The structure of reflection as the basis of the procedural organization of consciousness

Abstract

IntroductionIn psychological literature, one common position is that consciousness, as both an object of scientific research and, correspondingly, a gnoseological display, possesses a number of specific, even unique, characteristics. The most obvious among them is an intensive combination of complexity and significance in development of psychological knowledge in general. The gnoseological condition, according to which complexity of a problem and its significance are in direct relation to and derivative of each other, is, as F. M. Dostoevsky (1872/1972) described it, the last frontier of psychological exploration. Gnoseology is also most significant theoretical issue in psychology, as constructive solution of almost all other major problems in psychology is directly connected with it and, moreover, depends on it. Consciousness has a completely objective quality because consciousness itself has properties of distributiveness and omnipresence: it is an organizing and, as a rule, primary starting point in almost all basic formations, processes, and structures of psyche. Similarly to way consciousness pervades all behavior and underlies its organization, underlying qualities of consciousness also permeate psychological theory and exploration.Another specific feature of consciousness (both as an object and as a problem) is interchangeable notions of and cognizable. In the face of consciousness, these elements are not only largely identical but also equally powerful and of same essence. This relationship, in turn, gives rise to fundamental problem of possibility (or impossibility) of cognizing cognizable by means of this very cognizable, which is a kind of epistemological analogue to range of tasks that provide reason for K. Godel's formulation of his famous incompleteness theorem (Godel, 1951/1995).Finally one of main peculiarities of consciousness is that it is highest form (and level) of psychic integration. All basic components of mental processes and main modes of their existence are presented in indissoluble unity and organic wholeness. Consciousness simultaneously acts as a unique characteristic of human beings, as a special property, as a specific state, and as a system of processes that deliver it. However, it is an organic whole. In other words, integrity and complexity of consciousness create inherent difficulty of researching it, a difficulty that is clearly manifested in peculiarities of modern state of problem. Consciousness (as a subject of psychological research) is most clearly and fully presented in its final, effective manifestations -- that is, as property, state, and ability. Thus, study of these manifestations acts as basic, most traditional, and most widely presented direction in development of general problem of consciousness. The of consciousness is, above all, well known: for example, Searle's anti-dichotomous concept (1992); Chalmers's non-reductionist (1996); Rosenfeld's self-reference (in Wellman, Crooss, & Watson, 2001); Velmans's theory of reflexive consciousness (2000); Ey's integrative (1983); Baars's cognitive (1988); Priest's synthetic (2000).However, there is every reason to believe that bases of all these results are actually procedural means and mechanisms employed to ensure very existence of consciousness. They, however, are implicit and therefore difficult to study (but at same time are important). They should provide a transition from a productive aspect of study of consciousness to procedure for studying those mental processes that underpin it. In fact, such a transition is equivalent to transition from research as a phenomenon to a study of its nature. In this regard, such research is indicative of general logic of development of powerful trends in modern cognitive psychology, which constitute metacognitivism. …