Deck 6: Consciousness

Question 1

In a study by researchers, what did MRI scans of meditators and nonmeditators reveal?

A) Those who had meditated the longest showed the greatest cortical thickness in certain areas.
B) Those who had meditated the longest showed decreased brain tissue in areas relevant to attention and emotion processing.
C) Those who had meditated the longest showed the least cortical thickness in certain areas.
D) Those who had meditated the shortest showed the greatest cortical thickness in certain areas.

Answer 1

Those who had meditated the longest showed the greatest cortical thickness in certain areas.

Question 2

Which psychologist coined the term preconscious?

A) Piaget
B) Freud
C) Erikson
D) Skinner

Answer 2

Freud

Question 3

Which of the following statements is a characteristic of sleep?

A) It greatly increases an awareness of the outside.
B) It creates a perceptual wall between the conscious mind and the outside world.
C) It creates a dynamic relationship between mental life and neural structure.
D) It increases attention to the details of momentary experience.

Answer 3

It creates a perceptual wall between the conscious mind and the outside world.

Question 4

In humans, a surge of melatonin release occurs during the ________.

A) evening
B) night
C) morning
D) noon

Question 5

________ is defined as a delay in reaction time when the colors of words on a test and their meaning differ.

A) Serial position effect
B) Stroop effect
C) Cocktail party effect
D) Transcranial stimulation effect

Question 6

Which of the following statements is true according to the psychoanalytic theory by Sigmund Freud?

A) Dreams operate on two distinct levels of con­sciousness.
B) Dreams keep existing memories stable, even when new experiences attempt to interfere with older memories.
C) Dreams consolidate long-term memories by strengthening the neural traces of re­cent events.
D) Dreams are not that dif­ferent from everyday thinking.

Question 7

Richard is a huge fan of Jelsy Hockey Club. He manages to get an entry ticket for a match between Jelsy and its rival. During the face-off, he is so engrossed in the game that he fails to notice a group of trespassers on the field. Which of the following terms explains Richard's behavior in this scenario?

A) Moderate consciousness
B) The Stroop affect
C) A minimally conscious state
D) Inattentional blindness

Question 8

________ is defined as taking more than 20 minutes to fall asleep, having trouble staying asleep, and/or not feeling rested after a night's sleep for 2 or more consecutive weeks.

A) Insomnia
B) Hypersomnia
C) Sleep­walking
D) Narcolepsy

Question 9

In the context of the psychoanalytic theory, which of the following is a difference between the manifest level and the latent level of dreams?

A) The manifest level is Freud's surface level of dreams, whereas the latent level is Freud's deeper, unconscious level of dreams.
B) The manifest level ranges from low to high neural activation, whereas the latent level ranges from low to high intensity of external stimulation.
C) The manifest level is Freud's level where the true meaning of a dream lies, whereas the latent level is Freud's explanation of mental state.
D) The manifest level is the amount of neural activation in the brain, whereas the latent level is the internal or external stimulation in the brain.

Question 10

Which of the following offers specific practices for working with consciousness?

A) Awareness
B) Meditation
C) Hypnosis
D) Wakefulness

Question 11

________ are rapid, low-energy waves that occur when we are awake and alert.

A) Theta waves
B) Alpha waves
C) Beta waves
D) Delta waves

Question 12

Which of the following is a danger of using MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphet­amine)?

A) Increased risk of depression with repeated use
B) Excess of endorphins in certain areas of the brain
C) Fast processing time on cognitive tasks
D) Excess of serotonin in certain areas of the brain

Question 13

Nina is attending a get-together where she has to struggle to listen to a conversation with her colleague due to a lot of background noise. However, her ears prick up as soon as she hears her name being mentioned by someone in another part of the room and, consequently, she loses the thread of conversation with her colleague. Which of the following terms best describes the experience Nina has?

A) The serial-position effect
B) Perceptual constancy
C) The Stroop effect
D) The cocktail party effect

Question 14

A weakness of facial muscles and muscles in limbs that people experience with narcolepsy is ________.

A) synaptic malfunction
B) apnea
C) catalepsy
D) cataplexy

Question 15

Variations in consciousness can be attributed to the difference in degrees of ________.

A) cognition and memory
B) awareness and cognition
C) wakefulness and awareness
D) ignorance and wakefulness

Question 16

Which area in the brain gets subdued as a result of hypnosis that does not let a person experience pain?

A) The cortical area
B) The hypothalamus
C) The autonomous nervous system
D) The axons

Question 17

Which of the following statements is true of REM?

A) It is characterized by delta waves on EEG.
B) It is characterized by total lack of muscular activity.
C) It is a sound and dreamless sleep.
D) It is characterized by active dreaming.

Question 18

Which of the following is used in anesthesia to pacify people during certain medical procedures?

A) Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
B) Benzodiazepines
C) Vasodilators
D) Barbiturates

Question 19

Which of the following statements holds true of an individual during the different stages of sleep?

A) An individual in Stage 3 sleep experiences fewer sleep spindles than Stage 2.
B) An individual in Stage 2 experiences no K-complexes.
C) An individual in Stage 3 experiences more K-complexes than Stage 2.
D) An individual in Stage 1 sleep experiences faster sleep spindles than Stage 2.

Question 20

Salim likes to have coffee. He has begun to consume several cups of coffee even when he has nothing much to keep himself busy. He says that coffee keeps his spirits up by alleviating boredom. This indicates that Salim ________.

A) has developed a physical dependence on coffee
B) has developed a psychological dependence on coffee
C) has kept himself away from an overdependence on coffee
D) is experiencing withdrawal symptoms

Question 21

With EEG technology, scientists were able to learn that ________.

A) there is no distinct pattern of brain activity during sleep
B) sleep changes throughout the night
C) the brain can slip into states of minimal consciousness
D) the brain was relatively inactive during sleep

Question 22

The greatest amount of REM sleep over the life span occurs ________.

A) in the first months of life
B) in old age
C) at the onset of adolescence
D) in the later part of gestation

Question 23

________ occurs when a person gets out of bed during sleep, usually during the first third of the sleep cycle, and engages in activities that normally occur during wakefulness.

A) Cataplexy
B) Insomnia
C) Sleep apnea
D) Sleepwalking

Question 24

Graham displays a heightened sense of awareness of events in his environment. For instance, when he picks a book to read, he pores over every bit of information given about the author, edition, preface, and even the colors and images on the cover page. This is indicative of the fact that Graham is a(n) ________ person.

A) mindful
B) docile
C) versatile
D) rational

Question 25

Which of the following statements is a unique characteristic of Stage 2 of non-REM sleep?

A) More and more delta waves appear at this stage than at Stage 1.
B) More and more alpha waves appear at this stage than at Stage 1.
C) It is marked by fewer sleep spindles than Stage 3.
D) It is marked by sudden, high-energy K-complexes.

Question 26

The ability to focus awareness on specific features in the environment while ignoring others is termed as ________.

A) focused attention
B) selective attention
C) Stroop effect
D) sustained attention

Question 27

________ is defined as a state that occurs when a person walks around, speaks incoherently, and ultimately awakens, terrified, from sleep.

A) Minimal consciousness
B) Night terrors
C) Cataplexy
D) Central apnea

Question 28

How long does it usually take for one to make the transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2 of sleep?

A) 5-7 minutes
B) 1-2 minutes
C) 15-17 minutes
D) 10-12 minutes

Question 29

Which of the following can be best described as a condition that results from habitual use or physical and psychological dependence on a substance?

A) Stroop effect
B) Addictions
C) Hallucinations
D) Hypnosis

Question 30

Which of the following statements is true about people who sleepwalk?

A) People who sleepwalk are easy to rouse.
B) People who sleepwalk do not engage in activities that normally occur during wakefulness.
C) People who sleepwalk do not remember having been up.
D) People who sleepwalk are likely to be acting out a dream.

Question 31

Arjun is in a condition wherein he is fully awake, but not aware. This is most likely because he is ________.

A) driving
B) sedated
C) in a coma
D) extremely drunk

Question 32

What did Barber and colleagues find when they asked students to complete a daily sleep log and online diaries of perceived stress in life over a five-day period?

A) A few days of sleep deficiency early on in the week can add to psychological strain but can be offset with sleep later in the week.
B) Consistent sleep patterns can wear us down as the body then cannot adjust suitably to any inconsistency in sleep that may arise.
C) A few days of sleep deficiency early in the week can contribute to psychological strain later in the week despite attempts to offset with subsequent sleep.
D) A few days of sleep deficiency early in the week does not contribute to psychological strain.

Question 33

Mary is a coffee lover. However, heeding her friend's advice, she resolves to stop her coffee consumption for good. Mary is most likely to show the withdrawal effect of ________.

A) headache
B) increased concentration
C) increased energy
D) elated mood

Question 34

Which of the following terms refers to synthetically produced compounds that produce long-lasting excitation of the sympathetic nervous system that keeps one motivated and elevates mood?

A) Amphetamines
B) Opioids
C) Caffeine
D) Nicotine

Question 35

What does the test to study sustained attention of people require them to do?

A) Respond discretely to specific visual, auditory, or tactile stimuli
B) Maintain attentional focus for an extended period of time
C) Shift their focus of attention and move between tasks that have different cognitive requirements
D) Respond to multiple task demands simultaneously

Question 36

In the context of the global workspace theory, which of the following statements is true of consciousness?

A) It is the place where the spotlight of attention lands on the contents of one's mind.
B) It is a place where one permanently stores information at hand or deemed important.
C) It is an inherent property of the brain or a skill controlled by a particular brain region.
D) It withholds the information needed to perform complex tasks such as reasoning, comprehension, and learning.

Question 37

Bob finds it easier to concentrate on his studies when he finds the topic interesting. He is engrossed to such an extent that he does not even realize that the television has been turned to the maximum volume. However, if the topic does not interest him, he tends to get distracted at the drop of a hat. Which of the following theories explains Bob's behavior?

A) The psychoanalytic theory
B) Baddeley's theory
C) The cognitive load theory
D) The perceptual load theory

Question 38

An EEG test taken during Stage 1 of sleep that one enters after feeling relaxed will reveal the brain waves change from _____ to _____ waves.

A) theta; alpha
B) alpha; theta
C) beta; theta
D) theta; beta

Question 39

The monitoring of information from the environment and from one's own thoughts is termed as ________.

A) memory
B) wakefulness
C) intelligence
D) awareness

Question 40

Which of the following can lead one to consciously attend to something?

A) When neurons from one region of the brain work independently
B) When neurons from many distinct brain regions work together
C) When neurons from many distinct brain regions work independently
D) When neurons from one region of the brain work together

Question 41

Which of the following best describes narcolepsy?

A) A sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and weakness in facial and limb muscles
B) A sleep disorder where the facial muscles are hyperactive
C) A sleep disorder in which breathing temporarily stops during sleep due to blockage of the upper airways
D) A sleep disorder that causes an almost irresistible urge to move one's legs or arms

Question 42

According to the perpetual load theory and fMRI research, which of the following happens during distracted driving?

A) Decrease in activity in a small part of the brainstem (pontine tegmentum)
B) Decrease in activity in the reticular activating system of the brain stem
C) Decrease in activity in areas of the brain involved in processing spatial information
D) Decrease in activity in areas of the brain involved in language processing

Question 43

When does sleepwalking usually occur?

A) During REM sleep
B) During increased activity of the suprachiasmatic nucleus
C) While hallucinating
D) During non-REM sleep

Question 44

Gargi informed her physician that she is experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness and is often embarrassed due to falling asleep at inopportune times often with little to no warning. She also described other symptoms-feeling a weakness in her facial muscles as well as in her limb muscles. After hearing her symptoms, the physician informed her that there is a disruption of her REM sleep pattern and prescribed her some amphetamines and antidepressants to help alleviate her symptoms. In this scenario, Gargi is most likely suffering from which of the following disorders?

A) Night terrors
B) Sleepwalking
C) Narcolepsy
D) Sleep apnea

Question 45

What does the term preconscious refer to?

A) Preexisting material immediately realizable to awareness
B) Potentially accessible material currently unavailable to awareness
C) Intentionally repressed material that takes the form of unconscious
D) Repressed unconscious material that cannot be consciously recollected

Question 46

Which of the following statements is an effect of alcohol and sedatives in the human body?

A) They decrease the activity of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter.
B) They regulate physiological activities in the hypothalamus of the human brain.
C) They decrease the activity of glutamate, a neurotransmitter.
D) They enhance the functions of the amygdala.

Question 47

Which of the following statements is true according to Cleeremans's (2011) radical plasticity theory?

A) It explains consciousness as a skill the brain acquires, not as an inherent property of the brain or a skill controlled by a particular brain region.
B) It states that consciousness is a place where we temporarily attend to information at hand or deemed important.
C) It advocates that conscious awareness occurs when neurons from many distinct brain regions work distinctively.
D) It explains consciousness as a place where the spotlight of attention lands on the contents of one's mind.

Question 48

The dropping of the sensory curtain indicates the beginning of ________ of sleep.

A) Stage 3
B) Stage 2
C) Stage 4
D) Stage 1

Question 49

Which of the following is a powerful stimulant that is more difficult to quit and also reduces blood supply to skin tissue?

A) Caffeine
B) Nicotine
C) Endorphin
D) Heroin

Question 50

When does an individual attain a flow state?

A) When he/she is barely able to maintain focused awareness on a target.
B) When he/she is barely awake or aware but shows some deliberate movements.
C) When he/she recollects material that is potentially accessible but not currently available to awareness.
D) When he/she thrives in his/her ability to rise to the occasion of challenging tasks.

Question 51

A recent meta-analysis of 16 prospective studies on sleep and mortality revealed that ________.

A) sleep is unrelated to an individual's mortality
B) people who slept between six to eight hours a day lived longer
C) people who slept less than six to eight hours showed greater longevity
D) people who slept more than six to eight hours showed greater longevity

Question 52

Which of the following, in all probability, creates a consolidation of discrete experiences that evokes a holistic experience of something?

A) The synchrony of cell assemblies
B) Tetanic stimulation
C) Long-term potentiation
D) Metaplasticity

Question 53

Which of the following statements is true about brain waves?

A) Alpha waves are slower and lower in energy than theta waves.
B) Theta waves are slower and lower in energy than alpha waves.
C) Beta waves are higher in energy than alpha waves.
D) Alpha waves are more rapid than beta waves.

Question 54

Which of the following statements is an advantage of meditation training?

A) It improves response inhibition, which is the ability to resist impulsive responding.
B) It sustains sharper vision for a shorter period of time.
C) It encourages one to keep limited things in mind while solving problems or making decisions.
D) It enhances the likelihood of multitasking in stress­ful work environments.

Question 55

In the context of non-REM sleep, ________, slower and lower energy waves than alpha, occur as we enter N1 sleep-when the sensory curtain drops and we have a reduced awareness of the outside world.

A) gamma waves
B) beta waves
C) theta waves
D) delta waves

Question 56

Which of the following statements is true of dreams?

A) Dreams can occur in non-REM stage.
B) Dreams coincide with the occurrence of sleep spindles.
C) Dreams occur only in REM stage.
D) Full-blown dreams are more common during non-REM than REM sleep.

Question 57

Which of the following can be a cause for insomnia?

A) Restless leg syndrome
B) Increased gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the body
C) Limited use of alcohol
D) Excessive iron content in the body

Question 58

Which of the following conditions is a predominant feature of amphetamine psychosis?

A) Hypersomnia
B) Nausea
C) Hallucination
D) Narcolepsy

Question 59

Which of the following is a known side effect of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide-25)?

A) Psychosis-like symptoms in some people
B) Decreased body temperature
C) Decreased blood pressure
D) Sleepwalking in a majority of people

Question 60

Which of the following is a marker of Stage 2 sleep?

A) Transient activations
B) Small amplitude delta frequency waves
C) Vertex waves
D) K-complexes

Question 61

According to the studies in mice, what effect did sleep deprivation have on them?

A) The growth of new neurons was inhibited.
B) The neurons started behaving erratically.
C) The growth of neurons increased.
D) There was no effect on the neurons.

Question 62

Which of the following tests is used to study sustained attention?

A) Stanford-Binet Test
B) Stroop Test
C) Continuous Performance Test (CPT)
D) Raven's Progressive Matrices Test

Question 63

Which of the following statements holds true when the retina of the eyes detect light in the morning?

A) It stimulates the supraoptic nucleus.
B) It stimulates the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
C) It stimulates the dorsomedial nucleus.
D) It stimulates the nucleus accumbens.

Question 64

John is a heavy binge drinker who has trouble with planning, working memory, and abstract thinking. Scanning of John's brain would reveal that he has a damaged ________.

A) parietal lobe
B) occipital lobe
C) frontal lobe
D) temporal lobe

Question 65

What does the AIM stand for?

A) Activation, intensity, and mechanism
B) Ambiguity, intensity, and movement
C) Activation, input, and mode
D) Alertness, integration, and mechanism

Question 66

What were the results of the experiments conducted on participants who were variously administered mild pain, imagined pain, and hypnotized pain?

A) Participants reported actually feeling pain only for real pain.
B) Participants reported not feeling pain for hypnotically induced pain.
C) Participants reported actually feeling pain for both real and hypnotically induced pain.
D) Participants reported feeling pain for imagined pain.

Question 67

Raj's new job requires him to travel between East Asia and Europe on a regular basis. Of late, he has been complaining of disturbed sleep and poor concentration. He also feels fatigued and listless more often. A change in ________ is most likely to have caused Raj's problems.

A) nocturnal rhythm
B) ultradian rhythm
C) circadian rhythm
D) infradian rhythm

Question 68

James is a salesperson with Indigo Paint House. Despite his above-average performance at work, he is unsatisfied with his life. He is unable to maintain a balance between his personal and professional life. He decides to enroll for a course in mindfulness meditation. The course is most likely to encourage ________.

A) improvement of concurrent, or parallel, task perfor­mance
B) attention to the details of past experience
C) attention to the details of momentary experience
D) improvement of the skill to switch his attention from task to task

Question 69

According to Sigmund Freud, which of the following refers to two distinct levels of consciousness in the context of dreams?

A) Latent and manifest levels
B) Superficial and subliminal levels
C) Internal and external levels
D) Implicit and explicit levels

Question 70

Carlos underwent chemotherapy treatment. As he was experiencing severe nausea and involuntary weight loss because of the treatment, his doctor prescribed him a drug. This drug did not increase Carlos's appetite, instead it made food appear more appealing to him. The doctor told Carlos that as the drug is a known hallucinogen, Carlos must be careful to use it only in low or moderate doses. He was also informed that he is unlikely to suffer any withdrawal symptoms from the drug although it might alter the perception of time for him. Which of the following drugs did the doctor prescribe Carlos?

A) Oxycodone
B) Marijuana
C) Psilocybin
D) Ecstasy

Question 71

Talking while driving ________.

A) increases activity in regions of the brain associated with spatial processing
B) has no impact on the activity in regions of the brain associated with spatial processing
C) has no impact on the activity in areas of the brain associated with language processing
D) increases activity in areas associated with language processing

Question 72

Studies in mice show that there is substantial increase in the exchange of cerebrospinal fluid with intracellular fluid during sleep that may reflect how sleep allows for the cleansing of ________.

A) cerebral toxins
B) neural antibodies
C) cellular proteins
D) digestive enzymes

Question 73

Which of the following statements is true of the effects of sleep on the human body?

A) Sleep fastens the rate of metabolism in the body.
B) Excessive sleep accelerates cellular aging in the body.
C) Excessive sleep follows synaptic pruning.
D) Sleep triggers the production of enzymes that fight cell damage.

Question 74

What did studies on the effects of ancient calming techniques by psychologists and neuroscientists indicate?

A) Mental life and neural structure share an interdependent but not a dynamic relationship.
B) Mental life and neural structure do not function interdependently.
C) Mental life and neural structure, though interrelated, do not witness any changes throughout life.
D) Mental life and neural structure share a dynamic interdependence.

Question 75

Which of the following statements is true of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep?

A) REM sleep, just like new neural growth, continues throughout our lives-it just increases with age.
B) Brains are least plastic in infancy and childhood and more so in adulthood-precisely the pattern seen in REM sleep.
C) In humans, the amount of REM sleep over the life span corresponds to the degree of brain plasticity and neural growth.
D) Newborns and infants spend much less time in REM sleep than adults.

Question 76

EEG studies of people suffering from narcolepsy reveal ________.

A) normal REM sleeping patterns
B) abnormality in sleep spindles
C) absence of sleep spindles
D) protracted REM sleeping patterns

Question 77

Patrick is a junior-level government bureaucrat who represents the country for international conferences. Before any crucial conference, he gets nervous, and this affects his sleep. He takes more than an hour to fall asleep and also has trouble staying asleep. Patrick is most likely suffering from ________.

A) narcolepsy
B) insomnia
C) hypersomnia
D) sleep apnea

Question 78

Which of the following terms refers to a phenomenon by which one fails to notice unexpected objects in her or his surroundings?

A) Visual masking
B) Change phenomenon
C) Inattentional blindness
D) Subliminal perception

Question 79

Why are women more likely to be affected by insomnia?

A) They are less likely to cope with medical conditions.
B) They are more prone to sleep less than two to four hours a day for two weeks or more.
C) They are more likely to consume alcohol.
D) They are more likely to be iron deficient.

Question 80

Which of the following statements best describes moderate consciousness?

A) The conscious experience of knowing something that cannot be brought into awareness
B) The conscious experience of knowing something that can be brought into awareness
C) The unconscious experience of knowing something that can be brought into awareness
D) The unconscious experience of knowing something that cannot be brought into awareness