Consciousness and cognitive mechanisms: theoretical and empirical investigations (a review)

Abstract

This article is an analytical review of modern studies concerning the question of interrela­tion between consciousness and high-level cognitive mechanisms, which make possible re­port of experienced subjective phenomena. This question is one of the central questions in contemporary consciousness studies. Over the past few decades, it has attracted a lot of a tention of philosophers and scientists. The answer to this question determines the choice of a methodological strategy for the study of consciousness: in one case integrated into cogni­tive science with its standard methods, and in the other case emphasizing the special nature of the problem and requiring appropriate methods for its solution. The main conceptual ar­guments and empirical evidence are considered both in favor of the conception of phenome­nal consciousness and in favor of the conception of cognitive access. It is noted that cogni­tive theories of consciousness may encounter significant difficulties in explaining emotional experience which constitute a special type of conscious states. Nevertheless, it is empha­sized that due to their close integration with cognitive science in the foreseeable future cog­nitive theories of consciousness may turn out to be more fruitful both in theoretical terms and in the domain of practical applications, whereas the conception of phenomenal con­sciousness is in danger of being empirically untestable and thus not suitable for scientific research.