Quantifying Consciousness : an Empirical Approach
Ronald J. Pekala (Author)
This book presents an approach to quantifying consciousness and its various states. It represents over ten years of work in developing, test ing, and researching the use of relatively simple self-report question naires in the retrospective assessment of subjective or phenomenologi cal experience. While the simplicity of the method allows for subjective experience to be reliably and validly assessed across various short stim ulus conditions, the flexibility of the approach allows the cognitive psy chologist, consciousness researcher, and mental health professional to quantify and statistically assess the phenomenological variables associ ated with various stimulus conditions, altered-state induction tech niques, and clinical procedures. The methodology allows the cognitive psychologist and mental health professional to comprehensively quantify the structures and pat terns of subjective experience dealing with imagery, attention, affect, volitional control, internal dialogue, and so forth to determine how these phenomenological structures might covary during such stimulus conditions as free association, a sexual fantasy, creative problem solving, or a panic attack. It allows for various phenomenological pro cesses to be reported, quantified, and statistically assessed in a rather comprehensive fashion that should help shed greater understanding on the nature of mind or consciousness
eBook, English, 1991
Springer US : Imprint : Springer, Boston, MA, 1991
1 online resource
9781489906298, 9781489906311, 1489906290, 1489906312
913658538
Printed edition:
The Background
Consciousness and Introspection
Phenomenological Perspectives on Consciousness
The Cognitive Revolution in Psychology
Quantifying the Structures and Patterns of Consciousness
The Instruments
Development, Reliability, and Validity of the Phenomenology of Consciousness Questionnaire
Development, Reliability, and Validity of the (Abbreviated) Dimensions of Consciousness Questionnaire
The Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory
Development, Reliability, and Validity of the Dimensions of Attention Questionnaire
The Methodology
Graphing Devices for the Retrospective Phenomenological Assessment Instruments
Using Retrospective Phenomenological Assessment Instruments
Applications
The Trait of Absorption and Subjective Experience
Using the PCI to Investigate Trait-State Aspects of Hypnosis and Several Stress Management Conditions
The Differential Organization of the Structures of Consciousness during Hypnosis
Predicting Hypnotic Susceptibility with the PCI
Assessing an Out-of-the-Body Experience with the PCI and the DAQ
Consciousness