Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
evoke
English answer:
(memories are) brought to mind/aroused
Added to glossary by
Yvonne Gallagher
Dec 20, 2019 17:36
4 yrs ago
2 viewers *
English term
evoke
English
Science
Psychology
neuroscience and attachment
Dear colleagues,
I was wondering about the meaning of “evoke” in the passage below, taken from an American parenting book. I tend to think it means “elicit” in this context, but I’m not completely sure…
Thank you very much for your help!
**********
For example, the father with his hungry four-month-old daughter, if he is working from an unresolved attachment pattern, may become unable to regulate himself when he hears his baby crying. Just imagine how his reward, body regulation, and mindsight networks do not work in an organized manner given his unresolved attachment state. What might be simply a trying situation for most parents becomes almost traumatic for him— ** evoking in his brain ** states of neural activation that resemble times when tears led to terror in his own childhood. He might hurry to his daughter and pick her up abruptly in a tense state, holding her too tightly, causing her to cry, which makes him hold her even tighter. He might go to the kitchen to prepare her bottle, but faced with the tension-filled situation, he feels helpless and his mind begins to fragment. As the cries become louder, panic washes over him, and memories of being mistreated by his own alcoholic father flood him and cause his heart to beat faster and faster. He gets lost in a memory of his father grabbing him by the hair. He soon realizes that he has begun yelling at his daughter—“Quiet! Quiet! I can’t take it anymore!”—and she has stopped crying. She is now sim¬ply staring into space, whimpering. They are both shaken, and she is vacant.
I was wondering about the meaning of “evoke” in the passage below, taken from an American parenting book. I tend to think it means “elicit” in this context, but I’m not completely sure…
Thank you very much for your help!
**********
For example, the father with his hungry four-month-old daughter, if he is working from an unresolved attachment pattern, may become unable to regulate himself when he hears his baby crying. Just imagine how his reward, body regulation, and mindsight networks do not work in an organized manner given his unresolved attachment state. What might be simply a trying situation for most parents becomes almost traumatic for him— ** evoking in his brain ** states of neural activation that resemble times when tears led to terror in his own childhood. He might hurry to his daughter and pick her up abruptly in a tense state, holding her too tightly, causing her to cry, which makes him hold her even tighter. He might go to the kitchen to prepare her bottle, but faced with the tension-filled situation, he feels helpless and his mind begins to fragment. As the cries become louder, panic washes over him, and memories of being mistreated by his own alcoholic father flood him and cause his heart to beat faster and faster. He gets lost in a memory of his father grabbing him by the hair. He soon realizes that he has begun yelling at his daughter—“Quiet! Quiet! I can’t take it anymore!”—and she has stopped crying. She is now sim¬ply staring into space, whimpering. They are both shaken, and she is vacant.
Responses
| 4 +2 | bring to mind/make (him) remember |
Yvonne Gallagher
|
| 5 +1 | arouse/awaken/summon |
Ali Sharifi
|
Change log
Jan 3, 2020 13:24: Yvonne Gallagher Created KOG entry
Responses
+2
6 mins
Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Ireland
Native in English
&
English
Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: Irish, UK, US, Canadian) 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
65
Selected
bring to mind/make (him) remember
"states of neural activation that resemble times when tears led to terror in his own childhood"
come to mind for him
so "evoke"=make arise, cause to remember, bring up a memory
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Note added at 7 mins (2019-12-20 17:43:56 GMT)
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https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/evoke
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/evoke
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Note added at 10 mins (2019-12-20 17:47:08 GMT)
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it's hard to describe the difference in meaning between "elicit" and "evoke" as there are nuances of meaning and aspect but the former is more active, as you are the person actively drawing out the memory
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elicit
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/elicit
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Note added at 22 mins (2019-12-20 17:59:20 GMT)
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yes, "give rise to" because these are semi-buried emotions or memories and he is not actively seeking to recall or induce them. They arise/come to mind unbidden
IF "he is working from an unresolved attachment pattern" and not able to "regulate himself"
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Note added at 25 mins (2019-12-20 18:01:58 GMT)
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Exactly! "memories start to flood him" as in passively evoked, but he isn't consciously trying to recall those memories (which would be more like "elicit")
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Note added at 32 mins (2019-12-20 18:09:15 GMT)
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so, although he may not be aware initially that these memories are coming to mind, he is in a "tense state" when he goes to his daughter and soon he is in "a panic" as the memories become more intense. As I said, he is not actively seeking to remember
come to mind for him
so "evoke"=make arise, cause to remember, bring up a memory
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2019-12-20 17:43:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/evoke
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/evoke
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2019-12-20 17:47:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
it's hard to describe the difference in meaning between "elicit" and "evoke" as there are nuances of meaning and aspect but the former is more active, as you are the person actively drawing out the memory
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elicit
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/elicit
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 mins (2019-12-20 17:59:20 GMT)
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yes, "give rise to" because these are semi-buried emotions or memories and he is not actively seeking to recall or induce them. They arise/come to mind unbidden
IF "he is working from an unresolved attachment pattern" and not able to "regulate himself"
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 25 mins (2019-12-20 18:01:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Exactly! "memories start to flood him" as in passively evoked, but he isn't consciously trying to recall those memories (which would be more like "elicit")
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 32 mins (2019-12-20 18:09:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
so, although he may not be aware initially that these memories are coming to mind, he is in a "tense state" when he goes to his daughter and soon he is in "a panic" as the memories become more intense. As I said, he is not actively seeking to remember
Note from asker:
| Hi, Yvonne, thanks for your help! What makes me think it's more in the sense of "give rise to" or "induce" is that it refers to "states of neural activation"...actually, this process often occurs without the person being aware of it, because these are implicit memories... |
| ...although, in this case, when the cries became louder, memories start to flood him...but initially, I'm not sure he remembers consciously...but maybe I'm mistaken.. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
philgoddard
37 mins
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Thanks!
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| disagree |
B D Finch
: In this case, it is not about conscious memory: "** evoking in his brain ** states of neural activation".//I may have been unduly generous to Ali, but what is "shameful" is grubbing about for points when you clearly, wrongly suggested conscious memory.
1 hr
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That quote should start "times when tears led to terror in his own childhood" BUT rest of my answer is very clear. Contradicting yourself by agreeing with synonyms of what I've written. And guessing at "conTure"!! Shameful really.
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| agree |
Tina Vonhof (X)
: The situation creates a similar state of neural activation in the brain as an event in the past. It may become a conscious memory only if the person starts to think about it later and makes the connection.
22 hrs
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Many thanks:-) Exactly!
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| agree |
Michael Confais (X)
3 days 4 mins
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Thank you! And Season's Greetings!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+1
1 hr
Ali Sharifi
United States
United States
Specializes in field
United States
I follow my binding words everywhere
Native in: Persian (Farsi)
Works in: English to Persian (Farsi), Persian (Farsi) to English, French to Persian (Farsi), and 3 more.
arouse/awaken/summon
stir up/conhure
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Ali, for your contribution! |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
B D Finch
: I assume that "conhure" is a typo for "conjure", in which case it should really be "conjure up".
31 mins
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You are right B.D.Finch, I meant to write conjure.
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| disagree |
Yvonne Gallagher
: "Conture" is wrong as an explanation as is "conjure" on its own. The rest are merely synonyms for what I've already written
1 hr
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| neutral |
philgoddard
: I agree with Yvonne. How are these different to her answer?
12 hrs
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| agree |
acetran
2 days 7 hrs
|
Discussion
You disagreed with an error in a quote in the body of my answer when I clearly said otherwise in the rest of my explanation e.g. "these are semi-buried emotions or memories and he is not actively seeking to recall or induce them. They arise/come to mind unbidden IF "he is working from an unresolved attachment pattern" and not able to "regulate himself" AND "memories start to flood him" as in passively evoked, but he isn't consciously trying to recall those memories (which would be more like "elicit"). (And all this explanation because the Asker needs to translate "evoke" not "elicit".) It might be an idea to read ALL my answer instead of just the first line?
But then you agree with an "answer" that is merely synonymous, has a non-existant word "conture" as an "explanation" and nothing else? THAT is what is shameful.