This is the student-built wiki dictionary to accompany Philosophy 374, "Minds and Brains," at Trinity College, Hartford, CT.

The course readings introduce terms that may be obscure or specialized, but are nonetheless essential to your understanding.   Your mission is to add one word each week to the glossary below.  Your entry should indicate where in the readings the word arose.  Some terms may have special meanings to the authors who use them.  If so, you’ll need to base your definitions on the explicit meanings signaled in the reading.  Other terms may not have special meanings, but are nonetheless new to you.   For these, you’ll refer to standard reference works.  (As a third option, you can edit definitions already in the glossary.) In any case, you should cite your sources fully and correctly, and sign and date your entry or edit.  (Updated by Dan Lloyd on 1/23/06.  Contact:  dan.lloyd@trincoll.edu )

A posteriori - an inductive or emperical process of reasoning which is derived from experience. (Dictionary.com) (Posted by Reid Offringa 4/11/06)

Adequacy- attained only through variations upon apodicticity. The ascent in level towards adequacy occurs, for example when you are able to look at a picture and see two different variations of interpreting the picture as opposed to just one; "two possibilities as variations are relatively more adequate then one" (Idhe, 1986 Experimental Phenomenology, p. 72) (posted by Urey Chow 2/6/2007)

Adumbrate -  to produce a faint image or resemblance of; to outline or sketch.  (Husserl, 1966  A Phenomenology of the Consciousness of Internal Time p.190)  (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/adumbrate)  (Posted by Peter Fortin 2/27/07)

Afferent system – a brain system that processes incoming information from sensory receptors in a hierarchical manner, with special pattern-sensitive neurons as the basic building blocks of recognition with higher levels being functionally superimposed on the lower levels and receiving messages from them that allow for responses to more complex aspects of input.  (Posner & Raichle 1994 Images of Mind p. 10) (posted by Josh Gaston on 2/14/06)

Aleph:  A theoretical single point where the universe gathers (Borges).  The name aleph comes from the first letter of the Pre-Canaanite alphabet, and begins the three letters of the God of the Old Testament’s holy name (giving the symbol many mystical qualities).  (Lloyd Radiant Cool p. 31) (Posted by Merry Smith on 2/6/07)

anterior cingulate cortex: a band of cerebral cortex in each hemisphere of the brain situated deep within the great interhemispheric fissure and encircles the corpus callosum. Activated by generation tasks in word perception studies. (Posner & Raichle 1994 Images of Mind p.122)(posted by Elijah Heckstall)

Axiomatic-contructive theory: An axiom is a self evident truth which requires no proof.  Axiomatic means that something is self-evident.  This is a theory where the first bit of an experience is built on with the next part of an experience, each of which is self evident as itself.  It is a theory that looks at the whole of an experience, rather than examining the parts as anything significant.  In context, it is used as a contrast to phenomenology, which is different because what is first dealt with is taken to be the experience itself. Each instance of the whole experience is worth examining. (Idhe, 1986 Experimental Phenomenology, p 31) (posted by Lydia Turner 1/30/2007)

apodictic: that which is present, shows itself as certainly present (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 33) (posted by Elijah Hecksall 2/1/06)

apodicticity: the initial certitude about what is seen (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 71). (posted by Sarah Jenkins
2/3/07).

Apophantic: Coined by Aristotle. A kind of judgment which states a quality of a phenomena or denies a quality of a phenomena.  The benefit of this kind of statement is that it is not a comparison. Heidegger believed that comarisons clouded the experience of a phenomena, and therefore relied on this kind of statement so as the experience and describe the phenomena in and for itself. (www.visual-memory.co.uk/b_resources/b_and_t_glossary.html) (Posted by Lydia Turner; Feb. 14 2007)

Apriori: The ground level that founds all other levels.  It may be considered the limit beyond which phenomenology ceases to be itself. (Idhe, 1986 Experimental Phenomenology, p 43)  (Posted by Kristen McNamara, 1/30/07)

bottom-up processing: when processes are driven automatically or reflexively by stimulation even when the subject is instucted to be passive toward the event, circumstanc, experience, stimulus. (Posner and Raichle Images of Mind p. 84)(posted by Pat Mostyn on 2/21/06) 

Cartesian: Of or pertaining to Descartes, his mathematical methods, or his philosophy, esp. with regard to its emphasis on logical analysis and its mechanistic interpretation of physical nature. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 37)  (posted by Andrew Castiglione on 1/30/07) From: www.dictionary.com

Cell Assembly: Hebb's idea that after repeated stimulation, development of a structure consisting of neurons capable of acting together as closed system would occur (Posner &Raichle 1994, I mages of Mind p6.) (posted by Elijah Heckstall)
Constituting: Fulfilling a perceptual intention and seeing something as meaningful. Results in a more adequete understanding of perception itself. "Seeing" things for the first time that were always there and/or noticing details that were not apparent before. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.81-82) (Posted by Robert Hill on 2/06/07)

chortle: A snorting, joyful laugh or chuckle. (taken from thefreedictionary.com) (Baker’s Mezzanine p. 61) (Posted by Tiare Nakata 2/19/2007)

dialectic: The art of arriving at truth by the exchange of logical arguments (Dictionary.com).

Dialectic of Interpretation: This generates a distance between the axiomatic and the observational in such a way that a direction of inquiry may be taken. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 31-32) (posted by Reid Offringa 2/7/06)

Electroencephalogram, (EEG): A device used in measuring brain waves, and ERP's.  This is useful in figuring out the timing and coordination of the brain. (Posner and Raichle, 1994 Images of Mind, p 134) (posted by Reid Offringa, 3/15/06)

Elevation in latency: delay of time; form of exclusion from consciousness (Posner and Raichle, 1994 Images of Mind, p 158) (posted by Emily Dorward, 3/29/06)

Eidetic: level obtained after the findings from an initial topographical investigation have been analyzed, thereby uncovering "second-order gains", or "deeper levels of the invariants within the phenomena" (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.105) (posted by Emily Dorward on 2/7/06)

Embodiment relation: a term coined by Ihde which refers to a "machine- or instrument-mediated experience in which the instrument is taken into one's experience of bodily engaging the world."  Ihde gives the telescope and the telephone as examples of extended embodiments of sight and sound, respectively, but also notes that an embodiment relation can also be kinesthetic-tactile, among other things. (Ihde 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 141) (posted by Laura Pomeroy on 2/12/07).

Epiphenomenal: non-correlational events or phenomena. Two events which occur at the same time, but are not causally linked. (Heuttel et al, 2004, Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging p.288) (Posted by Reid Offringa, 4/18/06)

Epistemology-the study of the nature of knowledge and belief.  (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.105) (posted by Tiare Nakata on 2/06/07)

Epoché:  a method of phenomenolgical looking; a step back from or a suspension of ordinary thought and usual asumptions regarding things.  (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.32) (posted by Alex Hoffmann on 1/31/06)

Essential Features: the essence of a phenomena, also known as structural features or invariants within phenomena. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 38) (posted by Alyssa Rautenberg on 1/30/07)

Essential Obscurity: The type of obscurity that comes from any genuinely new mode of inquiry. The genisis of shift and clarification involved when there are shifts in the way things are viewed.  There is an area of misunderstanding seperating the group that is holding to the former paradigm and those holding to the new one.  For phenomenology Ihde proposes that it has essential obscurity or in other words temporary obscurity and eventually its language and meaning will yield its own clarity.(Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.18-19) (Posted by Robert Hill on 1/28/07)

Event-Related Potential (ERP): electrical activity caused by a stimulus (Posner & Raichle 1994 Images of Mind p.133) (posted by Elijah Heckstall on 3/15/06

Existential Phenomenology:  The insistence that one cannot seperate himself from the world.  Considers an individuals concrete existence and relationship with the world.  Based on the philosophical ideas of Jean-Paul Sartre.  (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 127) (posted by Marissa Burpee on 2/8/06)Stratum: Idhe defines this as, "In any ordinary experience, a certain inflexibility that is assumed to belong to a givenness."  Can be replaced via "topographical possibilities" by the essence-stratum. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 109) (posted by Andrew Castiglione on 2/6/07)

“Fantasy” variations:  Husserl’s name for his own operations within the variational method. His variations were modeled on familiar logical and mathematical practices, which he would use to provide insight into his experienced phenomenon. The term “fantasy” implies an open-endedness which later phenomenologists found problematic in that these variations could take one into different dimensions of experience (i.e. perceptual variations versus imaginative or conceptual variations) that often contrast with one-another. Now, phenomenolgists such as Ihde stick to perceptual variations.  (Ihde 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p, 39) (posted by Peter Fortin on 1/30/07)

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Feature Integration:   a theory that distinguishes between visual features, which are simple features such as color, and visual objects, which are assemblies of features.  Features are registered in the brain early and automatically, while visual objects are identified only at a later stage and only when the focus of visual attention.   (Posner and Raichle 1999 Images of Mind p. 100) (posted by Alex Hoffmann on 2/21/06) 

Feature Search:  A task that asks subjects to search for only one cue such as color or shape, in order to identify a target. (Posner and Raichle 1999 Images of Mind p. 100) (posted by Marissa Burpee on 2/21/06)

free variation: the spontaneous reversal of two appearance possibilities that can occur at will. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p 75) (Jennifer Phyfe 2/13/07)

fundamental obscurity – (noun): an obscurity that reveals fundamental inconsistency, confusion, or a final lack of plausibility; this can only be discovered through expenditure of great time and effort, often by surpassing the philosophy being criticized (Idhe, 1986 Experimental Phenomenology, p 20) (posted by Nick Harrison 1/30/2007)

Gestalt - A physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts or components; a unified whole. (Idhe, 1986, Experimental Phenomenology p 88) (Lydia Turner    Feb. 6, 2007)

Hebbian Synapse: an assembly of neurons that all fire as a result of one of the neurons in the assembly firing and electrical signal, due to connections between these neurons created during a learning process.  (Posner and Raichle 1999 Images of Mind p.7) (posted by Alex Hoffmann on 2/14/06)

Hermeneutic: "in its broadest sense means interpretation"; epoché| and phenomenological reductions may be collectively referred to as "hermeneutic rules, since they provide the shape or focus of the inquiry...and rules give shape to an interpretation." (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.32) (posted by Laura Pomeroy on 1/29/07)

Hermeneutic circle (dialectic of interpretation)- paradox consists of fact that without some idea of what to look at how can anything be seen? Yet if what is to be seen is to be seen without prejidice how can it be circumscribed in a definition? (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.) (posted by Edward Ulick on 2/7/07)

Hermeneutic strategy:  the use of story devices and metaphorical naming, used to create an immediate noetic context; it places its primary emphasis on language.   (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.88-89) (posted by Alex Hoffmann on 2/7/06)

Horizon: The edge or "limit" of the experiencable. Often used in describing objects in the visual field. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.59) (posted by Tyler Triggs on 2/14/06)

Horizontalize: The third hermeneutic rule. To "equalize all immediate phenomena." Or to "not assume an initial hierarchy of 'realities.'" (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.36) (posted by Tyler Triggs on 1/31/06)

Hyperspace: Any Euclidean space of dimension that is greater than three. (Lloyd 2004 Radiant Cool p.84)  (Posted by Andrew Castiglione on 2/21/2007)

Illusory conjunctions – when the presence of multiple features leads to the misperception that the features of one figure are conjoined with those of another figure.  (Posner and Raichle 1999 Images of Mind p.102) (posted by Josh Gaston on 2/21/06)

Immanent time Also known as subjective time, these are temporal events that constitute the flow of consciousness.  Immanent time is not the time of the world of experience. (Husserl 1966 The Phenomenology of Internal Time-Consciousness) (Posted by Shahzad Ahmed 2/21/07)

Inexact Essence – When a thing, “positively lacks precise definition.” That is to say, that when defining something you are defining its ambiguity. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.39) (posted by Caleb Wasser on 1/30/07)  

Intentionality: a structure which correlates all things experienced with the mode of experience  to which experience is referenced. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.23) (posted by Reid Offringa on 1/29/06)

Intersubjective: "Open to anyone willing and trained to follow the investigation." (Ihde 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.136) (posted by Caleb Wasser 2/1206)

Introspection: "A naive notion open to the same degree of suspicion in which subjectivism is held." (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.24) (posted by Tyler Triggs on 2/21/06)

Intuitable: all phenomenological evidence is intuitable; i.e., "what is given or accepted as evidence must be actually experienceable within the limits of and related to the human experiencer." (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 21) (posted by Sarah Jenkins on 1/28/07)

Invariants: "essential features (essences) of phenomena"; the fourth hermeneutic rule instructs the individual to search for such features within phenomena; also called stuctural features (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.38) (posted by Emily Dorward on 1/31/06)

Inhibition (in performance):  "Inhibition in performance is a reduction in speed of processing a stimulus." (Posner-Raichle Images of Mind pg 41) Brain processes are often influenced by prior events or multiple stimuli which can have effects on the functioning of the bain such as reaction time and experience. (posted by Pat Mostyn 2/14/06)

Irreversible Direction: The irreversible shift in phenomenological experience from perceiving one, immediate variation of the noema (literal-mindedness) to several adequate possibilities (polymorphic-mindedness), "This direction is non-transitive: once the ascent occurs, the observer cannot go back and recapture the naivete of his previous literal-mindedness. While the variation upon both appearances can at any time be recaptured, the return to the claim that one, and only one, appearance is the appearance of the thing is now impossible." (Ihde 1986 Experimental Phenomenology pp. 72-73) (Posted by Joseph Minifie 2/5/07)

Isomorphism: a strict correlation - in phenomenology this often refers to the strong correlation between noema and noesis. (Ihde 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.95) (posted by Caleb Wasser on 2/5/07)

Kafkaesque:  something which is reminiscent of the style and works of writer Franz Kafka.Can be used to describe anything overly or senslessly complex , often marked by distortion. (Ihde 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.142) (posted by Andrew Castiglione on 2/15/2007)

latent sense- the I’s preconceived notion of the phenomenon i.e. what you expect from the phenomenon.

example: a book, your latent sense of this phenomenon may be that your expect it to be somewhat heavy and hard, rectngular, and full of pages.
(Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 63) (posted by Eddie Ulick on 1/30/07)

Localization: The process of finding areas that are specially implicated in particular perceptual or cognitive processes.  This data can come from a variety of resources such as lesions, brain scans, single cell recordings, etc. (found in Horst 2005 Modeling, Localization and the Explanation of Phenomenal Properties: Philosophy and the Cognitive Sciences at the Beginning of the Millennium p. 482) (Posted by Robert Hill 2/13/07)

Lexical access: a matching process by which a stimulus (a seen or heard word) triggers memories of that word.  (Posner & Raichle 1994 Images of Mind p. 109) (posted by Alex Hoffmann on 3/7/06)

manifest profile- how a phenomenon manifests itself to the I i.e. what you see. Its meaning is different from apodicitic in that the manifest profile is the limited immediate experience of a phenomenon whereas apodictic means your overall experience of a phenomenon
example: you are experiencing a book. It's manifest profile are see the sides of the book facing you; Your apodictic experience of the book is as a whole,  the book, not just what you see of the book. Let's say its dark, and you can't see the book well, you might mistake it for a board of some sort, and this is still you apodictic experience of the book, just as a board. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 63) (posted by Eddie Ulick on 1/30/07)

microphenomena: phenomena in which one cannot see,often occurs in scientific observation (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 138) (posted by Elijah Heckstall on 2/7/2006)

motion area (MT): "the extrastriate area, located within the cortex, with the function most segregated from those of the other areas"; this unique area can be located by utilizing PET images and is found adjacent to other areas with similar tasks, such as the MST area responsible for eye movements that follow objects in motion (Posner and Raichle 1997 Images of Mind page 86) (edited by Emily Dorward 2/21/06)

multidimensional scaling (MDS) –(noun): a method from statistical science to bring data sets with many variables into two (or three) dimensional space. The distance between points is calculated dissimilarity. Stress values >.1 indicate “quite inaccurate maps” (taken from MINDS & brains 2007 “Laboratory 2: Our Multivariate World”). (also see Radiant Cool p.71-74). Variables could be anything, though in Russia “rage against government” is common. (posted 2/6/07 by Nick Harrison)
 (from http://www.mathworks.com/products/demos/shipping/stats/cmdscaledemo_03_thumbnail.png)

Multiple Simultaneous Constraints: The myriad of variables that comprise a coordinated action such as motor control, speech, perception, and learning, "Each constraint may be imperfectly specified and ambiguous, yet each can play a potentially decisive role in determining the outcome of processing." For the human parallel distributed processor, synthesizing these variables to create a fluent product is relatively easy task, whereas for a computer's serial processor, such integration proves exceptionally difficult. (McClelland, Rumelhart, and Hinton 1986 Parallel Distributed Processing: Explorations in the Microstructure of Cognition, pp. 2-4)(Posted by Joseph Minifie on 2/13/07).

Multi-stable perception: Multi-stable perceptual phenomena are a rare form of visual perception phenomena, characterized by an unpredictable sequence of spontaneous subjective changes. Perceptual multi-stability can be evoked by a large number of visual patterns that are too ambiguous for the visual system to settle down on a unique interpretation. Because most of these images lead to an alternation between two mutually exclusive perceptual states, they are sometimes also referred to as bi-stable perception. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology preface) (Posted by Tiare Nakata 1/30/07. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multistable_perception.)

Natural Attitude: A kind of literal mindedness imputing to things a presumed set way of being, to what Husserl called the phenomenological attitude. Husserl calls for a move away form the natural attitude. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.73) (posted by Shahzad Ahmed on 2/6/07)

noema:  one of the foci within overall experience, it is what is experienced as experienced  (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.43) (posted by Wesley Stonely on 1/31/06)

noesis:  Refers to how something is experienced.  It is the mode of experience, which includes verbs of the mind like "thinking," "loving," and "hating." (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology pp. 43-44) (posted by Marissa Burpee on 2/1/06)

Objectivation: "the process of experience moving into language, which in turn is a social bond and institution of intersubjective meanings." (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 146) (posted by Sarah Jenkins 2/10/07).

Ontology – (noun): The branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being. “Phenomenology is our way of access to what is to be the theme of ontology, and it is our way of giving demonstrative precision. Only as phenomenology, is ontology possible.” (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 17) (Posted by Alyx Gile 1/29/07. From http://www.answers.com/ontology .)

Parallel distributed processing (PDP): a computing process that takes place in the brain; involves transforming one pattern into another by passing it through a large configuration of synaptic connections (Churchland 1995 The Engine of Reason, the Seat of the Soul, p. 11) (posted by Maggie Moult on 2/1/07)

Partial Derivative: in a mathematical equation, "how the quantity on the top changes when the quantity on the bottom is changed." in Exercises in Rethinking Innateness by Plunkett & Elman, this refers to how the error is effected by changing weights, and this enables them to decrease the error. (posted by Alyssa Rautenberg on 2/19/07)

Participant Observation: A way to gain an understanding of the subject of study by immersing onself in this subject. This method of research that aims to gain a deep and intimate understanding of a group of individuals and their practices through an intense involvement with the people of this group in their own natural setting. The time over which this occurs can vary. Methods by which this occurs include direct observation, interviews, participation in the life and practices of the group,  collective discussions and analyses of personal documentation. Participant observation has its roots in Anthropology; Franklin Hamilton Cushing first used this methodology with the Zuni Indians. (Idhe 1986 EXPERIMENTAL PHENOMENOLOGY p. 16)(Posted by Abigail Garrity 1/30/07. From http://www2.chass.ncsu.edu/garson/pa765/particip.htm and www.wikipedia.com)

percept: image formed from actual visual experiences (to distinguish it from an imagined image). (Posner and Raichle 1999 Images of Mind p 88) (posted by Elijah Heckstall on 2/21/06)

Perceive: To attain awareness or understanding of; to become aware through the senses. (Posted by Abigail Garrity on 2/6/07. From www.webster.com)

Perception: The result of perceiving; a mental image. Consciousness. Awareness of the elements of environment through physical sensation; physical sensation interpretted in light of experience. Quick, intuitive, acute cognition. (Lloyd, Dan. Radiant Cool 2004) (Posted by Abigail Garrity 2/6/07. From www.webster.com)

performance domain: a level of analysis reached by examining the performance of a mental operation by tools such as reaction time (Posner & Raichle 1994 Images of Mind p. 41) (posted by Emily Dorward on 2/14/06)

phenomena:  a genuine field of possible data; that which has previously been regarded as “present to the mind.” (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.23) "...The expression 'phenomena' signifies that which shows itself in itself, the manifest."-Martin Heidegger   (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.29) (posted by Josh Gaston on 1/31/06)(edited by Tyler Triggs on 2/7/06)

Phenomenological reductions: particular determined levels of stepping back, using the method of epoche (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology, p. 32) (posted by Maggie Moult, 1/29/07)

phenomenological reductions: a method in which one needs to strip away the theoretical or scientific conceptions and thematizations that overlay the phenomenon one wishes to study, and which prevents one from seeing the phenomenon in a non-abstracting manner. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology, p. 32) (posted by Rachel Reece on 1/30/07. From http://www.phenomenologyonline.com/inquiry/13.html)

Phenomenological Approach to Participant Observation:  Approaching participant observation with emphasis on intersubjective understanding and empathy. The main goal is to determine the meaning of experiences of the group studied from the many different perspectives in it. An awareness of four key elements is necessary; these elements include: time, the physical environment, contrasting experiences and social openings and barriers. (posted by Abigail Garrity on 1/30/07) (From http://www2.chass.ncsu.edu/garson/pa765/particip.htm)

PET scan: PET stands for Positron Emission Topography and measures the flow of blood to the brain by the positron emissions of a redioactive isotope of oxygen (¹⁵O) (Posner 1994 Images of Mind page 58) (edited by Reid Offringa 2/14/06)

Plenum: The condition of being full; fullness. In Ihde, plenum refers to the spectrum of color in all visual phenomena (American Heritage Dictionary) (posted by Beth Gromisch, 2/6/07).

polymorphic mindedness: a phenomenological  attitude which is characterized by a deliberate search for variations that possibilize phenomena as a first step towards getting at their genuine possibilities and invariants inhabiting those possibilities. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 73) (posted by Jennifer Phyfe 2/9/07)

Primary Visual Cortex: “ it is a part of the brain? that lies at the very back of each cerebral hemisphere in the occipital lobe. Incoming bundles of nerve fibers to the primary visual cortex form a clear stripe that can be seen by the naked eye in a cut section of the cortex.”(Posner & Raichle 1994 Images of Mind p. 67) (posted by Alyx Gile on 2/20/07)

Psychophysics: " The branch of perception that is concerned with establishing quantitative relations between physical stimulation and perceptual events" (found in Horst 2005 Modeling, Localzation and the Explanation of Phenomenal Properties: Philosophy and the Cognitive Sciences at the Beginning of the Millennium p. 482, definition from highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0070579431/student_view0/chapter1/glossary.html) (posted by Maggie Moult 2/13/07)

pure possibility: "thetic expression of imaginative freedom of mind...subject to certain formal and practical limits...boundaries are not nearly so constrictive as those imposed upon whatever is empirically real. Pure possibility enables the mind's free movement to traverse a terrain considerably more vast than the region occupied by perceived and remembered things alone...series of pure possibilites has no fixed terminus (Idhe 150)." (Idhe 1986

Experimental Phenomenology p. 150) (Posted by Urey Chow on 2/13/07)

Qualia: properties (as redness) considered apart from things having the property. (Horst, 2005, Modeling, Localization and the Explanation of Phenomenal Properties: Philosophy and the Cognitive Sciences at the Beginning of the Millenium,.p. 491) (Posted by Kristen McNamara on 2/12/07) (From Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary, Accessed February  12, 2007.< http://m-w.com/dictionary/qualia>).

Reciprocal connections:   where information from higher levels of brain function acts in a downward direction on the coding process at lower levels, as well as the reverse, allowing the visual and auditory word form at the word level to be activated either by external stimulus, as when we read or hear a word, or in a top-down manner by internal signals from semantic code. (Posner & Raichle 1994 Images of Mind p. 111) (posted by Josh Gaston on 3/8/06)

Reentrant Processing:  Refers to a sensory signal reentering the cortex after it has already been performed previously. (Posner and Raichle 1994 Images of Mind p. 144) (Posted by Marissa Burpee on 3/15/06)

Reflection: (noun, often used as an adjective) The manner in which the myriad of visual phenomena are narrowed into a concentrated perception and eventually an awareness of oneself in relation to the perception, "analysis moves from that which is experienced towards its reflexive reference in the how of experience, and terminates in the constitution of the 'I' as the correlated counterpart of the noema." (Ihde 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 50) (Posted by Joseph Minifie 1/30/07)

representational memory: temporary storage area in the frontal cortex; this short-term recall allows the brain to "retrieve instructions and other information needed to guide behavior"; first interpreted by Patricia Goldman-Rakic (Posner 1994 Images of Mind page 121) (edited by Emily Dorward 3/7/06)

Saccadic Eye Movement:  Our eyes do not move smoothly while surveying a visual scene, but rather jump in quick succession from one place to another place.  This is what causes overt shifts in attention.  (Posner and Raichle 1994 Images of Mind p. 163) (Posted by Marissa Burpee on 3/28/06)

 Secondary Memory: Memory directed at objects, events, etc. in the more distant past. It re-presents or reproduces the past object in the mind. It should not be confused with primary memory, or retention, that intends moments which have just elapsed. 
(The phenomenology of Internal Time-Consciousness, John B. Brough pp 273) (Posted by Abigail Garrity on Feb. 20, 2007).

Sedimentation: (1) (noun, but often used as adjective describing thought and perception)  familiarity of percieved object and its context that influence intuition and percetion.  "S?edimentation shows itself as the noetic context of the possibilities of appearance.  What first appears does so in terms of familiarity and expectation within ordinary experience." - Ihde 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 102 (posted by Pat Mostyn on 2/8/06)

                            (2) In phenomenological sociology, sedimentation is "having an (immediate) experiential origin and being the genesis of objectivated meanings (taken-for-granted beliefs)." (Ihde 1986 Experimental Phenomenolgy p.146) (Posted by Beth Gromisch, 2/12/07)

Semantic priming: upon presentation of a word, words that are related are processed more efficiently than those that are not related; can occur automatically and at rapid speeds because the target words shares the same pathway activated by the prime; thought to be indicative of the way systems such as language are organized (Posner 1994 Images of Mind page 148-151) (edited by Emily Dorward 3/14/06)

spontaneous generalization (noun) – the act by which a retrieval cue that is too general or vague to capture a specific memory, instead provides a broader picture by retrieving what is common (by relative connection strengths).
Example stimulus: “Trinity College student”
(“Parallel Distributed Processing: Explorations in the Microstructure of Cognition – Volume 1: Foundations” by D.E. Rumelhart, J.L. McClelland, and the PDP Research group p. 30-31; http://www.bcp.psych.ualberta.ca/~mike/Pearl_Street/Dictionary/contents/S/spontaneous_generalization.html) (Posted by Nick Harrison 2/13/07)

Stroop Effect: the difficulty, resulting from the Stroop task, in identifying the color of the ink in which a color-word is written (ex. the word " red" written in blue ink).  The "Stroop effect has been a defining characteristic of effortful attentive processing." (Posner and Raichle 1994 Images of Mind p. 171) (Posted by Alex Hoffmann on 3/28/06)

Subtraction of Functional Images A method of analyzing imaging data where the control images are subtracted from experimental images to give the difference in brain activity between the set of the images. This method will show brains activity that is unique to the experimental images. This can often be misleading, as the result of the subtraction is often small splotches of brain activity while the experimental task required activity is multiple regions of the brain.(Posted by John Meyer 2-15)

Superior Colliculus: Appearing as two bumps on the tectum (the dorsal portion of the midbrain), these are the evolutionarily older areas of visual processing. The superior colliculus is involved in movement based visual systems like eye-hand coordination. In the absence of a functional visual cortex, a person can still us their superior colliculi to reach out a grab an object infront of them. (Posner, 1994 Images of Mind, p168) (Posted by Reid Offringa 3/29/06)

Superposition (n):  the idea that an object or event can be spanned across multiple realities or universes. When combined, these multiple, unique, pan-dimensional segments of the object or event, make up parts of its superposition. Thus, an object or event's superposition is a type of summation of all of its instances across parallel universes or even all probable and possible states of existence. (Lloyd, 2004 Radiant Cool, p. 11) (Posted by Rachel Reece 2/3/07. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superposition)

Thalamus A subcortical structure which mediates the "spotlight" of attention. The anesthatization of one side of the thalamus in monkeys is comprable to patients with thalamic lesions in that they were slow to respond to visual cues that were contralateral to the lesions/chemical injection. -Posner 1994 Images of Mind, p 165 (posted by Reid Offringa 9/22/06)

Thematization: (noun, often used as verb form) conceptualization and attempted explaination to describe patterns of thought during experience.  "Thematization is a reconstruction along phenomenological lines, in each case driving toward the structure of possibilities." -Ihde 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p. 104 (posted by Pat Mostyn on 2/8/06)

Thing-ing: "We think we live in a world of things. Maybe we do. But that's the tiniest edge of it. So Grue says, stop thinking. Stop thing-ing. Then ask, What is really there?" This is said in reference to our belief that things the conscious experience is limited to the senses. It is in fact comprised of many other awarenesses which we can interpret by not "thing-ing". An example of thing-ing would be seeing a door as merely a door and not what is possibly behind it and other things that are not perceived by our senses. - Lloyd 2004 Radiant Cool p. 11 (posted by Alyssa Rautenberg on 2/6/07)

 Top-down processing The brain activity that occurs when subject attends to a stimuli.  It involves activation  of brain area outside of the visual cortex. Posner 1994 Images of Mind p. 88
(Posted by Wesley Stonely 2-22-2006) 

Topographical: Relating to the physical or natural features of an object or entity and their structural relationships. (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology, p. 77) (Posted by Kristen McNamara on 2/6/07) (From Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary, Accessed February 6, 2007.< http://m-w.com/dictionary/topography>).

Transcendental ego:  characterized by the reflective stance taken by the “I” that is outside or above the ordinary or straightforward experience. (Idhe, 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.46) (posted by Jennifer Phyfe 01/29/07)

Transcendental strategy (of phenomenology):  instructions on how to look at phenomena in a way in which perceptions are made thematically and with a noetic tendency that stresses the activity of viewing as the condition for the possibility of the object appearing as it does.  (Idhe 1986 Experimental Phenomenology p.89) (posted by Josh Gaston on 2/7/06)

Transcendental Temporal Object: the noema of intentionality which cannot exist with simultaneity in objective time, and is not represented in objective space, but is subjectively represented in the mind of the I (the experiencer). Temporal objects have a dual intentionality; one of their actual duration and the other concerning the object’s place in time. The temporal intentionality forms the surroundings of recollection. (Edited by Shahzad Ahmed 2/21/07) (Edited by Donn Welton, 1999 The Essential Husserl, p.186) ( Posted by Edward Ulick 2/20/07)

 Vamp:  To make up or fabricate.  Also means to piece something old with a new part.  (as defined by freedictionary.com)  (Lloyd Radiant Cool p. 29) (Posted by Tiare Nakata on 2/13/07)

variational methoda method of phenomenological investigation where "the phenomenologist must go through all the variations that will lead to an adequate insight or solution." As is pointed out in Idhe's example of the Cartesian and Druidic seers' description of the tree, there can be significant difference in experience based on variation. Phenomenology searches for the invariant features of an object, which requires a variational method of probing.(Posted by John Meyer 1-31-06)

Visual Spatial Attention: Orienting oneself so as to direct your attention (attend to) to a location in the visual field .(Posner and Raichle Images of Mind p. 47) (Posted by Caleb Wasser on 2/26/07)

Parallel Distributed Processing: Neural processing that stores memory and knowledge in neural connections that can be gradually strengthened by learning and experience. Neural information is processed by neural connections in complex parallel arrangements.