Behavioural Methods in Consciousness Research

The past two decades have seen a surge of interest in the topic of consciousness, with the result that the research literature has expanded greatly. However, until now, there has been little consensus on just which methods are the most effective for the study of consciousness. As a result, a wide range of experimental paradigms have been employed, sometimes making it different to compare and contrast experimental findings.

’Behavioural methods in consciousness research’ is the first book of its kind, providing an overview of methods and approaches for studying consciousness. The chapters are written by leading researchers and experts, who describe the methods they actually use in their own studies, along with their pitfalls, problems, and difficulties.

For all students and researchers embarking on research in this area - and even seasoned researchers - this book is a valuable source of information in helping them design, perform, and analyse scientifically rigorous experiments.

Morten Overgaard, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Professor of Neuropsychology, Aarhus University and Aalborg University

Morten Overgaard is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Aarhus University and of Neuropsychology at Aalborg University. He started his career developing his own research group (Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit/CNRU) and his own approach to studying and thinking about consciousness. He has headed several national and international research projects, integrating aspects of neuroscience, psychology and philosophy in order to answer a variety of questions in basic research and clinical practice. His primary focus is however what is considered to be the perhaps most challenging research question in history: Why are we conscious? How can it be that physical processes in the brain seem to be accompanied with subjective experience?