Psychology 3120G: Altered States of Consciousness: Selected Topics

Professor Barušs                                                                                                             Term Test                                                                                                                                                                                 February 3, 2010

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2½ hours

Answer 10 of the following 12 questions in essay style in separate examination booklets from those used for Part II. Each question is worth one mark. This part of the examination is worth 10% of your final grade. Question marked with an asterisk are derived from questions submitted by students.

1. *What is the confirmation bias? Give an example of how it could interfere with access to inner knowledge.

2. According to Barušs, what is the difference between physicalism and materialism?

3. What is the quest orientation?

4. How does the notion of an implicate order explain synchronous events?

5. What is "analytic overlay"?

6. *List four separate components of understanding identified by Barušs.

7. Apply Plato’s analogy of the cave to Wren-Lewis’ experience of endarkenment.

8. What is a "puppet of God?" According to Barušs, what is wrong with being a puppet of God?

9. What is transcriptive thinking?

10. According to Wolff, what happened to him whenever he opened the butterfly valve?

11. What does the sense of existence have to do with turning consciousness through the angle ð?

12. What are feelings of reality? Under what conditions are they prominent?

Answer one of the following two questions in essay style in separate examination booklets from those used for Part I. Your answer must be comprehensive in nature, it must be based on the readings and class discussions, and can include relevant observations from your own experiences. This question is worth 10 marks and this part of the examination is worth 10% of your final grade.

13. Discuss the manner and extent to which inner knowledge could play a role in authentic science.

14. Summarize Franklin Wolff’s philosophy.