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Measures of Consciousness and the Method of Qualitative Differences

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Consciousness as a Scientific Concept

Part of the book series: Studies in Brain and Mind ((SIBM,volume 5))

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Abstract

Given the problems associated with a range of subjective measures of consciousness, objective measures are considered here. Again, they are argued to be dubious measures of consciousness. Of most interest however are methodological proposals of how to identify an unproblematic measure of consciousness. These include searching for qualitative differences in task performance, and the related strategy of process dissociation, which relies on associating consciousness with control. While these methods were proposed as ways to get around the debates surrounding subjective and objective measures of consciousness, it is argued that they fail to do so. The suggestion of matching objective and subjective measures of consciousness to phenomenal and access consciousness are also rejected. This points to a significant methodological problem in identifying measures of consciousness, developed further in the next chapter.

This chapter contains parts of ‘Signal detection theory, the exclusion failure paradigm and weak consciousness—Evidence for the access/phenomenal distinction?’ from Consciousness and Cognition, Vol. 18, E. Irvine, pp. 551–560, Copyright 2009. Reprinted with permission from Elsevier.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany

    Elizabeth Irvine

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  1. Elizabeth Irvine
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Correspondence to Elizabeth Irvine .

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Irvine, E. (2013). Measures of Consciousness and the Method of Qualitative Differences. In: Consciousness as a Scientific Concept. Studies in Brain and Mind, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5173-6_3

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