Beyond Dissociation
Advances in Consciousness Research November 14, 2000 DOI: 10.1075/aicr.22 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Edited collection Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that while analysis and dissociation have been useful for understanding basic brain and mind functions, understanding complex functions such as consciousness requires synthesis rather than analysis. The collected contributions indicate that conscious and nonconscious processes typically interact in complex ways, and that the brain and mind must be reassembled as an integrated whole to understand cognition and behaviour. |
Abstract
Analysis and dissociation have proved to be useful tools to understand the basic functions of the brain and the mind, which therefore have been decomposed to a multitude of ever smaller subsystems and pieces by most scientific approaches. However, the understanding of complex functions such as consciousness will not succeed without a more global consideration of the ways the mind-brain works. This implies that synthesis rather than analysis should be applied to the brain. The present book offers a collection of contributions ranging from sensory and motor cognitive neuroscience to mood management and thought, which all focus on the dissociation between conscious (explicit) and nonconscious (implicit) processing in different cognitive situations. The contributions in this book clearly demonstrate that conscious and nonconscious processes typically interact in complex ways. The central message of this collection of papers is: In order to understand how the brain operates as one integrated whole that generates cognition and behaviour, we need to reassemble the brain and mind and put all the conscious and nonconscious pieces back together again. (Series B)