Introduction to Consciousness

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ISBN: 9781403994899 | 1403994897
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 5/15/2007

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This textbook, written in a lucid and approachable style, draws on all major disciplines that make up the study of consciousness: neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology, and philosophy. With a strong emphasis on empirical evidence, it is designed as an introductory, single-volume overview of the field of consciousness.

Preface and acknowledgments	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
The nature of consciousness	p. 1
Introduction	p. 3
The nature of consciousness studies	p. 3
What is consciousness?	p. 3
Some clarifications	p. 5
What are the questions?	p. 7
The scope of the field	p. 8
The theoretical landscape	p. 9
Clearing the ground	p. 9
The explanatory gap	p. 13
Qualia	p. 16
Summary	p. 19
In focus
When to pull the plug?	p. 4
Suggested reading	p. 20
A brief history	p. 21
The origins of the field	p. 21
Philosophy	p. 21
Psychology	p. 25
Neuroscience	p. 29
Artificial intelligence	p. 34
Summary	p. 35
Suggested reading	p. 36
Basic positions	p. 37
Classical dualism	p. 37
Cartesian dualism	p. 37
Problems with classical dualism	p. 39
Modern dualism	p. 41
Property dualism	p. 41
Problems with property dualism	p. 43
Emergentism	p. 45
Non-materialist monism	p. 48
Idealism	p. 48
Functionalism	p. 49
Problems with functionalism	p. 51
Materialism	p. 52
Identity theory	p. 52
Eliminativism	p. 54
Problems with materialism	p. 55
Summary	p. 58
In focus
Public opinion poll	p. 58
Suggested reading	p. 59
The mechanism of consciousness	p. 61
Physical mechanisms	p. 63
Neurophysiological approaches	p. 63
Neural correlates of consciousness	p. 63
Binocular rivalry	p. 66
The binding problem	p. 68
Competitive models	p. 71
Physics and the mind	p. 74
The quantum mind	p. 74
The Penrose-Hameroff proposal	p. 76
Chaos theories	p. 78
Summary	p. 81
In focus
Locating consciousness	p. 65
The holographic mind	p. 80
Suggested reading	p. 82
Artificial minds	p. 83
Dennett explained	p. 83
Demolishing the Cartesian theater	p. 83
Skyhooks or cranes?	p. 85
Multiple drafts	p. 87
Artificial consciousness	p. 90
Enlightened silicon	p. 90
Five naysaying arguments	p. 95
The Chinese room	p. 100
Summary	p. 103
In focus
"They're made out of meat"	p. 98
Suggested reading	p. 104
Neurocognition and evolution	p. 106
Cognitive neuroscience	p. 106
Global workspace theory	p. 106
Split-brain research	p. 109
The interpreter	p. 112
Evolutionary perspectives	p. 117
Brain evolution	p. 117
The mind's big bang	p. 119
Social intelligence	p. 122
Summary	p. 126
In focus
Hot models	p. 116
Memes	p. 121
Suggested reading	p. 127
The content of consciousness	p. 129
Perception	p. 131
The visual system	p. 131
Basic concepts in vision	p. 131
Blindsight and neglect	p. 135
Vision as a grand illusion	p. 137
Somatosensation	p. 143
Phantoms in the brain	p. 143
Pain	p. 145
Perception and consciousness	p. 147
Libet's half-second delay	p. 147
Subliminal perception	p. 149
Summary	p. 150
In focus
Sensory deprivation	p. 147
Suggested reading	p. 152
Memory	p. 153
The explicit system	p. 153
Concepts in memory	p. 153
Working memory	p. 156
Memory consolidation	p. 158
Representation of knowledge	p. 160
The implicit system	p. 164
Implicit learning	p. 164
The flexibility/efficiency trade-off	p. 167
Computational issues in skill performance	p. 169
Summary	p. 172
In focus
The mnemonist	p. 157
Flashbulb memory	p. 163
Suggested reading	p. 173
Emotion	p. 174
Basic emotions	p. 174
Early roots	p. 174
The road to fear	p. 176
The free-spirited amygdala	p. 179
Emotional memory	p. 182
Dysfunctions of basic emotions	p. 185
Complex emotions	p. 187
Lessons from brain damage	p. 187
Theories of VMPFC function	p. 190
Emotional decision making	p. 192
Summary	p. 195
In focus
Lateralization of emotions	p. 186
Frontal lobotomy	p. 189
Suggested reading	p. 195
Metacognition	p. 196
Computational infrastructure	p. 196
Working memory	p. 196
Attention	p. 199
Temporal integration	p. 202
Self-reflective consciousness	p. 204
Cognitive flexibility	p. 204
Creative thinking	p. 206
Sense of self	p. 207
Theory of mind	p. 212
Summary	p. 213
In focus
The myth of multitasking	p. 201
Mirror neurons	p. 217
Suggested reading	p. 214
Freewill	p. 215
The basics of free will	p. 215
Theories of free will	p. 215
Neural control of motion	p. 217
The nature of free will	p. 221
The Libet experiment	p. 221
Conscious will as a feeling	p. 224
The mapping system	p. 228
Distortions of volition	p. 232
Summary	p. 234
In focus
Telekinesis through population vectors?	p. 217
Why is it impossible to tickle yourself?	p. 232
Suggested reading	p. 235
Altered states of consciousness	p. 237
Sleep and dreams	p. 239
Conceptualizing ASC	p. 239
Problems with definitions	p. 239
The transient hypofrontality hypothesis	p. 242
Sleep and dreams	p. 245
The sleep cycle	p. 245
Restoration or adaptation	p. 248
My mother is riding a kangaroo	p. 250
Lucid dreaming	p. 254
Summary	p. 256
In focus
Oddities of sleep	p. 248
Suggested reading	p. 257
Drug states and other alternities	p. 258
Drug-altered consciousness	p. 258
The high, the low, and the far-out	p. 258
Inside the psychedelic theater	p. 263
Other doors to alternity	p. 266
Meditation	p. 266
Hypnosis	p. 269
Daydreaming	p. 273
The runner's high	p. 275
Summary	p. 277
In focus
Flow	p. 269
OBE and NDE	p. 271
Suggested reading	p. 278
References	p. 279
Index	p. 299
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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