Chapter 9 Questions for Discussion

  1. According to the mirror recognition test, dogs do not have self-consciousness. But anyone who has ever seen a dog stumble or fall might argue that they do seem to experience our most self-conscious of emotions: embarrassment. Are they really experiencing embarrassment or are we anthropomorphizing them (i.e., assigning human characteristics where they are not warranted)? Explain. [Analyze]

  2. If ASIMO was programmed to pass the mirror recognition test, would it possess self-consciousness? Explain. [Analyze]

  3. Humans possess self-consciousness, whereas dogs and cats do not. Why, evolutionarily speaking, would it be necessary for us to have it, but not them? What uniquely human activities require self-consciousness? [Synthesize]

  4. Recall that, according to dualism, the mind and body are two separate entities and consciousness is a property of the mind. Though the arguments against the validity of dualism are convincing, dualism can be said to have an intuitive appeal. Do you agree or disagree? Explain. [Evaluate]

  5. Research by Hong and colleagues indicates that rapid eye movement is associated with more vivid dream imagery. However, the direction of this relationship is not clear: Do the vivid dreams cause us to move our eyes more, as if scanning the dream landscape; or does the eye movement itself somehow cause the vivid dreaming? How could you design an experiment to establish the direction of the effect? [Synthesize]

  6. We know that sleep deprivation impairs performance. What is your own personal operational definition of sleep deprivation? In other words, how much sleep do you need on a nightly basis for maximal performance and mood? Does everyone need the same amount of sleep? [Comprehend]

  7. How’s your sleep hygiene—that is, have you established habits that promote restful sleep? Check out the recommendations provided in the text for getting a good night’s sleep. Of these, which are you currently practicing? What would it take for you to adopt all the recommendations? [Comprehend]

  8. An evolutionary perspective of why we dream suggests that dreams serve as mental simulations that enable us to rehearse for real-life threats. Anecdotally speaking, does this ring true for your own experiences? How could you scientifically test the theory that dreams help us practice for real-life danger? What particular hypothesis would you test and how would you operationally define your variables? [Synthesize]

  9. Meditation requires practice. Try it for yourself! What is particularly challenging about meditation? What does this challenge suggest about how the mind works? Connect this difficulty to the concept of short-term or working memory (if you’ve already read the memory chapter, Chapter 6). [Apply, Analyze]

  10. What distinguishes meditation from hypnosis? [Analyze]