Consciousness
A Comprehensive Reference
- 2nd Edition - August 24, 2026
- Latest edition
- Editor: Antonino Raffone
- Language: English
The field of consciousness research has developed over the last decades by interdisciplinary and multi-method investigations, through the integration of theoretical, empirical and… Read more
Description
Description
The field of consciousness research has developed over the last decades by interdisciplinary and multi-method investigations, through the integration of theoretical, empirical and clinical studies. Consciousness research is relevant across philosophy, psychology, neurology, cognitive and affective neurosciences, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence, among other disciplines. The implicated research methods include psychophysical, psychophysiological and behavioral methods, subjective reporting (with or without trained introspection), electrophysiology and neuroimaging, the brain lesion method, and computational modelling. Consciousness has also been studied in developmental, lifespan, comparative, and evolutionary perspectives. Insights have also been gained by deficient consciousness (e.g., due to brain lesions) and enhanced awareness (e.g., related to meditation states and traits). Research that once was separate inquiries in discreet disciplines is converging. List serves and conferences focused on consciousness are proliferating. New journals have emerged in this field. A huge number of monographs and edited treatises have recently been published on consciousness, but there is no recognized entry point to the field, no comprehensive summary. This encyclopedia is that reference, from the first edition to the second one. Organized thematically, coverage encompasses a summary of major research and scientific thought regarding the nature of consciousness, the neural circuitry involved, how the brain, body, and world interact, and our understanding of subjective states. The work includes contributions covering neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and artificial intelligence to provide a comprehensive backdrop to recent and ongoing investigations into the nature of conscious experience from a philosophical, psychological, and biological perspective. Sections are: 1. Philosophy and History - Philosophy - History 2. Concepts, methodological principles and theories - Paradigms and Perspectives - Core Concepts - Methodological Principles - Theories 3. Psychology of consciousness - Memory - Action - Emotion - Self - States of Consciousness - Higher Level Cognition - Social Psychology 4. Psychology of consciousness, perception and attention - Perception - Attention 5. Neuroscience of consciousness - Cognitive neuroscience and neurobiology - Neurology
Key features
Key features
- Provides a summary of major research and scientific thought regarding the nature of consciousness
- Presents a comprehensive summary and entry point into the field of consciousness
- Contains contributions covering neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and artificial intelligence
Readership
Readership
University and public libraries, as well as psychology and neuroscience departments and researchers
Table of contents
Table of contents
1. Philosophy and history
1.1. Philosophy
1.1.1. Consciousness of time and the time of consciousness
1.1.2. Folk theories of consciousness
1.1.3. Free will
1.1.4. Intentionality and consciousness
1.1.5. Mental representation and consciousness
1.1.6. Phenomenology of consciousness
1.1.7. Philosophical accounts of self-awareness and introspection
1.1.8. Philosophical perspectives on the self
1.1.9. The Mind-Body problem
1.2. History
1.2.1. History of consciousness science
1.2.2. History of philosophical theories of consciousness
2. Concepts, methodological principles and theories
2.1. Paradigms and perspectives
2.1.1. All-or-none versus graded consciousness
2.1.2. Animal consciousness
2.1.3. Artificial intelligence and consciousness
2.1.4. Concepts and definitions of consciousness
2.1.5. Contemplative views on consciousness
2.1.6. Development of consciousness: consciousness from birth to adulthood
2.1.7. Embodied cognition and consciousness
2.1.8. Functions of consciousness
2.1.9. Psychopathology of consciousness
2.1.10. Social foundations of consciousness
2.1.11. State and content of consciousness
2.2. Core concepts
2.2.1. Meta-awareness
2.2.2. Metacognition
2.2.3. Mind wandering and other lapses
2.2.4. Mindfulness
2.3. Methodological principles
2.3.1. Computational modelling of consciousness
2.3.2. Neurophenomenology
2.3.3. Subjectivity: first- and third-person methodologies
2.3.4. The measurement of consciousness
2.4. Theories
2.4.1. An Integrated Information Theory of consciousness
2.4.2. Global workspace theory
2.4.3. Higher-order theories of consciousness
2.4.4. Phenomenal and access consciousness
2.4.5. Psychodynamic theories of the unconscious
2.4.6. Predictive coding as a framework for consciousness mechanisms and phenomena
2.4.7. Quantum theories of consciousness
2.4.8. Recurrent processing theory
2.4.9. Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness
2.4.10. The Global Neuronal Workspace model
3. Psychology of consciousness
3.1. Memory
3.1.1. Autobiographical memory and consciousness
3.1.2. Consciousness and memory in amnesia
3.1.3. Implicit learning and implicit memory
3.1.4. Memory: errors, constructive processes, and conscious retrieval
3.1.5. Procedural memory, skill, perceptual-motor learning, and awareness
3.1.6. Repressed memories
3.1.7. Short-term memory and consciousness
3.1.8. The control of mnemonic awareness
3.2. Action
3.2.1. Conscious and unconscious control of spatial action
3.2.2. Habit, action and consciousness
3.2.3. Voluntary control
3.3. Emotion
3.3.1. Emotion and consciousness
3.3.2. Emotion regulation and consciousness
3.3.3. Interoceptive awareness
3.3.4. Pain
3.4. Self
3.4.1. A pattern view of the self
3.4.2. Minimal or bodily self
3.4.3. Narrative self
3.4.4. The unity of self, self-consistency
3.5. States of consciousness
3.5.1. Hypnosis and suggestion
3.5.2. Interrelationship between states and contents of consciousness
3.5.3. Lucid dreaming
3.5.4. Meditation
3.5.5. Psychoactive drugs and alterations of consciousness
3.5.6. Sleep and dreaming
3.5.7. States of consciousness: an overview
3.6. Higher-level cognition
3.6.1. Inner speech and consciousness
3.6.2. Intuition, creativity, and unconscious aspects of problem solving
3.6.3. Language and consciousness
3.7. Social psychology
3.7.1. Implicit social cognition
4. Psychology of consciousness, perception and attention
4.1. Perception
4.1.1. Bistable perception and consciousness
4.1.2. Discreteness versus continuity of perception
4.1.3. Hallucinations and illusions as paradigmatic cases of consciousness phenomena
4.1.4. Perception, action, and consciousness
4.1.5. Subliminal and implicit perception
4.1.6. The binding problem and the coherence of perception
4.1.7. Unconscious influences on perceptual interpretation
4.1.8. Visual experience and immediate memory
4.1.9. Visual imagery and consciousness
4.2. Attention
4.2.1. Change blindness and inattentional blindness
4.2.2. Selective attention and consciousness
4.2.3. The attentional blink and consciousness
5. Neuroscience of consciousness
5.1. Cognitive neuroscience and neurobiology
5.1.1. Aperiodic brain activity and consciousness
5.1.2. Cognitive neuroscience of dreaming and lucid dreaming
5.1.3. Cognitive neuroscience of hypnosis
5.1.4. Cognitive neuroscience of meditation and mindfulness
5.1.5. Cognitive neuroscience of the self
5.1.6. Cognitive neuroscience of volition and action
5.1.7. Event-related potentials and consciousness
5.1.8. Oscillatory brain activity and consciousness
5.1.9. Single-cell level and microcircuit mechanisms of consciousness
5.1.10. The neural basis of perceptual awareness
5.1.11. The Neural Correlates of Consciousness
5.1.12. The neurochemistry of consciousness
5.2. Neurology
5.2.1. Blindsight
5.2.2. Disorders of consciousness
5.2.3. Ethical implications: pain, coma and related disorders
5.2.4. General anesthesia
5.2.5. Neglect and Balint's Syndrome
5.2.6. The perturbational approach and consciousness
1.1. Philosophy
1.1.1. Consciousness of time and the time of consciousness
1.1.2. Folk theories of consciousness
1.1.3. Free will
1.1.4. Intentionality and consciousness
1.1.5. Mental representation and consciousness
1.1.6. Phenomenology of consciousness
1.1.7. Philosophical accounts of self-awareness and introspection
1.1.8. Philosophical perspectives on the self
1.1.9. The Mind-Body problem
1.2. History
1.2.1. History of consciousness science
1.2.2. History of philosophical theories of consciousness
2. Concepts, methodological principles and theories
2.1. Paradigms and perspectives
2.1.1. All-or-none versus graded consciousness
2.1.2. Animal consciousness
2.1.3. Artificial intelligence and consciousness
2.1.4. Concepts and definitions of consciousness
2.1.5. Contemplative views on consciousness
2.1.6. Development of consciousness: consciousness from birth to adulthood
2.1.7. Embodied cognition and consciousness
2.1.8. Functions of consciousness
2.1.9. Psychopathology of consciousness
2.1.10. Social foundations of consciousness
2.1.11. State and content of consciousness
2.2. Core concepts
2.2.1. Meta-awareness
2.2.2. Metacognition
2.2.3. Mind wandering and other lapses
2.2.4. Mindfulness
2.3. Methodological principles
2.3.1. Computational modelling of consciousness
2.3.2. Neurophenomenology
2.3.3. Subjectivity: first- and third-person methodologies
2.3.4. The measurement of consciousness
2.4. Theories
2.4.1. An Integrated Information Theory of consciousness
2.4.2. Global workspace theory
2.4.3. Higher-order theories of consciousness
2.4.4. Phenomenal and access consciousness
2.4.5. Psychodynamic theories of the unconscious
2.4.6. Predictive coding as a framework for consciousness mechanisms and phenomena
2.4.7. Quantum theories of consciousness
2.4.8. Recurrent processing theory
2.4.9. Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness
2.4.10. The Global Neuronal Workspace model
3. Psychology of consciousness
3.1. Memory
3.1.1. Autobiographical memory and consciousness
3.1.2. Consciousness and memory in amnesia
3.1.3. Implicit learning and implicit memory
3.1.4. Memory: errors, constructive processes, and conscious retrieval
3.1.5. Procedural memory, skill, perceptual-motor learning, and awareness
3.1.6. Repressed memories
3.1.7. Short-term memory and consciousness
3.1.8. The control of mnemonic awareness
3.2. Action
3.2.1. Conscious and unconscious control of spatial action
3.2.2. Habit, action and consciousness
3.2.3. Voluntary control
3.3. Emotion
3.3.1. Emotion and consciousness
3.3.2. Emotion regulation and consciousness
3.3.3. Interoceptive awareness
3.3.4. Pain
3.4. Self
3.4.1. A pattern view of the self
3.4.2. Minimal or bodily self
3.4.3. Narrative self
3.4.4. The unity of self, self-consistency
3.5. States of consciousness
3.5.1. Hypnosis and suggestion
3.5.2. Interrelationship between states and contents of consciousness
3.5.3. Lucid dreaming
3.5.4. Meditation
3.5.5. Psychoactive drugs and alterations of consciousness
3.5.6. Sleep and dreaming
3.5.7. States of consciousness: an overview
3.6. Higher-level cognition
3.6.1. Inner speech and consciousness
3.6.2. Intuition, creativity, and unconscious aspects of problem solving
3.6.3. Language and consciousness
3.7. Social psychology
3.7.1. Implicit social cognition
4. Psychology of consciousness, perception and attention
4.1. Perception
4.1.1. Bistable perception and consciousness
4.1.2. Discreteness versus continuity of perception
4.1.3. Hallucinations and illusions as paradigmatic cases of consciousness phenomena
4.1.4. Perception, action, and consciousness
4.1.5. Subliminal and implicit perception
4.1.6. The binding problem and the coherence of perception
4.1.7. Unconscious influences on perceptual interpretation
4.1.8. Visual experience and immediate memory
4.1.9. Visual imagery and consciousness
4.2. Attention
4.2.1. Change blindness and inattentional blindness
4.2.2. Selective attention and consciousness
4.2.3. The attentional blink and consciousness
5. Neuroscience of consciousness
5.1. Cognitive neuroscience and neurobiology
5.1.1. Aperiodic brain activity and consciousness
5.1.2. Cognitive neuroscience of dreaming and lucid dreaming
5.1.3. Cognitive neuroscience of hypnosis
5.1.4. Cognitive neuroscience of meditation and mindfulness
5.1.5. Cognitive neuroscience of the self
5.1.6. Cognitive neuroscience of volition and action
5.1.7. Event-related potentials and consciousness
5.1.8. Oscillatory brain activity and consciousness
5.1.9. Single-cell level and microcircuit mechanisms of consciousness
5.1.10. The neural basis of perceptual awareness
5.1.11. The Neural Correlates of Consciousness
5.1.12. The neurochemistry of consciousness
5.2. Neurology
5.2.1. Blindsight
5.2.2. Disorders of consciousness
5.2.3. Ethical implications: pain, coma and related disorders
5.2.4. General anesthesia
5.2.5. Neglect and Balint's Syndrome
5.2.6. The perturbational approach and consciousness
Product details
Product details
- Edition: 2
- Latest edition
- Published: August 26, 2026
- Language: English
About the editor
About the editor
AR
Antonino Raffone
Prof. Antonino Raffone has been an author and coauthor of several international research publications with the focus on consciousness or related topics, such as on perceptual awareness, interactions between consciousness and attention, phenomenal and access consciousness, computational modelling of consciousness and related neurocognitive processes and mechanisms, self, mindfulness, meditation, sleep, autobiographical memory, dreaming, attentional blink and psychological refractory period, binding processes, interactions with emotion, mind wandering, pain, as well as their neural correlates and implicated brain networks and neuroplasticity.
Such studies have involved a range of methods, including theoretical work, behavioural experiments, computational modelling, phenomenological reports, electroencephalography, event-related potentials, Functional Magnetic Resonance imaging, magnetoencephalography, and dispositional self-reports.
Affiliations and expertise
Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, ItalyView book on ScienceDirect
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