Where's My Consciousness-Ometer? How to Test for the Presence and Complexity of Consciousness.
Tam Hunt, Marissa Ericson, Jonathan W. Schooler
Perspectives on Psychological Science July 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1177/17456916211029942 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Consciousness Empiricism Psychometer |
| Citations | 52 |
| Key points | Proposes a taxonomy of measurable correlates of consciousness (MCC) to organize tests for consciousness and suggests ways to empirically distinguish theories of consciousness. |
Abstract
Tools and tests for measuring the presence and complexity of consciousness are becoming available, but there is no established theoretical approach for what these tools are measuring. This article examines several categories of tests for making reasonable inferences about the presence and complexity of consciousness (defined as the capacity for phenomenal/subjective experience) and also suggests ways in which different theories of consciousness may be empirically distinguished. We label the various ways to measure consciousness the measurable correlates of consciousness (MCC) and include three subcategories in our taxonomy: (a) neural correlates of consciousness, (b) behavioral correlates of consciousness, and (c) creative correlates of consciousness. Finally, we reflect on how broader philosophical views about the nature of consciousness, such as materialism and panpsychism, may also be informed by the scientific process.
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Citations in the library
Cited by 18
- Fields or firings? Comparing the spike code and the electromagnetic field hypothesis Frontiers in Psychology July 20, 2023
- Electromagnetic-field theories of qualia: can they improve upon standard neuroscience? Frontiers in Psychology June 1, 2023
- Psychedelics and disorders of consciousness: the current landscape and the path forward. Neuroscience of Consciousness June 15, 2024
- It’s Cells All the Way Down October 5, 2023
- Report-modulated prefrontal activity and consistent posterior representations during conscious visual perception. Consciousness and Cognition June 1, 2026
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Cites 17
- No-Report Paradigms: Extracting the True Neural Correlates of Consciousness Trends in Cognitive Sciences November 13, 2015
- Human consciousness is supported by dynamic complex patterns of brain signal coordination Science Advances February 1, 2019
- Stratification of unresponsive patients by an independently validated index of brain complexity Annals of Neurology September 22, 2016
- ERP and MEG correlates of visual consciousness: The second decade. Consciousness and Cognition April 1, 2020
- Integrated information structure collapses with anesthetic loss of conscious arousal in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS Computational Biology February 1, 2021
and 12 more in the library