CogSci 180 Final UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
____ Uses techniques to cultivate a clear and stable mind Contemplation
so one can directly perceive the truth
scientific vs contemplative approaches: name 2 Similarities:
similarities and 1 difference - Both are empirically-based, i.e., not based on blind adherence to belief or what
authorities say
- Conclusions must be verified through consensual agreement of investigators
who are highly trained to be considered valid
Differences:
- Science: Operates from a 3rd person perspective
- Contemplation: Operates from a 1st person perspective
Common Criticism of Contemplative Approach by - the introspection objection: sounds a lot like introspection, which is highly
Science: subjective and unreliable
- the ____ objection
____ observing and reporting one's mental and Introspection
emotional processes as objectively as possible
T/F: introspection is a valid method of investigation F
Contemplative response to the introspection objection: - There is an important distinction between contemplation and introspection:
- difference between introspection and contemplation: contemplation first requires extensive training of the mind to become stable and
______ clear using specific techniques
- introspection was discredited because ______ - introspection discredited bc the participants who had originally been asked to
engage in it in laboratory studies did so with minds that were distracted most of
the time
,A clear and stable mind is associated with ___ and brings inner peace, reality, mind
deeper insights into the nature of _____ and ___ itself
Various mental states and associated effects are contemplative traditions
delineated precisely within _________
___ figures as a criterion in the contemplative approach, - Reproducibility
just as in the scientific approach - untrained subjects
- There is interindividual consensus among trained
contemplatives with regard to conclusions arrived at,
which is not the case for ______
In contemplative traditions, the results can be - the results can be reproduced by a particular investigator at different points in
reproduced by both _____ and ____ time, as well as by other investigators
- the insights into the nature of reality and the mind that - other investigators
are directly perceived when one stabilizes and clarifies - meditation
the mind can be experienced again and again in ______
In contemplative traditions, how do you train and how do - stabilize and clarify the mind
you know that you are progressing in your training? - the extent to which you can apply the instructions
- Training involves applying specific techniques to - structured dialogues
__________, and progress is indicated by ________
- During training, there are also ____ between the student - experience
and an expert (teacher) to monitor the student's progress: - meditative experiences
---> The teacher leads the dialogue, asking appropriate - self-deceptions
questions and allowing the subject to describe his or her
___ in detail - koans
---> In the Zen and in Tibetan Buddhist traditions, for
instance, the student will from time to time report about
their ___ to their teacher
- On the basis of these experiences, a qualified teacher
will be able to appraise the quality of the student's
meditative practice and see whether it reflects genuine
progress or mere _ _ - and guide the student accordingly
★ This is the function of ___ in the Zen tradition
In the Rinzai school, ___ are used to test a student's koans, Zen practice
progress in ____ - they are "riddles" that a student has to
solve
The obscure riddles, bewildering dialogues, and flagrant - koans
contradictions that form the ____ help the student ____ and - ground their thinking in reality
__________ - break free of the conceptual mind, i.e., the categorizing, analyzing ordinary
- This is related to the idea about potential limitations of thinking mind
the ____ ____ self that suppresses more _____ _____ - "left-brain" logical
consciousness - expansive "right-brain"
, All koans must be answered _____ - from within the realm of one's own personal experience
- Koans are meant to be pondered in ____ and throughout - meditation practice
the day till the answer opens the true heart of the - with other meditation practitioners
question - actual verbal response, effects it produces on one's mind and emotions
- Traditionally, answers could not be found in books nor - life changing, self-validating
are the koans discussed _____
- each koan has many answers, both in terms of the _____
and the ____
- Once experienced, the answer is often a___ experience,
and comes with a force that is ____
Can conclusions drawn by contemplatives be verified by - had training
a third party? - which meditation masters have achieved the highest levels of realization
- Only if the person has _____
☞ Anyone who takes the trouble to stabilize and clarify
their mind will be able to find out for themselves what
other contemplatives have found and agreed on
- Lastly, people within contemplative traditions generally
agree on the point of ____
it could be argued against contemplative tradition that - these contemplatives are all deceiving themselves
____ - counterargument: "It would be a bit strange if a whole cohort of people with
- counterargument: sharp acumen who have refined their introspective faculties to such an extent
- further, the contemplative approach supposedly works deluded themselves in exactly the same way at various times in history and in
because it results in a clear and stable mind various places." - Ricard
---> Finding that long-term "super-meditators" are ___ , as - neurologically, psychologically
well as ____, off-the-charts, on measures of traits like ____, - attention, empathy, and optimism
______, and ___ would appear to support that claim
Neuropsychological Research on Long-Term Meditators: - left prefrontal activity, optimism and feelings of happiness and well-being
- 4.5
- EEG studies by Richard Davidson found that meditation
practice is associated with increased____ activity, which is
associated with ____ and feelings of ____ and ____
---> For instance, one meditation adept, Matthieu Ricard,
showed increased left pre-frontal cortical activity that
was ___standard deviations outside the standard bell
curve
Neuropsychological Research on Long-Term Meditators: - identify microexpressions
- empathy, insight
- Paul Ekman also found enhanced ability to ____ in
meditators
---> The ability to recognize such fleeting facial
expressions has been associated with a capacity for ___
and ___ , as well as openness to new experiences,
intellectual curiosity, and general reliability and efficiency
Answers
____ Uses techniques to cultivate a clear and stable mind Contemplation
so one can directly perceive the truth
scientific vs contemplative approaches: name 2 Similarities:
similarities and 1 difference - Both are empirically-based, i.e., not based on blind adherence to belief or what
authorities say
- Conclusions must be verified through consensual agreement of investigators
who are highly trained to be considered valid
Differences:
- Science: Operates from a 3rd person perspective
- Contemplation: Operates from a 1st person perspective
Common Criticism of Contemplative Approach by - the introspection objection: sounds a lot like introspection, which is highly
Science: subjective and unreliable
- the ____ objection
____ observing and reporting one's mental and Introspection
emotional processes as objectively as possible
T/F: introspection is a valid method of investigation F
Contemplative response to the introspection objection: - There is an important distinction between contemplation and introspection:
- difference between introspection and contemplation: contemplation first requires extensive training of the mind to become stable and
______ clear using specific techniques
- introspection was discredited because ______ - introspection discredited bc the participants who had originally been asked to
engage in it in laboratory studies did so with minds that were distracted most of
the time
,A clear and stable mind is associated with ___ and brings inner peace, reality, mind
deeper insights into the nature of _____ and ___ itself
Various mental states and associated effects are contemplative traditions
delineated precisely within _________
___ figures as a criterion in the contemplative approach, - Reproducibility
just as in the scientific approach - untrained subjects
- There is interindividual consensus among trained
contemplatives with regard to conclusions arrived at,
which is not the case for ______
In contemplative traditions, the results can be - the results can be reproduced by a particular investigator at different points in
reproduced by both _____ and ____ time, as well as by other investigators
- the insights into the nature of reality and the mind that - other investigators
are directly perceived when one stabilizes and clarifies - meditation
the mind can be experienced again and again in ______
In contemplative traditions, how do you train and how do - stabilize and clarify the mind
you know that you are progressing in your training? - the extent to which you can apply the instructions
- Training involves applying specific techniques to - structured dialogues
__________, and progress is indicated by ________
- During training, there are also ____ between the student - experience
and an expert (teacher) to monitor the student's progress: - meditative experiences
---> The teacher leads the dialogue, asking appropriate - self-deceptions
questions and allowing the subject to describe his or her
___ in detail - koans
---> In the Zen and in Tibetan Buddhist traditions, for
instance, the student will from time to time report about
their ___ to their teacher
- On the basis of these experiences, a qualified teacher
will be able to appraise the quality of the student's
meditative practice and see whether it reflects genuine
progress or mere _ _ - and guide the student accordingly
★ This is the function of ___ in the Zen tradition
In the Rinzai school, ___ are used to test a student's koans, Zen practice
progress in ____ - they are "riddles" that a student has to
solve
The obscure riddles, bewildering dialogues, and flagrant - koans
contradictions that form the ____ help the student ____ and - ground their thinking in reality
__________ - break free of the conceptual mind, i.e., the categorizing, analyzing ordinary
- This is related to the idea about potential limitations of thinking mind
the ____ ____ self that suppresses more _____ _____ - "left-brain" logical
consciousness - expansive "right-brain"
, All koans must be answered _____ - from within the realm of one's own personal experience
- Koans are meant to be pondered in ____ and throughout - meditation practice
the day till the answer opens the true heart of the - with other meditation practitioners
question - actual verbal response, effects it produces on one's mind and emotions
- Traditionally, answers could not be found in books nor - life changing, self-validating
are the koans discussed _____
- each koan has many answers, both in terms of the _____
and the ____
- Once experienced, the answer is often a___ experience,
and comes with a force that is ____
Can conclusions drawn by contemplatives be verified by - had training
a third party? - which meditation masters have achieved the highest levels of realization
- Only if the person has _____
☞ Anyone who takes the trouble to stabilize and clarify
their mind will be able to find out for themselves what
other contemplatives have found and agreed on
- Lastly, people within contemplative traditions generally
agree on the point of ____
it could be argued against contemplative tradition that - these contemplatives are all deceiving themselves
____ - counterargument: "It would be a bit strange if a whole cohort of people with
- counterargument: sharp acumen who have refined their introspective faculties to such an extent
- further, the contemplative approach supposedly works deluded themselves in exactly the same way at various times in history and in
because it results in a clear and stable mind various places." - Ricard
---> Finding that long-term "super-meditators" are ___ , as - neurologically, psychologically
well as ____, off-the-charts, on measures of traits like ____, - attention, empathy, and optimism
______, and ___ would appear to support that claim
Neuropsychological Research on Long-Term Meditators: - left prefrontal activity, optimism and feelings of happiness and well-being
- 4.5
- EEG studies by Richard Davidson found that meditation
practice is associated with increased____ activity, which is
associated with ____ and feelings of ____ and ____
---> For instance, one meditation adept, Matthieu Ricard,
showed increased left pre-frontal cortical activity that
was ___standard deviations outside the standard bell
curve
Neuropsychological Research on Long-Term Meditators: - identify microexpressions
- empathy, insight
- Paul Ekman also found enhanced ability to ____ in
meditators
---> The ability to recognize such fleeting facial
expressions has been associated with a capacity for ___
and ___ , as well as openness to new experiences,
intellectual curiosity, and general reliability and efficiency
