The intelligence factor,g, measured correlates to the conscious access. Consciousness seen in timed response task.
Intro: Intelligence is reflected by different types of intelligence tests. The intelligence factor, g, is quite consistent across those tests.
Temporal and pitch discrimination predicts intelligence.
Higher mental ability (IQ), the faster one processes information. Can be seen in timed response tasks. (perceptual discrimination tasks).
The study of consciousness : non-consciousness vs. consciousness and why consciousness is necessary even though there are research out there on perceptual integration without conscious access.
Integration of consciousness and why it is not so simple. No such thing as 3s of present.
How can one measure subjective experience (consciousness)? Combine no report paradigm with report-based paradigm.
Hypothesis: Intelligence test scores can predict an individual’s consciousness based on the timed-response perceptual discrimination task.
Approximately 200 college students. Each individual was given a set of intelligence tasks and then a computerized task. During the computerized study, the individual was supposed to see a number that flashed really quickly at the center of the monitor. After the number has flashed, a mask followed almost immediately. Then the participant is asked if the number they saw was less than or greater than 5. The responses are measured and then analyzed along with the scores from the previous intelligence test.
Symbol coding… sees that each number is represented by a unique symbol and has to fill out the symbols corresponding to the given numbers.
Arithmetic test… word problems of scenarios are read out by the experimenter and the participant has to calculate for the correct answer mentally within 30 seconds.
Same or opposite word search…. Find either the antonym or the synonym corresponding to the given first words on each line.
Mental control task…. The participant answers the questions out loud. For example, he or she reads out the alphabets from A to Z. The response time is measured.
Results: The results from approx 200 participants support the correlation between g and consciousness. They perform better when the iq score is higher.
Discussions: Results support the hypothesis.
Concern: Levels of consciousness -> global state of consciousness (multidimensional). Measuring a single dimension of consciousness is ill-suited. Consciousness unity (Rosenthal)
Hard problems of consciousness vs. the easy problems. Hard problem = experience of consciousness and it is hard to conduct research on it.
Visual processing of consciousness. Conscious report (signal loss and response bias in visual and frontal cortex) varies with the contrast of the stimuli presented.
“For conscious detection to occur in the model, stimuli must elicit a threshold level of prefrontal activity that is sufficient for ignition; stimuli that fail to reach this level are missed.” V1 activity lessen when you miss the trials.