Behavioural Methods in Consciousness Research

Behavioural Methods in Consciousness Research PDF Author: Morten Overgaard
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199688893
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
'Behavioural methods in consciousness research' is the first book of its kind, providing an overview of methods and approaches for studying consciousness. The chapters are written by leading researchers and experts who describe the methods they actually use in their own studies, along with their pitfalls, problems, and difficulties

Introspection

Introspection PDF Author: Maja Spener
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198867441
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
What is introspection? Does introspection deliver theoretically valuable information about the mind? There is a long history in philosophy and psychology of using introspection to gather data about the mind. Introspection is often held to constitute our best and only direct access to consciousness and hence to be essential to any investigation of the conscious mind. Equally longstanding and widespread, however, are critical concerns that introspection is highly susceptible to interference, which, together with its privacy, renders it unreliable as a source of data about the mind. Maja Spener offers an understanding of introspection that clarifies its epistemic importance in theorising about the mind. In particular, seemingly overwhelming concerns about the reliability of introspection are transformed into something methodologically more tractable. Central to the approach put forward in the book is the distinction between introspection as inquiry and introspection as mental capacity - between introspective method and introspective access. The first part of the book articulates, defends, and applies a novel framework for the systematic assessment of the potential and limitations of introspective methods. The framework is historically motivated, drawing on insights from key figures in early scientific psychology (especially Wilhelm Wundt, William James, and Georg Elias Müller) whose used and discussed introspective methods extensively. The second part of the book develops a composite pluralism about introspective access, showing how different modes of introspective access fit into the common sense and scientific pictures of our minds. Key to this pluralist account is the explanatory role introspection plays in our agency.

Consciousness and the Brain

Consciousness and the Brain PDF Author: Stanislas Dehaene
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698151402
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
WINNER OF THE 2014 BRAIN PRIZE From the acclaimed author of Reading in the Brain and How We Learn, a breathtaking look at the new science that can track consciousness deep in the brain How does our brain generate a conscious thought? And why does so much of our knowledge remain unconscious? Thanks to clever psychological and brain-imaging experiments, scientists are closer to cracking this mystery than ever before. In this lively book, Stanislas Dehaene describes the pioneering work his lab and the labs of other cognitive neuroscientists worldwide have accomplished in defining, testing, and explaining the brain events behind a conscious state. We can now pin down the neurons that fire when a person reports becoming aware of a piece of information and understand the crucial role unconscious computations play in how we make decisions. The emerging theory enables a test of consciousness in animals, babies, and those with severe brain injuries. A joyous exploration of the mind and its thrilling complexities, Consciousness and the Brain will excite anyone interested in cutting-edge science and technology and the vast philosophical, personal, and ethical implications of finally quantifying consciousness.

The Routledge Handbook of Consciousness

The Routledge Handbook of Consciousness PDF Author: Rocco J. Gennaro
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317386809
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 775

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Book Description
There has been an explosion of work on consciousness in the last 30–40 years from philosophers, psychologists, and neurologists. Thus, there is a need for an interdisciplinary, comprehensive volume in the field that brings together contributions from a wide range of experts on fundamental and cutting-edge topics. The Routledge Handbook of Consciousness fills this need and makes each chapter’s importance understandable to students and researchers from a variety of backgrounds. Designed to complement and better explain primary sources, this volume is a valuable "first-stop" publication for undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in any course on "Consciousness," "Philosophy of Mind," or "Philosophy of Psychology," as well as a valuable handbook for researchers in these fields who want a useful reference to have close at hand. The 34 chapters, all published here for the first time, are divided into three parts: Part I covers the "History and Background Metaphysics" of consciousness, such as dualism, materialism, free will, and personal identity, and includes a chapter on Indian philosophy. Part II is on specific "Contemporary Theories of Consciousness," with chapters on representational, information integration, global workspace, attention-based, and quantum theories. Part III is entitled "Major Topics in Consciousness Research," with chapters on psychopathologies, dreaming, meditation, time, action, emotion, multisensory experience, animal and robot consciousness, and the unity of consciousness. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction and concludes with a list of "Related Topics," as well as a list of "References," making the volume indispensable for the newcomer and experienced researcher alike.

Inattentional Blindness

Inattentional Blindness PDF Author: Arien Mack
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262133395
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
Arien Mack and Irvin Rock make the radical claim that there is no conscious perception of the visual world without attention to it. Many people believe that merely by opening their eyes, they see everything in their field of view; in fact, a line of psychological research has been taken as evidence of the existence of so-called preattentional perception. In Inattentional Blindness, Arien Mack and Irvin Rock make the radical claim that there is no such thing -- that there is no conscious perception of the visual world without attention to it. The authors present a narrative chronicle of their research. Thus, the reader follows the trail that led to the final conclusions, learning why initial hypotheses and explanations were discarded or revised, and how new questions arose along the way. The phenomenon of inattentional blindness has theoretical importance for cognitive psychologists studying perception, attention, and consciousness, as well as for philosophers and neuroscientists interested in the problem of consciousness.

The Disordered Mind

The Disordered Mind PDF Author: Eric R. Kandel
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374716102
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
A Nobel Prize–winning neuroscientist’s probing investigation of what brain disorders can tell us about human nature Eric R. Kandel, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his foundational research into memory storage in the brain, is one of the pioneers of modern brain science. His work continues to shape our understanding of how learning and memory work and to break down age-old barriers between the sciences and the arts. In his seminal new book, The Disordered Mind, Kandel draws on a lifetime of pathbreaking research and the work of many other leading neuroscientists to take us on an unusual tour of the brain. He confronts one of the most difficult questions we face: How does our mind, our individual sense of self, emerge from the physical matter of the brain? The brain’s 86 billion neurons communicate with one another through very precise connections. But sometimes those connections are disrupted. The brain processes that give rise to our mind can become disordered, resulting in diseases such as autism, depression, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder. While these disruptions bring great suffering, they can also reveal the mysteries of how the brain produces our most fundamental experiences and capabilities—the very nature of what it means to be human. Studies of autism illuminate the neurological foundations of our social instincts; research into depression offers important insights on emotions and the integrity of the self; and paradigm-shifting work on addiction has led to a new understanding of the relationship between pleasure and willpower. By studying disruptions to typical brain functioning and exploring their potential treatments, we will deepen our understanding of thought, feeling, behavior, memory, and creativity. Only then can we grapple with the big question of how billions of neurons generate consciousness itself.

Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences

Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences PDF Author: Gregory J. Privitera
Publisher: SAGE Publications
ISBN: 1071879383
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 542

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Book Description
Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences, Fourth Edition employs a problem-focused approach to present a clear and comprehensive introduction to research methods. Award-winning teacher and author Gregory J. Privitera fully integrates the research methods decision tree into the design process to help students choose the most appropriate method for the research question they are seeking to answer. The book’s conversational writing style and student-focused features empower students to view research methods as something they can both understand and apply. Over the course of the book, students learn how to structure a study to answer a research question and navigate through the process of choosing an appropriate analysis or statistic to write a research report. New elements to the Fourth Edition include a new standalone chapter on qualitative research, assumptions testing throughout chapters on quantitative research, and updated examples and figures to communicate the latest updates in behavioral science research.

The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation

The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation PDF Author: Richard M. Ryan
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0190666455
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 561

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Book Description
The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation, Second Edition contains contributions by the top psychologists and researchers within the field of motivation, covering the most influential theories, the cognitive, emotional and biological underpinnings of motivation, and applications to schools, organizations, health care, sport, psychotherapy, and relationships. These 28 chapters thus span the science of human motivation and offer an invaluable resource for both researchers and practitioners, as well as any student of human nature.

The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy and Implicit Cognition

The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy and Implicit Cognition PDF Author: J. Robert Thompson
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000827259
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 583

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Book Description
Humans think of ourselves as acting according to reasons that we can typically articulate and acknowledge, though we may be reluctant to do so. Yet some of our actions do not fit this mold—they seem to arise from motives and thoughts that appear outside of our control and our self-awareness. Rather than treating such cases as outliers, theorists now treat significant parts of the mind as operating implicitly or ‘behind the scenes’. Mental faculties like reasoning, language, and memory seem to involve this sort of implicit cognition, and many of the structures we use to understand one another seem infused with biases, perceptions, and stereotypes that have implicit features. The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy and Implicit Cognition is an outstanding guide and reference source to this important topic. Composed of more than thirty chapters by an international team of contributors, the Handbook is divided into eight clear parts: Defining Features? Identifying Implicitness Among Cognate Notions The Nature and Limits of Implicit Processing Ways of Perceiving, Knowing, Believing Language Agency and Control Social Cognition Memory Learning and Reasoning. The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy and Implicit Cognition is essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of psychology, moral psychology, and philosophy of mind, and will also be of interest to those in related disciplines such as psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics.

The Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness

The Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness PDF Author: Philip David Zelazo
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 113946406X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness is the first of its kind in the field, and its appearance marks a unique time in the history of intellectual inquiry on the topic. After decades during which consciousness was considered beyond the scope of legitimate scientific investigation, consciousness re-emerged as a popular focus of research towards the end of the last century, and it has remained so for nearly 20 years. There are now so many different lines of investigation on consciousness that the time has come when the field may finally benefit from a book that pulls them together and, by juxtaposing them, provides a comprehensive survey of this exciting field. An authoritative desk reference, which will also be suitable as an advanced textbook.