Consciousness and Cognition - The Consciousness Library

Is auditory awareness graded or dichotomous: Electrophysiological correlates of consciousness at different depths of stimulus processing.

Consciousness and Cognition June 19, 2024 Dmitri Filimonov, Sampo Tanskanen, Antti Revonsuo et al.

The level-of-processing (LoP) hypothesis postulates that transition from unaware to aware visual stimuli is either graded or dichotomous depending on the depth of stimulus processing. Humans can be progressively aware of the low-level features, such as colors or shapes, while the high-level features, such as semantic category, enter consciousness in an all-or none fashion. Unlike in vision,...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103720 Full text

Clarifying and measuring the characteristics of experiences that involve a loss of self or a dissolution of its boundaries.

Consciousness and Cognition March 1, 2024 Nicholas K. Canby, Jared R. Lindahl, Willoughby B. Britton et al. 11 citations

Mystical experience, non-dual awareness, selflessness, self-transcendent experience, and ego-dissolution have become increasingly prominent constructs in meditation and psychedelic research. However, these constructs and their measures tend to be highly overlapping, imprecise, and poorly integrated with similar pathological experiences. The present study seeks to clarify the common factors...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103655 Full text Ego dissolution Meditation Mystical experience Phenomenology +6

Towards a structural turn in consciousness science.

Consciousness and Cognition February 28, 2024 Johannes Kleiner

Recent activities in virtually all fields engaged in consciousness studies indicate early signs of a structural turn, where verbal descriptions or simple formalisations of conscious experiences are replaced by structural tools, most notably mathematical spaces. My goal here is to offer three comments that, in my opinion, are essential to avoid misunderstandings in these developments early on....

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103653 Full text

Assessing the commensurability of theories of consciousness: On the usefulness of common denominators in differentiating, integrating and testing hypotheses.

Consciousness and Cognition February 27, 2024 Kathinka Evers, Michele Farisco, Cyriel M A Pennartz

How deep is the current diversity in the panoply of theories to define consciousness, and to what extent do these theories share common denominators? Here we first examine to what extent different theories are commensurable (or comparable) along particular dimensions. We posit logical (and, when applicable, empirical) commensurability as a necessary condition for identifying common denominators...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103668 Full text

Viral simulations in dreams: The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on threatening dream content in a Finnish sample of diary dreams

Consciousness and Cognition February 8, 2024 Ville Loukola, Jarno Tuominen, Santeri Kirsilä et al. 4 citations

Previous research indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected dreaming negatively. We compared 1132 dreams collected with prospective two-week dream diary during the pandemic to 166 dreams collected before the pandemic. We hypothesized that the pandemic would increase the number of threatening events, threats related to diseases, and the severity of threats. We also hypothesized that...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103651 Pandemic Dream Contradiction Content measure theory +5

What is it like to do a visuo-spatial working memory task: A qualitative phenomenological study of the visual span task.

Consciousness and Cognition February 1, 2024 Aleš Oblak, Oskar Dragan, Anka Slana Ozimič et al. 8 citations

Working memory is typically measured with specifically designed psychological tasks. When evaluating the validity of working memory tasks, we commonly focus on the reliability of the outcome measurements. Only rarely do we focus on how participants experience these tasks. Accounting for lived experience of working memory task may help us better understand variability in working memory...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103628 Full text Neurophenomenology Psychological task Visual span Working memory

Acetylcholine and metacognition during sleep.

Consciousness and Cognition 2024 Jarrod Gott, Sina Stücker, Philipp Kanske et al. 22 citations

Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator involved in a variety of cognitive functions. Additionally, acetylcholine is involved in the regulation of REM sleep: cholinergic neurons in the brainstem and basal forebrain project to and innervate wide areas of the cerebral cortex, and reciprocally interact with other neuromodulatory systems, to produce the sleep-wake cycle and different...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103608 Full text Lucid dreaming Acetylcholine Metacognition Rem sleep

Explanatory power by vagueness. Challenges to the strong prior hypothesis on hallucinations exemplified by the Charles-Bonnet-Syndrome.

Consciousness and Cognition 2024 Franz Roman Schmid, Moritz F Kriegleder 1 citation

Predictive processing models are often ascribed a certain generality in conceptually unifying the relationships between perception, action, and cognition or the potential to posit a 'grand unified theory' of the mind. The limitations of this unification can be seen when these models are applied to specific cognitive phenomena or phenomenal consciousness. Our article discusses these shortcomings...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103620 Full text Charles-bonnet-syndrome Predictive processing Pseudohallucinations Reality monitoring +3

Body ownership and kinaesthetic illusions: Dissociated bodily experiences for distinct levels of body consciousness?

Consciousness and Cognition 2024 Louise Dupraz, J. Bourgin, L. Pia et al.

Seeing an embodied humanoid avatar move its arms can induce in the observer the illusion that its own (static) arms are moving accordingly, the kinematic signals emanating from this avatar thus being considered like those from the biological body. Here, we investigated the causal relationship between these kinaesthetic illusions and the illusion of body ownership, manipulated through visuomotor...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103630

The role of consciousness in threat extinction learning.

Consciousness and Cognition November 1, 2023 Charlene L M Lam, Tom J Barry, Jenny Yiend et al. 1 citation

Extinction learning is regarded as a core mechanism underlying exposure therapy. The extent to which learned threats can be extinguished without conscious awareness is a controversial and on-going debate. We investigated whether implicit vs. explicit exposure to a threatened stimulus can modulate defence responses measured using pupillometry. Healthy participants underwent a threat conditioning...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103599 Full text Continuous flash suppression Fear Implicit extinction Pupil +1

Young children's subjective and objective thresholds and emergent processes of visual consciousness using a backward masking task.

Consciousness and Cognition November 1, 2023 Ryoichi Watanabe, Yusuke Moriguchi

Visual consciousness studies in humans have primarily focused on adults. However, whether young children's visual consciousness is similar to or different from that of adults remains unknown. This study examined young children's and adults' subjective awareness and objective discrimination for thresholds and emergent processes of visual consciousness in two experiments. In Experiment 1, 20...

DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4322185

Functional reorganization of the brain in distinct frequency bands during eyes-open meditation.

Consciousness and Cognition October 28, 2023 G Pradeep Kumar, Kanishka Sharma, A Adarsh et al.

Meditation is a self-regulatory process practiced primarily to reduce stress, manage emotions and mental health. The objective of this work is to study the information exchange between electrodes within and across the hemispheres during meditation using functional connectivity (FC) measures. We investigate the changes in the coherence between EEG electrode pairs during the meditation with open...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103590 Full text EEG Eyes-open meditation Functional connectivity Node degree strength +2

Hypnagogic states are quite common: Self-reported prevalence, modalities, and gender differences.

Consciousness and Cognition October 1, 2023 Romain Ghibellini, Beat Meier

The hypnagogic state refers to the transitional phase between wakefulness and sleep during which vivid experiences occur. In this questionnaire study, we assessed the self-reported prevalence of hypnagogic states considering the frequency of experiences in different modalities. We also assessed the emotional quality and the vividness of the experiences. Moreover, we compared hypnagogic states...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103582 Full text Hypnagogia Dreams Hypnagogic states Imagination +1

Visual perspective, distance, and felt presence of others in dreams.

Consciousness and Cognition August 1, 2023 Burak Erdeniz, Ege Tekgün, Bigna Lenggenhager et al. 2 citations

The peripersonal space, that is, the limited space surrounding the body, involves multisensory coding and representation of the self in space. Previous studies have shown that peripersonal space representation and the visual perspective on the environment can be dramatically altered when neurotypical individuals self-identify with a distant avatar (i.e., in virtual reality) or during clinical...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103547 Full text Bodily self-consciousness Distance Dream Felt presence +2

Hemispheric functional asymmetries and sex effects in visual bistable perception.

Consciousness and Cognition August 1, 2023 Alfredo Brancucci, Sara Ferracci, Anita D'Anselmo et al.

This study investigates bistable perception as a function of the presentation side of the ambiguous figures and of participants' sex, to evaluate left-right hemispheric (LH-RH) asymmetries related to consciousness. In two experiments using the divided visual field paradigm, two Rubin's vase-faces figures were projected simultaneously and continuously 180 s long to the left (LVF) and right (RVF;...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103551 Full text Ambiguous figures Bistable perception Consciousness Eye-tracker +3

Does ASMR propensity reflect a mentally flexible mindset? Exploring the relationship between ASMR propensity, transliminality, emotional contagion, schizotypal traits, roleplaying ability, and creativity.

Consciousness and Cognition August 1, 2023 Kayley L Zielinski-Nicolson, Natalie Roberts, Simon Boag

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is an alternative state of consciousness characterised by changes in affect, feelings of relaxation, and tingling sensations on the body. Online videos designed to stimulate ASMR in viewers have become increasingly popular. Although there is evidence that ASMR may improve sleep, emotion regulation, and relaxation, the current understanding of ASMR...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103546 Full text Cognitive mechanisms Cognitive styles Imagination

Primary states of consciousness: A review of historical and contemporary developments.

Consciousness and Cognition June 13, 2023 Félix Schoeller 1 citation

Primary states of consciousness are conceived as phylogenetically older states of consciousness as compared to secondary states governed by sociocultural inhibition. The historical development of the concept in psychiatry and neurobiology is reviewed, along with its relationship to theories of consciousness. We suggest that primary states of consciousness are characterized by a temporary...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103536 Full text

A novel ego dissolution scale: A construct validation study.

Consciousness and Cognition March 1, 2023 Fiona G. Sleight, Steven Jay Lynn, Richard E. Mattson et al. 16 citations

Ego dissolution (i.e., ego loss, ego disintegration, ego death, or self-loss) is a conscious state marked by a loss or diminution of one's sense of self and a lack of first-person experience. We developed a novel, valid, and internally consistent ego dissolution scale to both (a) assess trait-like aspects of ego dissolution, which have received scant attention to date, and (b) facilitate future...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103474 Full text Ego death Ego dissolution Dissociation Ego disintegration +2

Conscious interpretation: A distinct aspect for the neural markers of the contents of consciousness.

Consciousness and Cognition February 1, 2023 Talis Bachmann, Jaan Aru

Progress in the science of consciousness depends on the experimental paradigms and varieties of contrastive analysis available to researchers. Here we highlight paradigms where the object is represented in consciousness as a set of its features but the interpretation of this set alternates in consciousness. We group experimental paradigms with this property under the label "conscious...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103471

The mechanisms of selective attention in phenomenal consciousness.

Consciousness and Cognition 2023 Salvatore G Chiarella, Luca Simione, Monia D'Angiò et al. 9 citations

In three experiments we investigated the effects of selective attention in iconic memory and fragile-visual short-term memory (VSTM), which have been related to phenomenal consciousness. We used a novel retro-cue paradigm with different delays (early vs late) and object priorities (high vs equal vs low), to investigate (a) attentional costs and benefits and the role of (b) bottom-up factors and...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103446 Full text Change detection Fragile-vstm Iconic memory Phenomenal consciousness +5

Further evidence and theoretical framework for a subliminal sensory buffer store (SSBS).

Consciousness and Cognition 2023 Damian K F Pang, Stamatis Elntib

We recently provided evidence that strongly masked stimuli are not erased or overwritten but are briefly stored in a subliminal sensory buffer store (SSBS), where information can accumulate through repetition and become consciously accessible. SSBS supports a direct prediction made by the global workspace theory of consciousness (GWT) and has implications on discussions about conscious overflow...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103452 Full text Consciousness Global workspace theory Memory Visual masking

Assessing tests of animal consciousness.

Consciousness and Cognition October 1, 2022 Leonard Dung 30 citations

Which animals have conscious experiences? Many different, diverse and unrelated behaviors and cognitive capacities have been proposed as tests of the presence of consciousness in an animal. It is unclear which of these tests, if any, are valid. To remedy this problem, I develop a list consisting of eight desiderata which can be used to assess putative tests of animal consciousness. These...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103410 Full text Animal consciousness Evidence of consciousness Global-workspace theory Measuring consciousness +2

Dream lucidity positively correlates with reality monitoring.

Consciousness and Cognition October 1, 2022 Moo-Rung Loo, Shih-Kuen Cheng 5 citations

Dream lucidity, the awareness of consciousness in dreams, is linked to functions that support reality monitoring in differentiating between internally and externally generated memories. However, lucid dreams have been argued to result from thin reality-fantasy boundaries that lead to reality monitoring errors. To examine the relationship between dream lucidity and reality monitoring, we...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103414 Full text Lucid dream Memory characteristics Reality monitoring Trait lucidity

Thinking style and psychosis proneness do not predict false insights.

Consciousness and Cognition September 1, 2022 Hilary J Grimmer, Ruben Laukkonen, Anna Freydenzon et al. 6 citations

The FIAT paradigm (Grimmer et al., 2021) is a novel method of eliciting 'Aha' moments for incorrect solutions to anagrams in the laboratory, i.e. false insights. There exist many documented reports of psychotic symptoms accompanying strong feelings of 'Aha!' (Feyaerts, Henriksen, Vanheule, Myin-Germeys, & Sass, 2021; Mishara, 2010; Tulver, Kaup, Laukkonen, & Aru, 2021), suggesting that the...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103384 Full text Phenomenology Aha Delusion Insight

Doubting the double-blind: Introducing a questionnaire for awareness of experimental purposes in neurofeedback studies.

Consciousness and Cognition September 1, 2022 Timo L Kvamme, Mesud Sarmanlu, Morten Overgaard

Double-blinding subjects to the experiment's purpose is an important standard in neurofeedback studies. However, it is difficult to provide evidence that humans are entirely unaware of certain information. This study used insights from consciousness studies and neurophenomenology to develop a contingency awareness questionnaire for neurofeedback. We assessed whether participants had an...

DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103381 Full text Consciousness Contingency awareness Metacognition Neurofeedback

Papers