consciousness might be drawn from your text's discussion of these elements?

A) Consciousness is oriented to the here and now: It reflects current awareness of the immediate environment.
B) Consciousness entails bringing past experience to bear on the processing of the immediate environment.
C) Conscious awareness is directed toward the present and to the immediate future. An awareness of the immediate environment guides the selection of the next behavior.
D) Conscious awareness involves the processing of the immediate environment informed by past experience as well as future intentions.

Answer 3

Conscious awareness involves the processing of the immediate environment informed by past experience as well as future intentions.

Question 4

Describe how consciousness may be rooted in language.

Question 5

Mr. Altschuler insists that he sees no objects in a room, yet he manages to avoid bumping into furniture and tripping over items on the floor. What seems to be Mr. Altschuler's condition?

A) Mr. Althschuler has a thalamic lesion.
B) Mr. Altschuler has visual agnosia.
C) Mr. Altschuler's corpus callosum has been severed.
D) Mr. Altschuler has blindsight.

Question 6

A baby must develop a sense of __________ to be fully aware of him/herself as a separate being from others.

Question 7

Which neuroscientist is most closely associated with split-brain studies? What did these studies demonstrate regarding consciousness?

A) Split-brain studies are associated with Roger Sperry. The studies show that the left hemisphere contributes to verbal awareness, while the right hemisphere underlies nonverbal awareness.
B) Split-brain studies are associated with Roger Sperry. The studies show that the right hemisphere contributes to verbal awareness, while the left hemisphere underlies nonverbal awareness.
C) Split-brain studies are associated with Lawrence Weiskrantz. The studies show that the left hemisphere contributes to verbal awareness, while the right hemisphere underlies nonverbal awareness.
D) Split-brain studies are associated with Lawrence Weiskrantz. The studies show that the right hemisphere contributes to verbal awareness, while the left hemisphere underlies nonverbal awareness.

Question 8

Ms. Badeaux has suffered damage to her left midline and intralaminar thalamic nuclei. Most likely, Ms. Badeaux will:

A) lose awareness of events happening on the right side of her body
B) have difficulty naming objects
C) appear unaware of objects in her environment
D) lapse into a coma

Question 9

What group of individuals did Sperry and Gazzaniga investigate in their research programs to determine the roles played by the different hemispheres of the brain in regulating conscious attention?

Question 10

Which of the following alternatives best captures what happens in the brain when we become aware of a stimulus?

A) Certain neurons in the brain become active.
B) One group of neurons, or network, comes to dominate the brain's activity.
C) Multiple networks of neurons become more active.
D) All the neurons in the brain increase their level of activity.

Question 11

What portions of the thalamus play the role of a "train conductor" in overseeing the routing of messages we are consciously aware of?

A) Neurons AND Axons
B) Midline nuclei AND intralaminar nuclei
C) Neurons AND midline nuclei
D) Axons AND intralaminar nuclei

Question 12

Which of the following statements best expresses the relationship between attention and consciousness?

A) Attention is necessary for consciousness.
B) Attention is a product of consciousness.
C) Attention is sufficient for consciousness.
D) Attention is the same as consciousness.

Question 13

If either the intralaminar or midline nuclei of the thalamus are damaged, people lose consciousness and enter a deep coma.

Question 14

Which of the following statements best expresses the importance of blindsight for our understanding of consciousness?

A) Blindsight reveals the role of the thalamic nuclei in consciousness.
B) Blindsight indicates the different contributions to consciousness of the right and left hemispheres.
C) Blindsight suggests that consciousness is different from awareness.
D) Blindsight underscores the contribution to consciousness of parallel processing in multiple neural networks.

Question 15

There is evidence that babies can direct their attention before the age of __________.

Question 16

Based on your text's discussion of the development of consciousness during infancy, which of the following statements is MOST accurate?

A) The development of the self-concept depends on the development of consciousness.
B) The development of the self-concept precedes the development of consciousness.
C) The development of the self-concept follows the development of consciousness.
D) The development of the self-concept occurs simultaneously with the development of consciousness.

Question 17

Weiskrantz's study suggested that the areas of the brain that allow us to attend to stimuli are different from the areas that make us aware that we are attending to such stimuli. The term used to describe this phenomenon is __________.

Question 18

Describe the difference in conscious awareness regulation produced by the left and right hemispheres of the brain.

Question 19

Name 2 elements that are involved in conscious awareness.

Question 20

Which of the following thalamic nuclei is involved in conscious awareness?

A) lateral geniculate nucleus
B) intralaminar nucleus
C) ventromedial nucleus
D) medial geniculate nucleus

Question 21

Adding water to the coffeemaker, Geraldine realizes too late that she had ready poured a carafe of water into the machine. Geraldine wonders where her mind went; apparently, she completed the coffee-making task:

A) paraconsciously
B) subconsciously
C) preconsciously
D) unconsciously

Question 22

Enrique is 16 months old. Fidel is 20 months old. A researcher dabs rouge on the foreheads of each of these infants and then holds each in front of a mirror in turn. What should happen?

A) Both infants will try to touch the mirror.
B) Each infant will touch his own forehead.
C) Enrique will touch his forehead. Fidel will touch the mirror.
D) Enrique will touch the mirror. Fidel will touch his forehead.

Question 23

You are in charge of running the company holiday party and are left with a large bowl of fruit salad and a huge chocolate cake. You want to desperately get rid of the leftovers so you plate them up and start asking co-workers one by one if they want any more fruit or cake. According to research on cognitive stress and overload, which of the following people will be most likely to select the giant piece of chocolate cake despite the fact that the cake is higher in fat and calories and lower in overall nutritional value ?

A) Jenny, who was relaxing and reading a book at the party.
B) Raquel, who has been working around the clock vigorously preparing a end-of-year multi-group presentation with the company CEO and stockholders.
C) Chandra, who has been visiting with friends and planning her weekend.
D) Naomi, who fell asleep at her desk during the party.

Question 24

Information of which you are currently unaware but which you can bring to mind quite easily is said to be in the ___________.

A) unconscious
B) protoconscious
C) subconscious
D) preconscious

Question 25

Provide an example of information that exists at the unconscious level of thought.

Question 26

Freud suggested that people deal with memories that are too painful by __________ such thoughts and keeping them in the unconscious.

Question 27

As cognitive overload increases, our ability to make rational choices about issues that are less important decreases.

Question 28

Based on your text's discussion, which of the following alternatives best reflects a current controversy among theorists examining the development of consciousness in infancy?

A) whether it is possible to investigate the self-concept among very young infants
B) whether the development of a self-concept precedes or follows the development of consciousness
C) whether the development of consciousness depends on the development of language
D) whether the development of consciousness depends on the development of a self-concept

Question 29

Mike said he "hated his attorney". He meant to say that he "waited on his attorney". What term is used to identify this "slip of the tongue"?

Question 30

Today, Jaquanda saw a woman she met last night at a college fundraiser, but could not remember her name. She could only remember that her name started with the letter "B". At what level of consciousness does this name information reside?

A) Preconscious
B) Unconscious
C) Conscious
D) Altered

Question 31

What is the purpose of psychoanalytic psychotherapy in dealing with unconscious material?

Question 32

Describe the difference between explicit and implicit memory processes?

Question 33

Chyna is 20 months old. Danae is 24 months old. Which of the following choices best describes the development of the self-concept and of conscious awareness more broadly in these infants?

A) Both infants have consciousness. Only Danae, though, has a self-concept.
B) Both infants have a self-concept. Only Danae, though, has consciousness.
C) Both Chynna and Danae have both a self-concept and consciousness.
D) Neither Chynna nor Danae has either a self-concept or consciousness.

Question 34

Susan tried to remember her son's middle school teacher's name by applying effort and stating that it rhymed with the word "nails". Her awareness of this knowledge suggests that she was utilizing what type of memory?

A) Long term
B) Explicit
C) Working
D) Implicit

Question 35

Explicit memory is used when we display the skills that we have acquired through experience.

Question 36

According to research on heightened awareness and driving experience, which of the following drivers will be most likely to view driving as a process that requires constant conscious awareness and attention?

A) Chantal, who has 20 years of driving experience
B) Thomas, who has 5 years of driving experience
C) Ashley, who has 1 year of driving experience
D) Justin, who has 1 month of driving experience

Question 37

A memory has reached the __________ level when we finally remember information.

Question 38

Automatic processes are considered unconscious behaviors.

Question 39

You are helping your young niece complete a worksheet for her elementary-school social studies class. You find that although you hadn't thought about the information in years, you can bring obscure state capitals like Dover, Pierre, and Carson City to mind quite easily. This information is housed in your ___________.

A) preconscious
B) subconscious
C) conscious mind
D) unconscious

Question 40

Do we demonstrate heightened awareness of our actions when a task is novel or familiar? Explain how task familiarity is related to our sense of awareness.

Question 41

Memories that we cannot recall deliberately but that we use to perform tasks are termed ________.

A) tacit
B) implicit
C) intrinsic
D) internal

Question 42

People who are in touch with their imaginations are especially suggestible to hypnosis.

Question 43

Approximately forty percent of the adult population is highly susceptible to hypnosis.

Question 44

Which group tends to be particularly open to hypnotic suggestions?

A) Women
B) Children
C) Elderly
D) Men

Question 45

Which of the following disorders is hypnosis most helpful in treating?

A) Depression
B) Alcoholism
C) Anxiety
D) Narcolepsy

Question 46

Define posthypnotic amnesia and provide an example in which this may occur.

Question 47

Freud suggested that most of one's personal knowledge is contained in the _______.

A) conscious mind
B) subconscious
C) preconscious
D) unconscious

Question 48

Why is the ability to make intuitive and unconscious decisions under conditions of uncertainty important?

Question 49

How has the status of the concept of the unconscious changed through psychology's history since Freud's time?

A) It hasn't, really: Psychologists have continued to embrace the notion of the unconscious since the time of Freud.
B) Psychologists have generally rejected the concept of the unconscious ever since Freud's death.
C) In recent decades, many psychologists have rediscovered the concept of the unconscious.
D) In recent years, an increasing number of psychologists have rejected the notion of the unconscious.

Question 50

Describe 2 characteristics an individual must possess in order for the hypnotic process to work?

Question 51

When a hypnotist guides an individual to a heightened tension and awareness, the individual is in a __________ trance.

Question 52

Which of the following situational factors will increase our tendency to make automatic intuitive judgments?

A) Being forced to make quick decisions under uncertain circumstances.
B) Having access to both positive and negative information so that the pros and cons of possible options can be evaluated.
C) Having unlimited time to process information and come to a decision.
D) Feeling as though one is being watched by others.

Question 53

What percentage of the population reportedly cannot be hypnotized at all?

Question 54

Hayden is learning to drive. Ida is an experienced driver. Hayden relies on _______ memory to supply answers to the questions on the written drivers' test. To successfully negotiate the rush hour traffic on the way home, Ida depends on _________.

A) implicit; implicit memory, too
B) implicit; explicit memory
C) explicit; implicit memory
D) explicit; explicit memory, too

Question 55

According to research on emotion and memory, which of the following events is Amber most likely to repress?

A) The day she had her first kiss with the boy of her dreams.
B) The day she got an A on a science project she had been working hard on.
C) The day she felt humiliated at school for not noticing that the zipper was down on her jeans.
D) The day her parents surprised her with a special sweet sixteen surprise party.

Question 56

Which of the following results may occur when a person is hypnotized?

A) They act in unusual ways.
B) They experience unusual sensations.
C) They remember forgotten events.
D) All of the above

Question 57

Dr. James is a contemporary psychodynamic psychologist. Her colleague, Dr. Kagawa, is a cognitive psychologist. How does each of these psychologists view the function of unconscious thought?

A) Dr. James views unconscious processing as a mechanism protecting us from disturbing thoughts. Dr. Kagawa sees it as part of everyday information processing.
B) Dr. James views unconscious thought as part of everyday information processing. Dr. Kagawa sees it as a mechanism protecting us from disturbing thoughts.
C) Both Dr. James and Dr. Kagawa see unconscious processing as a mechanism protecting us from disturbing thoughts.
D) Both Dr. James and Dr. Kagawa see unconscious mechanisms as part of everyday information processing.

Question 58

What type of response has occurred when a predetermined signal prompts a response from a person after they have been roused from a hypnotic trance?

Question 59

Hypnosis is often referred to as a(n) __________ state of consciousness.

Question 60

Negative memories are more likely to be repressed than positive memories.

Question 61

When hypnotized people are guided to see objects or hear sounds that are not present, what type of hallucination has occurred?

Question 62

Experienced meditators are often said to have the ability to attain a(n) __________ consciousness than less experienced meditators.

Question 63

You are reading an article in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis. The author reports a significant negative correlation coefficient between participants' scores on a measure of belief in hypnosis and their scores on a measure of hypnotic suggestibility. Which of the following is the MOST ACCURATE interpretation of this result?

A) The result disconfirms the divided-consciousness view.
B) The result supports the divided-consciousness view.
C) The result disconfirms the common-social-and-cognitive-processes view.
D) The result supports the common-social-and-cognitive-processes view.

Question 64

Neuroimaging studies suggest that what part of the brain's cerebral cortex is most involved when hypnosis is used to reduce pain?

Question 65

"Quit smoking now!" "Lose weight in 14 days!" To what extent has hypnosis aided individuals in these endeavors?

A) Hypnosis has successfully aided individuals both in long-term smoking cessation and in weight loss.
B) Hypnosis has failed to help people either to lose weight or to quit smoking over the long term.
C) Hypnosis has successfully aided individuals in long-term smoking cessation. However, it has not helped people lose weight.
D) Hypnosis has failed to help people quit smoking over the long term. It has, however, helped people lose weight.
Book suggests that smoking cessation is successful too: Research has shown that hypnosis does indeed help some people to quit smoking (Green, 2010). It also helps many
People to control their eating and to lose weight, particularly if hypnosis is paired with cognitive treatments, that is, interventions that help people change their conscious ways of thinking.

Question 66

Negative hallucinations experienced during hypnosis can be effective in pain control.

Question 67

Dr. Schumacher is a psychodynamic psychologist. Dr. Turner is a mainstream experimental psychologist. To what extent is each of these psychologists likely to endorse Hilgard's divided consciousness theory of hypnosis?

A) Dr. Schumacher is more likely to endorse Hilgard's theory than is Dr. Turner.
B) Dr. Turner is more likely to endorse Hilgard's theory than is Dr. Schumacher.
C) Both of these psychologists are equally likely to endorse Hilgard's theory.
D) Neither of these psychologists is likely to endorse Hilgard's theory.

Question 68

Approximately what proportion of the population can be hypnotized?

A) Everyone can be hypnotized.
B) Most people can be hypnotized, but not everyone can be.
C) About half the population can be hypnotized.
D) Actually, most people cannot be hypnotized.

Question 69

How have psychologists applied hypnotic hallucinations to control pain? Have these efforts been successful?

A) Positive hallucinations have been used to focus the individual on pleasant objects or events. These efforts have been successful.
B) Positive hallucinations have been used to focus the individual on pleasant objects or events. Overall, these efforts have not been successful.
C) Negative hallucinations have been used to direct the individual to ignore the pain. These efforts have been successful.
D) Negative hallucinations have been used to direct the individual to ignore the pain. Overall, these efforts have not been successful.

Question 70

Describe 3 techniques that can be used to obtain the deeply relaxing and pleasant feelings of a meditative state.

Question 71

Which is the best known practice of meditation that occurs in modern society?

A) Mantra
B) Concentrative
C) Yoga
D) Opening-up

Question 72

Meditation is used to focus on external stressors.

Question 73

A trancelike susceptibility to suggestion is characteristic of ________.

A) meditation
B) yoga
C) hypnogogia
D) hypnosis

Question 74

Describe how dissociation occurs and define the activities of the "hidden observer" during hypnosis.

Question 75

How does blood flow to the thalamus change during the hypnotic state?

A) It decreases during the relaxation state, but increases during the absorption state.
B) It increases during the relaxation state, but decreases during the absorption state.
C) It decreases during the relaxation state, then decreases further during the absorption state.
D) It increases during the relaxation state, then increases further during the absorption state.

Question 76

What religious tradition is yoga associated with?

Question 77

Dr. Neriani examines the hypnotic suggestibility of children in three age groups: 5- to 7-year-olds, 9- to 11-year-olds, and 13- to 15-year-olds. Should Dr. Neriani use a t-test or an analysis of variance (ANOVA) to analyze her results? Based on your text's discussion, what should she find?

A) Dr. Neriani should use an ANOVA. She should find no differences in hypnotic suggestibility among the groups.
B) Dr. Neriani should use an ANOVA. She should find that the older children are less suggestible than the younger children.
C) Dr. Neriani should use a t-test. She should find no differences in hypnotic suggestibility among the groups.
D) Dr. Neriani should use a t-test. She should find that the older children are less suggestible than the younger children.

Question 78

Mental perceptions that do not match the stimulation coming from the environment are termed __________.

A) delusions
B) hallucinations
C) illusions
D) distortions

Question 79

How do the induction procedures that hypnotists actually use differ from the way in which such procedures are portrayed in the movies?

A) Real induction procedures sometimes encourage a hyperalert rather than the relaxed state shown in the movies. Real hypnotists are less authoritarian than movie portrayals imply.
B) Real induction procedures sometimes encourage a relaxed rather than the hyperalert state the movies show. Real hypnotists are less authoritarian than movie portrayals imply.
C) Real induction procedures sometimes encourage a hyperalert rather than the relaxed state shown in the movies. Real hypnotists are more authoritarian than movie portrayals imply.
D) Real induction procedures sometimes encourage a relaxed rather than the hyperalert state the movies show. Real hypnotists are more authoritarian than movie portrayals imply.

Question 80

In a neuroimaging study, participants are exposed to a painful stimulus. A negative hypnotic hallucination is then suggested. The neuroimaging data should reveal that:

A) participants are both processing the painful stimulus and aware of the pain
B) participants are neither processing the painful stimulus, nor aware of the pain
C) participants are processing the painful stimulus but are unaware of the pain
D) participants' processing of the painful stimulus is heightened because of the negative hallucination