Visual Attention and Consciousness

Description

Consciousness is perhaps one of the greatest mysteries in the universe. This ambitious book begins with a philosophical approach to consciousness, examining some key questions such as what is meant by the term "conscious," and how this applies to vision. The book then explores major visual phenomena related to attention and conscious experience―including filling-in processes, aftereffects, multi-stability, forms of divided attention, models of visual attention, priming effects, types of attentional blindness and various visual disorders. For each phenomenon, the biological and cognitive level research is reviewed. Themes touched upon throughout are the relation between consciousness and attention, automatic vs. willful processes, singularity vs. multiplicity, and looking without seeing. The book concludes with an evolutionary approach, describing possible functions that visual consciousness may serve and how those may affect the way we see. The systematic review of key topics and the multitude of perspectives make this book an ideal primary or ancillary text for graduate courses in perception, vision, consciousness, or philosophy of mind. Cover Visual Attention and Consciousness Copyright Contents Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Introduction Themes and Chapter Organization What Is Consciousness? What Is Attention? Framing the Problem A Scientific Approach to the Study of Consciousness Chapter 2 Neural Underpinnings Structural Organization of the Visual System The Neuronal Basis of Conscious and Unconscious Vision Neural Synchrony The Neuronal Basis of Attention Problems with Studying the Neural Basis of Consciousness Chapter 3 Under Construction The Blind Spot Saccadic Suppression Illusory Contours Filling-In Perceptual Completion Chapter 4 I’m Getting Tired of This Color Aftereffects Motion Aftereffects Tilt Aftereffects Chapter 5 Same but Different Binocular Rivalry Figure–Ground Multi-stability Chapter 6 One or Many? Selective Attention Divided Attention Dorsal and Ventral Pathways Hemispheric Differences and Consciousness Chapter 7 Varieties of Visual Attention Preattentive and Attentive Processing Spotlight and Zoom Lens Models of Attention Covert and Overt Visual Attention Exogenous and Endogenous Attention Object- and Space- based Attention Chapter 8 Your Attention Please The Stroop Task The Flanker Task Salience Orienting Chapter 9 Now You See It, Now You Don’t Priming Masking Chapter 10 Looking without Seeing Attentional Blink Repetition Blindness Change Blindness Inattentional Blindness Chapter 11 The Damaged Brain: Agnosias Cerebral Achromatopsia Akinetopsia Apperceptive Agnosia Associative Agnosia Prosopagnosia Capgras Syndrome Anosognosia Chapter 12 The Damaged Brain: Other Disorders Scotomas Blindsight Neglect Extinction Balint’s Syndrome Chapter 13 Conclusion Consciousness and Evolution The Dynamic Core Hypothesis General Properties of Consciousness Integrating Models How We do It: Overcoming Obstacles References Index