Conscious Processing Research Articles

Registered Report Stage II: Decoding the category information from evoked potentials to visible and invisible visual objects

Previous studies that use decoding methods and EEG to investigate the neural representation of the category information of visual objects focused mainly on consciously processed visual objects. It remains unclear whether the category information of unconsciously processed visual objects can be decoded and whether the decoding performance is different for consciously and unconsciously processed visual objects. The present study compared the neural decoding of the animacy category of visible and invisible visual objects via EEG and decoding methods. The results revealed that the animacy of visible visual objects could be decoded above the chance level by the P200, N300, and N400, but not by the early N/P100. However, the animacy of invisible visual objects could not be decoded above the chance level by neither early nor late ERP components. The decoding accuracy was greater for visible visual objects than that for invisible visual objects for the P200, N300 and N400. These results suggested that access to animacy category information for visual objects requires conscious processing.

Resistances to critical language awareness: understanding the role of social class and double consciousness

ABSTRACT Drawing from students’ reflections, classroom observations, and individual interviews, this study examines the case of a Spanish for Heritage speakers class comprised of Heritage Speakers (HS) and international Latin American students in a predominantly white institution (PWI). Focusing on the development of Critical Language Awareness (CLA) , this study shows the various forms of resistance toward these pedagogies (e.g. withdrawal, class divisions, turning to meritocratic answers, among others) across students of different social classes (upper-middle class, working-class, international students from Latin America). This study demonstrates how students resisted structural explanations around Spanish language maintenance, instead resorting to either meritocratic understandings or the family as the primary locus of language maintenance. The epistemological concept of ‘double consciousness frames the experiences of working-class HSs who struggled between feelings of empowerment through CLA and negative perceptions of their own linguistic practices. These feelings were mediated by the challenge of affirming their language identities in the context of a PWI that privileges upper-middle-class cultural values. The study argues that while CLA begins a process of critical consciousness, we need to pay attention to the contextual factors and dynamics that lead to different forms of resistance.

Cognitive emotional regulation in physiotherapy students in Croatia

ABSTRACT Background Cognitive emotional regulation refers to a conscious or unconscious process that affects an individual's emotions and the physical and mental health of the individual. The aim of this study was to detect strategies of cognitive emotional regulation used by physiotherapy students in stressful situations. Methods The study was conducted from January to March 2022 and enrolled 372 students. An announcement was posted electronically on the web page of each physiotherapy study in Croatia, inviting students to participate in the study. Each participant provided written informed consent. The Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire was used in the study for detecting cognitive emotional strategies that students use in stressful situations. Statistical analysis of data included descriptive statistics of data groups where values were expressed as mean and standard deviation. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to test the normality of the distribution. To test the differences between two independent groups, the Mann–Whitney U rank sum test was applied, while the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test was used to test the differences of several subgroups of variables. Categorical variables were tested with Fischer's exact test or chi-square test. Results The most frequently used emotional cognitive regulation strategies are acceptance and positive reappraisal. There is a statistically significant difference in the use of self-blame (p < .001), rumination (p < .001) and blaming others (p = 0.018) in relation to gender. Also, there is a statistically significant difference in the use of acceptance (p = 0.022), rumination (p < .001) and blaming others (p = 0.049) in relation to the year of study. Conclusion Education of physiotherapy students to the use of adaptive strategies could have a positive effect on the students’ learning quality, their decision–making abilities and the quality of physiotherapy provided to patients. Encouraging physiotherapy students to engage in cognitively adaptive ways of thinking can serve as a solid method to help students in an academic and professional environment.

Zooming In: A Review of Designing for Photo Taking in Human-Computer Interaction and Future Prospects

Photography has been pivotal in culture for decades and its importance has increased with the rise of digital technology. However, the exploration of picture taking within the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) community does not seem to match its cultural and technological significance. Recognizing this discrepancy, we sought to understand areas of interest in photography as a conscious creative process. To address this issue, we performed a systematic literature review using the PRISMA methodology. From our research, we identified 62 pertinent papers spanning from 2005 to 2022. Our examination revealed six primary dimensions, further classified into study type, design goal, photo-taking style, device type, interaction style, and number of users. In-depth analysis showed the dominant role of exploratory and functional research, the balance between qualitative and quantitative methods, and a strong focus on smartphone cameras. Our review has highlighted significant gaps in the existing literature, offering valuable insights for future research on photo taking.

Conscious and Unconscious Processes in the Arithmetic Priming Task Depend on the Arithmetic Skill

The study examined the role of conscious and unconscious processes depending on the level of arithmetic skill. The participants were divided into two groups according to their arithmetic skill based on the calculation fluency test results. Masked and unmasked single-digit addition problems (primes) followed by correct and incorrect results were presented on the screen. In a conscious perception task (unmasked priming), when large and small problem results were presented, an arithmetic N400 and LPC effects were observed in both groups. In the case of unconscious perception (masked priming), when small problem results were presented, the LPC effect was observed in the group with low arithmetic skill. The fact that the LPC arithmetic effect was discovered during the unconscious presentation may indicate the automatic nature of the encoding and retrieving information processes, reflecting neurophysiological characteristics associated with the level of arithmetic skill.

Exploring user-led spatial practice and user design tools in urban low and middle-income residences: a study based in Kitulwatte, Colombo

In many developing Asian countries, informal user-led architectural production is prevalent, with dwellings designed and built largely without professional input. Unlike traditional architectural practices, where design, construction, and inhabitation are distinct phases, users perceive these aspects as interconnected, influencing each other continuously and simultaneously, resulting in unexpected and rich spatial experiences. This study focuses on informal user-led architectural production in Sri Lanka, examining the design methods users employ through Jonathan Hill’s framework of user creativity types. By analysing the architectural features of user-designed homes, identifying manifestations of user creativity, and assessing the influence of user-led production on urban adaptability and vibrancy, this research aims to underscore the creative and significant architectural contributions of users. Through an analysis of four residences in Kitulwatte, Colombo, the research reveals the conscious and subconscious processes inherent in user-led design, highlighting their substantial contribution to the urban fabric. This holistic approach transforms architecture from a static product into a dynamic process that continually evolves to meet individual needs. By elucidating the unique design tools and approaches employed by users, this paper enriches the discourse on architectural agency and challenges conventional notions of authorship, showcasing the profound impact of user influence on shaping the built environment.

Examining real-time physical activity in adolescents using the Multi-Process Action Control Model: An ecological momentary assessment study

The purpose of this study was to examine real-time associations between reflective (i.e., state motivation), regulatory (i.e., self-control), and reflexive (i.e., habit) constructs from the Multi-Process Action Control (M-PAC) model and real-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) behaviour among adolescents using ecological momentary assessments. One hundred and ninety adolescents (Mage = 15.76 ± .47 years; n = 101 males) wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days and responded to digital survey prompts up to four times daily during the after-school periods. MVPA in the 60-minute time window following each survey prompt was recorded. Multilevel mixed-effects linear and logistic models were computed with disaggregated between- and within-person effects to analyze the data. Results from both linear and logistic multilevel models revealed adolescents with higher state motivation in general and experiencing higher state motivation than one’s typical levels were associated with engaging in more MVPA and higher likelihood of engaging in ≥10 minutes of MVPA. Engaging in activities less consistent with habitual behaviours were associated with more MVPA and higher likelihood of engaging in ≥10 minutes of MVPA. By contrast, self-control was not associated with MVPA. Results from this study extend previous work demonstrating the importance of conscious and non-conscious processes on MVPA behaviour by examining associations in real-time using intensive longitudinal methods. Collectively, this study provides partial support for use of the M-PAC framework to explain acute MVPA among adolescents in real-time and natural contexts.

Discrimination, critical consciousness, and mental health in American youth of color.

To resist and cope with oppression, youth of color may use the process of critical consciousness which involves understanding racial injustices (critical reflection), developing motivation to fight these injustices (critical motivation), and taking action to enact sociopolitical change (critical action). However, little is known about how each dimension of critical consciousness affects mental health in adolescents of color. In a sample of 367 ethnically and racially diverse American adolescents of color (age range = 13-17; 68.9% girls, 28.6% boys, and 2.5% gender minority; 84.4% US-born), we conducted multivariate regressions in Mplus to examine the cross-sectional links between each critical consciousness dimension (reflection, motivation, and action) and mental health outcomes (anxiety, depression, and stress) over and above the impact of everyday discrimination. We also investigated the interaction between critical consciousness and discrimination in predicting mental health outcomes. Controlling for age, gender, nativity, and social class, we found that discrimination and critical action were both positively associated with anxiety, depression, and stress. For our covariates, girls and gender minority adolescents reported worse outcomes. No interactions were significant. Overall, critical action, while necessary to enact societal change, may have a complex relationship with youth's depression, anxiety, and psychological stress symptoms and warrants careful exploration. Future research should focus on understanding the longitudinal mechanisms of critical action and how we can maximize the benefits by protecting youth from those negative effects.

Strategic Choice And Responsible Innovation: Integrating Approaches To Foster Sustainable Business Development

The study focuses on addressing businesses' growing need to integrate sustainability into their decision-making processes, given the recognized worldwide environmental impacts derived from industrial and technological growth. The study proposes a decision-support artifact that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In light of the principles of Design Science Research (DSR), it combines the Strategic Choice Approach (SCA), which helps manage uncertainties, with Responsible Innovation (RI) principles to guide the socially and environmentally conscious innovation process. As another novel, this artifact adopted the Borda voting system to select the best sustainable development courses of action. Data from a Brazilian solar energy company were considered to demonstrate the artifact’s application. Our results deliver a decision-making support artifact whose results serve as inputs for strategic planning for the business. These artifacts highlight the importance of collaborations for decision-making within the scope of sustainable development. This paper proposes a novel and holistic approach that recognizes peculiar aspects of managerial commitment to advancing sustainability within a business context, contributing to the literature. Managers also can apply this decision artifact to improve sustainability performance.

Brain Function, Learning, and Role of Feedback in Complete Paralysis.

The determinants and driving forces of communication abilities in the locked-in state are poorly understood so far. Results from an experimental-clinical study on a completely paralyzed person involved in communication sessions after the implantation of a microelectrode array were retrospectively analyzed. The aim was to focus on the prerequisites and determinants for learning to control a brain-computer interface for communication in paralysis. A comparative examination of the communication results with the current literature was carried out in light of an ideomotor theory of thinking. We speculate that novel skill learning took place and that several aspects of the wording of sentences during the communication sessions reflect preserved cognitive and conscious processing. We also present some speculations on the operant learning procedure used for communication, which argues for the reformulation of the previously postulated hypothesis of the extinction of response planning and goal-directed ideas in the completely locked-in state. We highlight the importance of feedback and reinforcement in the thought-action-consequence associative chain necessary to maintain purposeful communication. Finally, we underline the necessity to consider the psychosocial context of patients and the duration of complete immobilization as determinants of the 'extinction of thinking' theory and to identify the actual barriers preventing communication in these patients.

“Cured, I Am Frizzled, Stale, and Small”: Jungian Individuation Realized in Robert Lowell’s Life Studies

Robert Lowell’s Life Studies won the National Book Award for Poetry in 1960 and is credited with initiating the confessional poetry movement, which included followers and students of Lowell such as Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath. In Life Studies, Lowell channeled his 1950s experiences with bipolar disorder and mental health hospitalizations into poems such as “Man and Wife”, “Waking in the Blue”, and “Home After Three Months Away”. Lowell’s hard-won Life Studies triumph, though most recently analyzed through socioeconomic and “divine madness” lenses, can also be understood through Carl Jung’s individuation concept which posits that self-realization can be attained through the reconciliation of one’s own conscious and unconscious mental processes. This article argues that Lowell’s Life Studies poems, when examined through Jungian individuation, enabled Lowell to achieve self-realization, and paved the way for mentally ill individuals to learn how to achieve psychological wholeness through art.

The "What" and "How" of Pantomime Actions.

Pantomimes are human actions that simulate ideas, objects, and events, commonly used in conversation, performance art, and gesture-based interfaces for computing and controlling robots. Yet, their underlying neurocognitive mechanisms are not well understood. In this review, we examine pantomimes through two parallel lines of research: (1) the two visual systems (TVS) framework for visually guided action, and (2) the neuropsychological literature on limb apraxia. Historically, the TVS framework has considered pantomime actions as expressions of conscious perceptual processing in the ventral stream, but an emerging view is that they are jointly influenced by ventral and dorsal stream processing. Within the apraxia literature, pantomimes were historically viewed as learned motor schemas, but there is growing recognition that they include creative and improvised actions. Both literatures now recognize that pantomimes are often created spontaneously, sometimes drawing on memory and always requiring online cognitive control. By highlighting this convergence of ideas, we aim to encourage greater collaboration across these two research areas, in an effort to better understand these uniquely human behaviors.

Pain anticipation is a new behavioural sign of minimally conscious state.

Probing cognition and consciousness in the absence of functional communication remains an extremely challenging task. In this perspective, we imagined a basic clinical procedure to explore pain anticipation at bedside. In a series of 61 patients with a disorder of consciousness, we tested the existence of a nociceptive anticipation response by pairing a somaesthetic stimulation with a noxious stimulation. We then explored how nociceptive anticipation response correlated with (i) clinical status inferred from Coma Recovery Scale-Revised scoring, (ii) with an EEG signature of stimulus anticipation-the contingent negative variation-and (iii) how nociceptive anticipation response could predict consciousness outcome at 6 months. Proportion of nociceptive anticipation response differed significantly according to the state of consciousness: nociceptive anticipation response was present in 5 of 5 emerging from minimally conscious state patients (100%), in 10 of 11 minimally conscious state plus patients (91%), but only in 8 of 17 minimally conscious state minus patients (47%), and only in 1 of 24 vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome patients (4%) (χ 2 P < 0.0001). Nociceptive anticipation response correlated with the presence of a contingent negative variation, suggesting that patients with nociceptive anticipation response were more prone to actively expect and anticipate auditory stimuli (Fisher's exact test P = 0.05). However, nociceptive anticipation response presence did not predict consciousness recovery. Nociceptive anticipation response appears as a new additional behavioural sign that can be used to differentiate minimally conscious state from vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome patients. As most behavioural signs of minimally conscious state, the nociceptive anticipation response seems to reveal the existence of a cortically mediated state that does not necessarily reflect residual conscious processing.

On determining of the protograph features based on the graphic-orthographic systems of manuscripts

This article is concerned with the study of medieval manuscripts and the determining of the features of protographs based on the graphic and orthographic systems of their scribal copies. The study involves three manuscripts created in Nuremberg in the 15th century. The texts of the mentioned manuscripts are copies from the first two complete translations of one of the medieval treatises. Based on the study of the graphic and orthographic systems of these texts, as well as some of their morphological features, the author of the article makes an attempt to establish the relationship between the texts under study, as well as to restore some of the features of their protographs. The sources of influence on the formation of the graphic and orthographic portrait of the scribe were identified as a result of the study of the graphic and orthographic features of the texts. Among them the author identifies the written tradition of the scriptorium, features of the local dialect and dialect areas, as well as characteristic features of the protograph. A separate group includes such a source of variability as the individual preferences of the scribe. Analysis of the graphic and orthographic portrait of each of the scribes who participated in the creation of the texts under study allows us to determine the approximate time and place of creation of the protograph, as well as changes characteristic of each stage of conscious processing of the text. As a result of the study, a diagram was drawn up that clearly demonstrates the relationships between the texts under study.

Image Sensors and Photodetectors Based on Low‐Carbon Footprint Solution‐Processed Semiconductors

AbstractThis mini‐review explores the evolution of image sensors, essential electronic components increasingly integrated into daily life. Traditional manufacturing methods for image sensors and photodetectors, employing high carbon footprint techniques like thermal evaporation and chemical vapor deposition, are being replaced by environmentally conscious solution processing. Organic and Colloidal Quantum Dot‐based image sensors emerge as promising candidates, aligning with the shift toward solution‐based device integration. This review provides insights into the working principles of photodetectors and image sensors, summarizing relevant materials and fabrication approaches. Additionally, it delves into the detailed exploration of pixelated patterning techniques and their potential applications in the realm of solution‐processed image sensor fabrication.

Predicting embodied carbon reduction by evaluating building shape parameters in preliminary design through the Dom-ino system

ABSTRACT Adopting carbon-efficient building shapes has significant potential to reduce embodied carbon emissions (ECEs). Early-stage design decisions play a crucial role in this process, yet current methods lack predictive models for ECEs based on building shape parameters. This study addresses this gap by utilizing the Dom-ino system, which includes concrete and steel framing, to develop a method for estimating ECEs. The study analyzes the influence of building shape parameters, such as plan aspect ratio and number of floors, on ECEs and fits equations to the results to establish predictive models. Our findings indicate that these parameters significantly impact ECEs, and the study delves into the mechanisms by which they affect structural components and material usage. The developed method provides architects with a tool to evaluate and optimize building designs for lower carbon impact during the early stages of design. This approach supports a swift and environmentally conscious design process, enhancing the ability to predict and reduce ECEs in architectural projects.

Pedagogy of the oppressive: building the movement to abolish U.S. legal education

ABSTRACT This essay serves as an urgent cause for action and open call to envision the abolition of U.S. law schools. Traditional legal education’s current manifestation, I argue, serves as a unique system of socialization that advances harm in service of the USA as a settler nation-state. Through a historically grounded analysis of the law school as a project of exclusionary power, this essay identifies traditional U.S. legal education’s (1) pedagogical harm, in the imperial curriculum and instruction of law students; (2) structural harm, in the gatekeeping of legal knowledge; and (3) ideological harm, in the training of future lawyers as agents of settler-state power. Drawing from movements of scholarship-activism in critical legal pedagogy, rhetorical studies, and abolition, this essay proposes radical reforms to the law school as footholds toward freedom. In situating the law school as a critical zone of abolitionist struggle, this essay makes the case that rhetoricians, legal scholars, and advocates aligned with the work of liberation might join across disciplines, jurisdictions, and time to advance “non-reformist reforms” to traditional U.S. legal education. Only through conscious processes of reimagination, I insist, can we more forcefully contribute to the abolition of oppressive formations of power everywhere.

Effects of Homophone Priming on the Decision-Making in Perceptual Color Recognition of Mandarin Speakers

This study delves into the nuanced interactions between language, cognition, and perception by examining the impact of homophones on decision-making and perceptual color recognition among native Mandarin speakers. Drawing on theories of linguistic relativity and cognitive processing, this research hypothesized that homophonic primes would subtly influence both decision-making processes and color recognition tasks. Participants were assigned at random to surveys where they were unknowingly exposed to stimuli with and without homophonic primes before engaging in color recognition tasks involving subtle shade differentiations. Contrary to initial expectations, statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in decision-making accuracy between conditions, suggesting that homophones may not overtly affect conscious decision-making processes in our bilingual cohort. However, intriguing variations emerged in the perceptual color recognition task, where participants exposed to homophonic primes showed tendencies to perceive color shades more similarly compared to those in the control condition. This finding implies a potential cognitive load effect or subtle priming influence on perceptual categorization tied to linguistic structures. The implications of these findings challenge traditional views on language's role in shaping cognitive processes, highlighting the complexity of how linguistic structures such as homophones may operate at subconscious levels. The study contributes to ongoing debates in cognitive science and linguistics by underscoring the need for nuanced approaches to understanding cross-linguistic cognitive mechanisms. Future research should further explore the Whorfian hypothesis within bilingual contexts, considering additional variables such as language proficiency and cultural influences to elucidate the intricate relationship between language and cognition.

Is artificial consciousness achievable? Lessons from the human brain

We here analyse the question of developing artificial consciousness from an evolutionary perspective, taking the evolution of the human brain and its relation with consciousness as a reference model or as a benchmark. This kind of analysis reveals several structural and functional features of the human brain that appear to be key for reaching human-like complex conscious experience and that current research on Artificial Intelligence (AI) should take into account in its attempt to develop systems capable of human-like conscious processing. We argue that, even if AI is limited in its ability to emulate human consciousness for both intrinsic (i.e., structural and architectural) and extrinsic (i.e., related to the current stage of scientific and technological knowledge) reasons, taking inspiration from those characteristics of the brain that make human-like conscious processing possible and/or modulate it, is a potentially promising strategy towards developing conscious AI.Also, it cannot be theoretically excluded that AI research can develop partial or potentially alternative forms of consciousness that are qualitatively different from the human form, and that may be either more or less sophisticated depending on the perspectives. Therefore, we recommend neuroscience-inspired caution in talking about artificial consciousness: since the use of the same word “consciousness” for humans and AI becomes ambiguous and potentially misleading, we propose to clearly specify which level and/or type of consciousness AI research aims to develop, as well as what would be common versus differ in AI conscious processing compared to human conscious experience.

Religious Myths and the Internalization of Non-Leadership Identities in Nigerian Women: A Symbolic Interactionist Analysis

Despite concerted efforts to promote gender equity in the global space, women remain underrepresented in leadership. This trend is most observed in Nigeria, where of the 49.99 percent of women in the population, only 6.7 percent are in elective and appointive political positions. Research suggests that men are usually seen as more capable leaders, even when women have higher qualifications. This paper attempts to investigate the etymology of this notion within the postcolonial framework and feminist research while drawing on a social psychology theory. Using the symbolic interactionist theory, I examine why/how the gender in which divinity is conceptualized sets the stage for stereotypes that inform a people's perception and conception of reality, thereby influencing how the attributes associated with the feminine and masculine are perceived in society. My argument is that the functionality of the symbolization process in religious myths is connected to the conscious and unconscious processes of human thought, perception, imagination, and intuition; therefore, it relates to epistemology as a means of knowledge. This makes it function dialectically and interpretively with the social processes, enabling outcomes such as the masculinization of the social reality and the internalization of non-leadership identities in women.