Phenomenological Qualities Research Articles

Details in hand: how does gesturing relate to autobiographical memory?

ABSTRACT Gestures are an integral and inseparable component of speech and people frequently use gestures when retelling their autobiographical memories. This study investigates whether gestures are associated with the retrieval of episodically and phenomenologically rich memories and how this association changes during development. Thirty-five children and 46 adults were asked to report autobiographical memories. Then, they rated the recalled memories on phenomenological qualities. Episodic and non-episodic details of autobiographical memories and representational gestures produced during memory narration were coded. The use of representational gestures was positively correlated with the episodic details of adult memories; however, the same correlation was not present in child memories. The representational gesture use was not associated with the phenomenological qualities in both groups. Gesture use may be related to the retrieval of autobiographical memories, particularly in adults capable of reporting long, coherent memories.

Autobiographical memory of blind and sighted early teenagers: Memory accessibility, episodicity and phenomenology

AbstractVisual system is crucial to autobiographical memory. Research tended to show that blind adults may compensate for the loss of visual information in retrieval of their autobiographical memories. Much less is known about how blind children's autobiographical memory develops in the absence of visual information. Using cue‐word methodology, 36 sighted and 33 blind early teenagers were asked to recall memories and subsequently rated phenomenological qualities of their memories. Retrieval latency, the number of prompts provided, episodic and non‐episodic details reported for each memory were coded. In terms of memory accessibility, the blind group recalled comparable number of memories with comparable latency to retrieve memories, but they needed more prompting. Blind participants recalled similar number of episodic details; however, they reported more extraneous details, decreasing specificity. Blind early teenagers reported higher auditory imagery, a propensity to remember events from the first‐person perspective, and a tendency to remember events as coherent stories.

Phenomenologies of loneliness: alone without you, alone without an us

Loneliness is not simply characterised by a lack of other people in one’s environment or lifeworld, but by a lack of specific forms of relationship, connection or belonging. In this paper I connect the conversation about different types of loneliness with debates happening in the philosophy of intersubjectivity, specifically the phenomenology of intersubjectivity. Philosophers of intersubjectivity tend to characterise experiences of direct encounter as having a second-personal ‘I-thou’ quality. By contrast, experiences of belonging tend to be characterised by first-person plural ‘we’ structures. In this paper I will compare and contrast some of the different phenomenological qualities that come with the absence or poverty of these two types of intersubjective structure respectively. These different types of loneliness are characterised by different phenomenological properties, but also by (the absence of) specific interpersonal and social structures. I argue that the absence of these different interpersonal structures respectively gives rise to loneliness as the experience of being unseen and loneliness as the experience of not-being-at-home. This is significant for loneliness studies, as understanding and combating loneliness is consequently likely to take variegated rather than homogeneous forms. This is particularly significant for a psychosocial approach to loneliness which seeks to understand, hold together and integrate both the structural features of loneliness (in this case the relevant interpersonal and social structures) and the lived experience of individuals and groups (in this case the phenomenology of loneliness).

Visceral Economies, Queer Dialectics: Eisenstein Meets Bataille

Abstract Mapping the encounters between Sergei Eisenstein and Georges Bataille in Paris in 1930, this essay reveals a new dimension of their respective approaches to materialism and the body, as explored, for instance, through a shared cannibalistic and visceral model of mimesis, one that operates below the visual or phenomenological qualities previously addressed by the discourse on the formless carried out by Georges Didi-Huberman, Rosalind Krauss, Yve-Alain Bois, and Annette Michelson, among others. The present text argues for the existence of something it calls a visceral economy, pointing to a specific administration and distribution of affect as an aesthetic resource. It is precisely in granting the autonomous organological reactions of attraction and repulsion a function as collective operators of materialism that Bataille and Eisenstein would each formulate and experiment with elements of this visceral economy. While both authors considered sexuality to be a critical force of materialism, Bataille ultimately presumed an essentialized and binary understanding of gender difference that provided the ground for fantasies of excess and transgression. Against this heteronormative tendency, Eisenstein's research into the forces of materialism embraced a queer dialectics, or “bisexuality,” not as an opposition of genders but as a term for a gender-undifferentiated condition.

Intensive whole-brain 7T MRI case study of volitional control of brain activity in deep absorptive meditation states.

Jhanas are profound states of mind achieved through advanced meditation, offering valuable insights into the nature of consciousness and tools to enhance well-being. Yet, its neurophenomenology remains limited due to methodological difficulties and the rarity of advanced meditation practitioners. We conducted a highly exploratory study to investigate the neurophenomenology of jhanas in an intensively sampled adept meditator case study (4hr 7T fMRI collected in 27 sessions) who performed jhana meditation and rated specific aspects of experience immediately thereafter. Linear mixed models and correlations were used to examine relations among brain activity and jhana phenomenology. We identified distinctive patterns of brain activity in specific cortical, subcortical, brainstem, and cerebellar regions associated with jhana. Furthermore, we observed correlations between brain activity and phenomenological qualities of attention, jhanic qualities, and narrative processing, highlighting the distinct nature of jhanas compared to non-meditative states. Our study presents the most rigorous evidence yet that jhana practice deconstructs consciousness, offering unique insights into consciousness and significant implications for mental health and well-being.

Bridging phenomenology and neural mechanisms of inner speech: ALE meta-analysis on egocentricity and spontaneity in a dual-mechanistic framework

The neural mechanisms of inner speech remain unclear despite its importance in a variety of cognitive processes and its implication in aberrant perceptions such as auditory verbal hallucinations. Previous research has proposed a corollary discharge model in which inner speech is a truncated form of overt speech, relying on speech production-related regions (e.g. left inferior frontal gyrus). This model does not fully capture the diverse phenomenology of inner speech and recent research suggesting alternative perception-related mechanisms of generation. Therefore, we present and test a framework in which inner speech can be generated by two separate mechanisms, depending on its phenomenological qualities: a corollary discharge mechanism relying on speech production regions and a perceptual simulation mechanism within speech perceptual regions. The results of the activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis examining inner speech studies support the idea that varieties of inner speech recruit different neural mechanisms.

Dissociations between directly and generatively retrieved autobiographical memories: evidence from ageing

ABSTRACT Autobiographical memory research has largely focused on effortful, generative retrieval processes, particularly in cognitive ageing literature. However, recent evidence has shown that autobiographical memories are often retrieved directly, without effortful retrieval processes. In the present study, we examined the retrieval characteristics and the phenomenological qualities of directly and generatively retrieved memories in younger and older adults. Participants recalled autobiographical memories in response to word-cues and reported whether each of their memories was retrieved directly (i.e., memory popped into mind) or generatively (i.e., they actively searched for it), and provided ratings for several retrieval and phenomenological characteristics. Overall, directly retrieved autobiographical memories were recalled faster and with less effort, were more recent, more frequently rehearsed, more vivid, and more positive in valence than generatively retrieved memories. Importantly, while younger adults recalled a higher number of generatively retrieved autobiographical memories than older adults, there were no age effects on the number of directly retrieved memories. We also established the parallel-form reliability of the word-cue method in eliciting autobiographical memories by comparing two sets of word-cues. The results provide novel insights on the dissociable effects of retrieval type and ageing on autobiographical memories. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

A retrospective study of negative and positive post-event processing following stressful and pleasant social interactions

Background and objectivesNegative post-event processing (PEP) is a key maintenance factor of social anxiety, but little is known about the role positive PEP, particularly in relation to situations that are not perceived as stressful. The objective was to examine negative and positive PEP following stressful and pleasant social interactions. We were also interested in how participants remembered and described the interactions. MethodsYoung adults (n = 411) recalled a recent pleasant or stressful social interaction and indicated how much negative and positive PEP they engaged in since the interaction. They also completed questionnaires measuring social anxiety and the memory's phenomenological qualities and wrote a description of the interaction. ResultsHigher social anxiety was linked with more negative and less positive PEP, regardless of whether the interaction was perceived as stressful or pleasant. Participants reporting more negative PEP used more negative words in describing the interaction and their memory was more negative and emotionally intense. Those reporting more positive PEP used more positive and less negative words in their descriptions. For stressful interactions, positive PEP was related to a more positive memory; for pleasant ones, it was related to increased emotional intensity. LimitationsLimitations included the sample type (restricted age range, non-clinical) and the retrospective, cross-sectional nature of the study. ConclusionsResults provide insight into PEP following stressful and pleasant social interactions. We also found preliminary evidence that positive PEP may be helpful and protective. Future studies may benefit from longitudinal and mixed methods designs.

How is pain associated with pelvic mesh implants measured? Refinement of the construct and a scoping review of current assessment tools

BackgroundRecommendations for the management of pain related to pelvic mesh implants are still under development. One limitation that has impeded progress in this area is that mesh-related pain has not been consistently defined or measured. Here, we reviewed the ways in which pain associated with pelvic mesh implants has been measured, and mapped the ways in which these existing measures capture the construct.MethodsFirst, we reviewed existing accounts of the pain associated with pelvic mesh implants to develop a multifaceted construct definition, which includes aspects related to pain intensity, timing, body location, phenomenological qualities, impact/interference with daily living, and patient expectations and beliefs. Next, we reviewed the ways that the construct has been measured in the extant literature.ResultsWithin 333 eligible studies, 28 different assessments of pain associated with pelvic mesh were identified, and 61% of studies reported using more than one measurement tool. Questionnaire measures included measures designed to assess urological and/or pelvic symptoms, generic measures and unvalidated measures. We did not identify any validated questionnaire measures designed to assess pain associated with pelvic mesh implants. The phenomenological, location, and expectation/belief components of the construct were not captured well by the identified questionnaire measures, and there is no evidence that any of the identified measures have appropriate psychometric properties for the assessment of pain related to pelvic mesh implants.ConclusionsWe recommend further qualitative research regarding women’s experiences of pelvic mesh-related pain assessment, and the development of a condition-specific patient reported outcome measure.

Structural correlation of phonon dynamics in Bismuth and Tellurium for the formation of Bismuth Telluride, using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy

The charge carrier and phonon dynamics are highly reliant on the material structural features, and understanding their dynamics help in interpreting the underlying phenomenological qualities of any material system. The phonon and carrier dynamics of Bi, Te, and BiTe3 thin films formed on a Si (100) wafer through thermal evaporation are discussed in this article. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis are used to characterize the structural features of these films. The dynamics of charge carriers and phonons are further determined using femtosecond ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy (UFTS). A comprehensive analysis of dynamics is carried out by performing multiple excitations probed in broad Near-Infrared (NIR) regimes. The current study would help collect the knowledge about the phonon and charge carrier dynamics of Bismuth, Tellurium, and Bismuth Telluride films for optical, spintronics, and terahertz applications.

A comparison of memories of fiction and autobiographical memories.

People consume, remember, and discuss not only memories of lived experiences, but also events from works of fiction, such as books, movies, and TV shows. We argue that these memories of fiction represent an important category of event memory, best understood within an autobiographical memory framework. How do fictional events yield psychological realities even when they are known to be invented? We explored this question in three studies by comparing the memory content, phenomenological qualities, and functional roles of naturally occurring personal memories to memories of fiction. In Studies 1 and 2, we characterized the subjective experience of memories of fiction by adapting established measures of autobiographical remembering, such as the Autobiographical Memory Questionnaire (Rubin et al., 2003), Centrality of Event Scale (Berntsen & Rubin, 2006), and items from the Thinking About Life Experiences Scale (Bluck et al., 2005; Pillemer et al., 2015). In Study 3, we investigated similarities and differences in personal memories and memories of fiction for events from childhood or the recent past. In doing so, we observed the impact of a unique property of memories of fiction: their ability to be repeatedly reexperienced in their original form. Taken together, we argue that memories of fiction can be considered similar to other forms of autobiographical remembering and describe a theoretical framework for understanding memories of fiction in the context of other event memories. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

I remember therefore I am: Episodic memory retrieval and self-reported trait empathy judgments in young and older adults and individuals with medial temporal lobe excisions

How do we know what sort of people we are? Do we reflect on specific past instances of our own behaviour, or do we just have a general idea? Previous work has emphasized the role of personal semantic memory (general autobiographical knowledge) in how we assess our own personality traits. Using a standardized trait empathy questionnaire, we show in four experiments that episodic autobiographical memory (memory for specific personal events) is associated with people's judgments of their own trait empathy. Specifically, neurologically healthy young adults rated themselves as more empathic on questionnaire items that cued episodic memories of events in which they behaved empathically. This effect, however, was diminished in people who are known to have poor episodic memory: older adults and individuals who have undergone unilateral excision of medial temporal lobe tissue (as treatment for epilepsy). Further, self-report ratings on individual questionnaire items were generally predicted by subjectively rated phenomenological qualities of the memories cued by those items, such as sensory detail, scene coherence, and overall vividness. We argue that episodic and semantic memory play different roles with respect to self-knowledge depending on life experience, the integrity of the medial temporal lobes, and whether one is assessing general abstract traits versus more concrete behaviours that embody these traits. Future research should examine different types of self-knowledge as well as personality traits other than empathy.

Phenomenological qualities of the architectural spatial environment of the samara yard

In the article the study of the Samara court was carried out in the aspect of the phenomenological approach through the categories: place, time, ritual, material. This approach significantly expands the value ideas about the architectural and spatial environment of historical Samara. Based on the analysis of phenomenological qualities, it was concluded that the Samara courtyard is an example of a place of "genuine" human habitation, which allows residents to experience their presence in this world. It organizes collective memory, determines the culture of society, produces social connections, and contributes to the realization of the needs of residents for self-identification with living space.

Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Schizophrenia, Part II: Phenomenological Qualities and Evolution.

Hallucination is defined in the diagnostic systems as an experience resembling true perception without causal stimulus. In this second report from an in-depth phenomenological study of schizophrenia patients experiencing auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs), we focused on the phenomenological qualities of AVHs. We found that a substantial proportion of patients could not clearly distinguish between thinking and hallucinating. The emotional tone of the voices increased in negativity. AVHs became more complex. Spatial localization was ambiguous and only 10% experienced only external hallucinations. There was an overlap with passivity phenomena in one third of the cases. The patients occasionally acted upon the content of AVHs. In the discussion section, we criticize the perceptual model of AVHs. We conclude that the definition of AVH in schizophrenia is misleading and exerts negative consequences on the clinical work and empirical research.

The Dam of the Damned

Over the last five decades, Italy has invested in the construction of public works as the core strategy to dynamize its less favoured regions; however, due to multiple and inherent dysfunctionalities, many of these remain half-built and abandoned today. The group of artists Alterazioni Video refer to this phenomenon as “Incompiuto” (“Incompletion” in English), coining a name for a new architectural style where the characteristic unfinished materiality speaks back to Italian idiosyncrasy. In the pursuit of existential dignity, Alterazioni Video suggest that these sites muster and reassemble metaphysical places of contemplation, thought and the imaginary. Drifting at one of its most spectacular samples (The Dam of Blufi, Sicily), the present collaboration between an architect and a writer testifies to said assertion, and celebrates the phenomenological qualities of modern ruination argued in emerging geographical literatures.

Comparing the phenomenological qualities of stimulus-independent thought, stimulus-dependent thought and dreams using experience sampling: Phenomenology of SIT, SDT, and dreams

Comparing the phenomenological qualities of stimulus-independent thought, stimulus-dependent thought and dreams using experience sampling: Phenomenology of SIT, SDT, and dreams

Experiencia perceptiva y falsos planos subjetivos en El eclipse (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1962) y Muerte en Venecia (Luchino Visconti, 1971)

Los planos subjetivos son un recurso poderoso cuando aparecen en su estructura canónica, pero también presentan un gran potencial estético cuando esta se altera para romper las expectativas del espectador. Por ejemplo, en los casos de “falso plano subjetivo” en los que el espectador se enfrenta a la necesidad de reevaluar la condición subjetiva del plano que observa al aparecer en el mismo el personaje con el que creía estar compartiendo la mirada. Todos los falsos planos subjetivos producen experiencias que comparten ciertas cualidades fenomenológicas por el modo en que actúan sobre las expectativas y la percepción del espectador. Este artículo reflexiona en torno a cuatro de estos efectos, describiendo su alcance general y profundizando en sus posibilidades expresivas a partir del análisis de sendas escenas de El eclipse (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1962) y Muerte en Venecia (Luchino Visconti, 1971).

Phenomenological characteristics and explanations of unusual perceptual experiences, thoughts and beliefs in a population sample of early adolescents

Often referred to as psychotic experiences, unusual perceptual experiences, thoughts and beliefs (UPTBs) are not uncommon in youth populations. Phenomenological studies of these experiences are lacking. This study aimed to (1) describe the phenomenological characteristics of UPTBs in a sample of young adolescents and (2) explore how young people made sense of those experiences. Participants were 53 young people aged 11-13 years from a population-based study of mental health. All met criteria for UPTBs following clinical interviews as part of the study. Documentary data on UPTBs in the form of transcribed notes, recorded during clinical interviews, were analysed using content analysis. Data on UPTBs were coded, organised into categorical themes and quantified using descriptive statistics. Qualitative themes on how participants made sense of their experiences were identified. Participants reported UPTBs across four domains: auditory verbal, auditory non-verbal, non-auditory perceptual experiences and unusual thoughts and beliefs. UPTBs were phenomenologically rich and diverse. Young people sought to make sense of their experiences in multiple ways: normalising them, externalising them by attributing them to paranormal entities and distancing them from psychiatric explanations. Uncertainty about the source of UPTBs was identified as a superordinate theme. Findings from this study offer new insights into the phenomenological qualities and characteristics of UPTBs in young adolescents. They also reveal that early adolescents may not make sense of their experiences within a psychiatric framework. These findings highlight the need to develop a more phenomenologically sensitive and nuanced approach to studying UPTBs in young people.

Lydene er musikkens græsrødder. Nogle betragtninger over lyd og rum

Sound is characterised by distinctive phenomenological qualities. It creates a ‘sound scape’ that - as space sensed through the ears - wraps itself around the listener as an intimate atmosphere, without distance and clear dimensionality. Sounds are deeply interwoven with religious symbolism, e.g. as shamans incantate or pick up the auditory signals of gods or spirits. Cultural sound control spaces. Nostalgically, the church bells filled the parish, as today the ‘holy noise’ of traffic filis the urban spaces. But noise can also be used as artistic material, as in the works of the composer Russolo or in the planned landscape opera created by Winther, Hagen and the author.

Phenomenology of Voice-Hearing in Psychosis Spectrum Disorders: a Review of Neural Mechanisms

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are a common experience for people diagnosed with psychosis spectrum disorders, often leading to distress and disability. The purpose here is to describe four common phenomenological features of AVH (negativity of content, memory, inner speech/self-monitoring, and spatial location), and review their associated neural mechanisms. Diverse phenomenological qualities of AVH have been found to be related to differing brain regions. Negative content of AVH is associated with the right Broca’s area and increased amygdala activation, whereas the hippocampus has been associated with memory/thought intrusions. AVH characteristic of inner speech is associated with self-monitoring networks. Lastly, spatial location of AVH is associated with auditory processing regions of the brain, including the dorsal stream. The vast heterogeneity of AVH suggests different neurobiological and neurocognitive underpinnings associated with the various phenomenological expressions of the experience. More imaging research is needed to understand the complexity of AVH.