Beyond Neural Correlates of Consciousness

Morten Overgaard, Jesper Mogensen, Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup, Morten Overgaard, Jesper Mogensen, Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781351793490
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Cognitive Psychology & Cognition
• Index: Psychology

Drawing on neuroscientific research and metacognitive theory, this groundbreaking volume examines the theoretical implications that are elicited when neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) are identified.

The relationship between consciousness and the brain has concerned philosophers for centuries, yet a tacit assumption in much empirically minded consciousness research seems to be that if we can only develop a map of correlations, no further questions remain to be asked. Beyond Neural Correlates of Consciousness starts where others stop, by asking what these correlations may tell us about the nature of consciousness. The book contains chapters considering the upshots of finding the neural correlates of consciousness in light of the most prominent contemporary theories in the field. This illuminates the theoretical consequences of succeeding in the quest for the neural correlates of consciousness from the perspective of global workspace theory, higher-order thought theory, local recurrency theory, and REFCON models, in addition to considering how this quest is shaped by different conscious phenomena, such as dreaming, altered states of consciousness, and different levels of consciousness.

This insightful text features sophisticated theories that goes beyond correlational inferences and neural mapping, and will be of interest to students and researchers of consciousness, particularly those interested in interpreting neural correlates.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of figures
• List of table
• List of contributors
• Beyond neural correlates of consciousness – an introduction
• 1 Will we explain consciousness when we find the neural correlates of consciousness?
• 2 From unconscious to conscious: a spectrum of states
• 3 Multidimensional degrees of consciousness: qualities of experiences during wakeful perception, working memory tasks, mental imagery, mind wandering and dreaming
• 4 Can we see without knowing that we see? Challenges for two theories of consciousness
• 5 Integrated information theory
• 6 Global workspace models of consciousness in a broader perspective
• 7 A higher-order faculty and beyond
• 8 An integrative view of the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) – reorganization of the connectivity between elementary functions as a common mechanism of mental processes
• Index