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The first and foremost concrete fact which every one will affirm to belong to his inner experience is the fact that consciousness of some sort goes on. I -William James, 1893 We are witnessing today a mounting interest among behavioral and biological scientists in problems long recognized as central to our understanding of human nature, yet until recently considered out of the bounds of scientific psychology and physiology. Sometimes thrown into the heading of "altered states of consciousness," this growing research bears directly upon such time-honored questions as the nature of conscious experience, the mind-body relationship, and volition. If one broadly views this research as encompassing the two interrelated areas of consciousness and self-regulation, one can find many relevant contemporary examples of creative and experimentally sophisticated approaches, including research on the regulation of perception and sensory experience, attention, imagery and thinking, emotion and pain; hypnosis and meditation; biofeedback and volun tary control; hemispheric asymmetry and specialization of brain func tion; drug-induced subjective states; and biological rhythms. Because the material is spread over many different kinds of publications and disciplines, it is difficult for anyone person to keep fully abreast of the significant advances. The overall aim of the new Plenum Series in Consciousness and Self-Regulation: Advances in Research is to provide a scholarly forum for discussing integration of these diverse areas by presenting some of the best current research and theory.
Contents
1 The Human Brain and Conscious Activity 1.- 2 Imagery and Thinking: Covert Functioning of the Motor System.- I. Bodily Systems Implicated in Thought.- II. Neuromuscular Circuit Models of Thought.- III. Methodological Criteria.- IV. Empirical Studies.- A. Problem Solving.- B. Imagination.- C. Silent Reading.- D. Speech Perception.- E. Learning.- F. Nocturnal Dreams.- V. The Curare Strategy.- VI. Stimulation, Surgical, and Clinical Strategies.- VII. Conclusions and Interpretation 83.- References.- 3 Regulation of the Stream of Consciousness: Toward a Theory of Ongoing Thought.- I. The Stream of Consciousness as a Psychological Problem: Arts and Sciences.- II. Psychoanalytic Approaches and the Notion of Regression.- III. Toward a Formulation of Ongoing Thought 105.- A. Overview and Outline.- IV. Optimal Levels of Stimulation: A Cognitive-Affective View.- V. Some Research Prospects 128 References.- 4 Self-Deception, Self-Confrontation, and Consciousness.- I. Introduction.- II. Criteria Necessary and Sufficient for Ascribing Self- Deception.- III. Empirical Investigations of Self-Confrontation.- A. Psychophysiological and Psychological Correlates.- B. Vocal Masking Experiments.- C. The Aversiveness of Self-Confrontation.- D. Social Psychological Effects of Self- Confrontation.- E. Self-Confrontation and States of Awareness.- F. Individual Differences in Reactions to Self- Confrontation.- G. A Theoretical Integration of Studies of Self- Confrontation.- IV. The Experimental Investigation of Self-Deception.- A. Studies of Nonrecognition of the Self.- B. The Demonstration of the Existence of Self- Deception.- C. The Ascription of Self-Deception.- V. Self-Deception, Functional Brain Asymmetry, and Consciousness.- A. Motives and Individual Differences in Self- Deception.- B. Mechanisms Underlying Self-Deception: The Hemisphericity Hypothesis.- C. Overview 189.- References.- 5 Visceroception, Awareness, and Behavior.- I. Visceroception and Psychophysics.- II. The Visceroceptive Threshold.- III. Visceral Discrimination.- IV. Visceral Perception.- V. Conclusions: The Possible Roles of Visceroception 209.- References.- 6 Stimulus-Bound Behavior and Biological Self- Regulation: Feeding, Obesity, and External Control.- I. Cues for Eating.- II. Individual Differences in Attention and Responsiveness to External Cues.- III. Generalizability of the Obesity-Externality Findings.- A. Degree of Overweight.- B. Age and Socioeconomic Status.- C. Age of Onset.- IV. Regulation and External Responsiveness.- A. Manipulation of Visual Salience.- B. Manipulation of Taste.- C. After Weight Loss.- V. The Internal-External Distinction 230.- References.- 7 Operant Conditioning of Autonomic Responses: One Perspective on the Curare Experiments.- I. Introduction and Background.- A. The Mechanism of Operant Conditioning.- B. Plasticity of Visceral Responding.- II. Some Experiments on Learning in the Curarized Rat.- A. Operant Conditioning in the Curarized State.- B. Classical Conditioning in the Curarized State 268.- III. The Case against Learning.- A. Procedural Similarities.- B. Similarity of Cardiovascular State.- C. Failure to Identify Variables Critical to Learning.- D. Fragility of Classical Heart-Rate Conditioning under Curare.- E. Sources of Error.- IV. Status of the Original Experiments.- V. Implications.- A. The Mechanism of Operant Conditioning.- B. Plasticity of Visceral Responding.- VI. Conclusion 310.- Appendix 312.- References.- 8 Acquired Control of Peripheral Vascular Responses.- I. Introduction: Scope and Issues.- II. Anatomy and Function of the Peripheral Vasomotor System.- A. Basic Anatomy and Physiology.- B. Psychophysiologically Relevant Influences.- C. Summary.- III. Classical Conditioning of Vasomotor Responses.- A. Is Vasomotor Classical Conditioning Possible?.- B. How Is Vasomotor Classical Conditioning Achieved?.- C. What is the Role of the Thermoregulatory State in Vascular Classical Conditioning?.- D. Conclusion.- IV. Instrumental Control of Vasomotor Responses.- A. Is Instrumental Vasomotor Learning Possible?.- B. Significant Variables in Instrumental Vasomotor Learning.- C. Conclusion.- V. Discussion 353.- References.- 9 On the Nature of Alpha Feedback Training 359.- I. Introduction.- II. Studies Suggesting Alpha Feedback Training May Influence Subjective Experience.- A. Subjective Identification of Alpha Production.- B. Meditation and Alpha Waves.- III. The Basic Alpha Feedback Experiments.- A. Some Encouraging Alpha Feedback Results.- IV. Essential Refinements of Alpha Feedback Methods.- A. Control of Subject, Methodological, and Situational Factors.- B. Replication of Alpha Feedback Results with Refined Methodology.- C. The Effects of Alpha Feedback on Subjective Experience.- D. Alpha Density during Light Feedback versus Resting in Darkness.- V. The Significance of the Visuomotor System for Alpha Feedback Training.- A. Alpha Feedback in Total Darkness versus Dim Ambient Light.- B. "Looking" and Alpha Density 374.- VI. Alpha and Arousal/Activation.- A. High Levels of Arousal—Fear.- B. Low Levels of Arousal—Drowsiness 384.- VII. Is Direct Awareness of Alpha Wave Production Possible? 387.- VIII. The Effects of Cognitive Activity on Alpha Dynamics.- A. Previously Reported General Effects of Tasks on Alpha Density.- B. Individual Differences in Alpha Response to a Task.- IX. Overview and Prospects 396.- References.- 10 Passive Meditation: Subjective, Clinical, and Electrographic Comparison with Biofeedback.- I. Overview of This Chapter.- II. Biofeedback.- III. Passive Meditation.- IV. Electrographic Studies.- V. Overview of Clinical Indications.- VI. Summary 424.- References.- Author Index 429.
