COGSCI 180 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS (100% VERIFIED SOLUTIONS) | NEW
2026/2027 UPDATE | GRADED A+.
______: Uses techniques to cultivate a clear and stable mind so one can directly
perceive the truth - ANSWER Contemplation
scientific vs contemplative approaches: name 2 similarities and 1 difference -
ANSWER Similarities:
- 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 Science:
- the ______ objection - ANSWER - the introspection objection: sounds a lot like
introspection, which is highly subjective and unreliable
______: observing and reporting one's mental and emotional processes as
objectively as possible - ANSWER Introspection
T/F: introspection is a valid method of investigation - ANSWER F
Contemplative response to the introspection objection:
- difference between introspection and contemplation: ______ - introspection was
discredited because ______ - ANSWER - There is an important distinction
between contemplation and introspection: contemplation first requires
extensive training of the mind to become stable and clear using specific
techniques
,- 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 deeper insights into
the nature of _____ and ____ itself - ANSWER inner peace, reality, mind
In contemplative traditions, the results can be reproduced by both _____ and
____
- the insights into the nature of reality and the mind that are directly perceived
when one stabilizes and clarifies the mind can be experienced again and again
in ______ - ANSWER - the results can be reproduced by a particular investigator
at different points in time, as well as by other investigators
- other investigators
- meditation
In contemplative traditions, how do you train and how do you know that you are
progressing in your training?
- Training involves applying specific techniques to __________, and progress is
indicated by ________
- During training, there are also ______ between the student and an expert
(teacher) to monitor the student's progress:
---> The teacher leads the dialogue, asking appropriate questions and allowing
the subject to describe his or her ____ in detail
---> 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 - ANSWER - stabilize and clarify
the mind
- the extent to which you can apply the instructions
- structured dialogues
- experience
- meditative experiences
- self-deceptions
- koans
,In the Rinzai school, ____ are used to test a student's progress in _____ - they are
"riddles" that a student has to solve - ANSWER koans, Zen practice
The obscure riddles, bewildering dialogues, and flagrant contradictions that form
the ____ help the student ______ and __________
- This is related to the idea about potential limitations of the ____ ____ self that
suppresses more _____ _____ consciousness - ANSWER - koans
- ground their thinking in reality
- break free of the conceptual mind, i.e., the categorizing, analyzing ordinary
thinking mind
- "left-brain" logical
- expansive "right-brain"
Various mental states and associated effects are delineated precisely within
_________ - ANSWER contemplative traditions
_____ figures as a criterion in the contemplative approach, just as in the scientific
approach
- There is interindividual consensus among trained contemplatives with regard to
conclusions arrived at, which is not the case for ______ - ANSWER -
Reproducibility
- untrained subjects
All koans must be answered _____
- Koans are meant to be pondered in _____ and throughout the day till the answer
opens the true heart of the question
- Traditionally, answers could not be found in books nor 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 ____ - ANSWER - from within the realm of one's own personal experience
- meditation practice
- with other meditation practitioners
- actual verbal response, effects it produces on one's mind and emotions - life
changing, self-validating
Can conclusions drawn by contemplatives be verified by a third party?
- 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
____ - ANSWER - had training
- which meditation masters have achieved the highest levels of realization
it could be argued against contemplative tradition that ____ -
counterargument:
- further, the contemplative approach supposedly works because it results in a
clear and stable mind
---> Finding that long-term "super-meditators" are ____, as well as ____, off-
thecharts, on measures of traits like _____, ______, and _____ would appear to
support that claim - ANSWER - these contemplatives are all deceiving themselves
- counterargument: "It would be a bit strange if a whole cohort of people with
sharp acumen who have refined their introspective faculties to such an extent
deluded themselves in exactly the same way at various times in history and in
various places." - Ricard - neurologically, psychologically
- attention, empathy, and optimism
-
Neuropsychological Research on Long-Term Meditators:
- 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 - ANSWER - identify
microexpressions - empathy, insight
Neuropsychological Research on Long-Term Meditators:
- ____ study in which participants were tested before and after they completed a
3-month mindfulness retreat at Insight Meditation Society
---> ____ ______ was measured using ______ ____ paradigm
---> The extent to which people are able to minimize this "blinking" reflects a
quality of ______ and ____
---> Results: Retreatants, unlike controls, showed a marked ____ in attentional
blink and a 33% greater detection of second targets
---> Followup found that significant improvements in attentional performance that
correlated with alterations in ____ were maintained 3 months after the end of
formal meditation practice
➜ Mental training can result in durable ____ changes - ANSWER - Attentional
blink
- Nonjudgmental awareness, attentional blink
ANSWERS (100% VERIFIED SOLUTIONS) | NEW
2026/2027 UPDATE | GRADED A+.
______: Uses techniques to cultivate a clear and stable mind so one can directly
perceive the truth - ANSWER Contemplation
scientific vs contemplative approaches: name 2 similarities and 1 difference -
ANSWER Similarities:
- 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 Science:
- the ______ objection - ANSWER - the introspection objection: sounds a lot like
introspection, which is highly subjective and unreliable
______: observing and reporting one's mental and emotional processes as
objectively as possible - ANSWER Introspection
T/F: introspection is a valid method of investigation - ANSWER F
Contemplative response to the introspection objection:
- difference between introspection and contemplation: ______ - introspection was
discredited because ______ - ANSWER - There is an important distinction
between contemplation and introspection: contemplation first requires
extensive training of the mind to become stable and clear using specific
techniques
,- 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 deeper insights into
the nature of _____ and ____ itself - ANSWER inner peace, reality, mind
In contemplative traditions, the results can be reproduced by both _____ and
____
- the insights into the nature of reality and the mind that are directly perceived
when one stabilizes and clarifies the mind can be experienced again and again
in ______ - ANSWER - the results can be reproduced by a particular investigator
at different points in time, as well as by other investigators
- other investigators
- meditation
In contemplative traditions, how do you train and how do you know that you are
progressing in your training?
- Training involves applying specific techniques to __________, and progress is
indicated by ________
- During training, there are also ______ between the student and an expert
(teacher) to monitor the student's progress:
---> The teacher leads the dialogue, asking appropriate questions and allowing
the subject to describe his or her ____ in detail
---> 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 - ANSWER - stabilize and clarify
the mind
- the extent to which you can apply the instructions
- structured dialogues
- experience
- meditative experiences
- self-deceptions
- koans
,In the Rinzai school, ____ are used to test a student's progress in _____ - they are
"riddles" that a student has to solve - ANSWER koans, Zen practice
The obscure riddles, bewildering dialogues, and flagrant contradictions that form
the ____ help the student ______ and __________
- This is related to the idea about potential limitations of the ____ ____ self that
suppresses more _____ _____ consciousness - ANSWER - koans
- ground their thinking in reality
- break free of the conceptual mind, i.e., the categorizing, analyzing ordinary
thinking mind
- "left-brain" logical
- expansive "right-brain"
Various mental states and associated effects are delineated precisely within
_________ - ANSWER contemplative traditions
_____ figures as a criterion in the contemplative approach, just as in the scientific
approach
- There is interindividual consensus among trained contemplatives with regard to
conclusions arrived at, which is not the case for ______ - ANSWER -
Reproducibility
- untrained subjects
All koans must be answered _____
- Koans are meant to be pondered in _____ and throughout the day till the answer
opens the true heart of the question
- Traditionally, answers could not be found in books nor 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 ____ - ANSWER - from within the realm of one's own personal experience
- meditation practice
- with other meditation practitioners
- actual verbal response, effects it produces on one's mind and emotions - life
changing, self-validating
Can conclusions drawn by contemplatives be verified by a third party?
- 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
____ - ANSWER - had training
- which meditation masters have achieved the highest levels of realization
it could be argued against contemplative tradition that ____ -
counterargument:
- further, the contemplative approach supposedly works because it results in a
clear and stable mind
---> Finding that long-term "super-meditators" are ____, as well as ____, off-
thecharts, on measures of traits like _____, ______, and _____ would appear to
support that claim - ANSWER - these contemplatives are all deceiving themselves
- counterargument: "It would be a bit strange if a whole cohort of people with
sharp acumen who have refined their introspective faculties to such an extent
deluded themselves in exactly the same way at various times in history and in
various places." - Ricard - neurologically, psychologically
- attention, empathy, and optimism
-
Neuropsychological Research on Long-Term Meditators:
- 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 - ANSWER - identify
microexpressions - empathy, insight
Neuropsychological Research on Long-Term Meditators:
- ____ study in which participants were tested before and after they completed a
3-month mindfulness retreat at Insight Meditation Society
---> ____ ______ was measured using ______ ____ paradigm
---> The extent to which people are able to minimize this "blinking" reflects a
quality of ______ and ____
---> Results: Retreatants, unlike controls, showed a marked ____ in attentional
blink and a 33% greater detection of second targets
---> Followup found that significant improvements in attentional performance that
correlated with alterations in ____ were maintained 3 months after the end of
formal meditation practice
➜ Mental training can result in durable ____ changes - ANSWER - Attentional
blink
- Nonjudgmental awareness, attentional blink
