Urban Kordes | University of Ljubljana (original) (raw)
Papers by Urban Kordes
In experimental cognitive psychology, objects of inquiry have typically been operationalized with... more In experimental cognitive psychology, objects of inquiry have typically been operationalized with psychological tasks. If we are interested in measuring the target phenomena, we must inquire into the validity of the task; that is, to what extent does the task elicit the phenomenon in question. If we subscribe to the second view, evaluating the validity and the interpretation of the gathered data can be supplemented by understanding the experience of solving psychological tasks. The aim of the present article is to investigate how individuals experience performing a psychological task, specifically, a visuo-spatial working memory task. We present ethnographic descriptions of different ways individuals can experience the same task. We focus on aspects of experience that comprise the overall sense of experience (e.g., bodily feelings, emotional atmosphere, mood). We discuss the methodological implications of our findings and the possibility of conducting a neurophenomenology of visuo-spatial working memory.
Constructivist Foundations, 2016
I join Gasparyan’s discussion on a possibility of having a theory of consciousness without ignori... more I join Gasparyan’s discussion on a possibility of having a theory of consciousness without ignoring the intrinsic selfreferentiality of such an endeavour. My questions are: If we acknowledge the primacy of consciousness, is a theory of consciousness even possible? If so, what purpose would it serve? Explaining consciousness “from the inside” leads to some epistemological and methodological dilemmas, one of which is the encounter of phenomenal modalities that might not be accessible to explication. Gasparyan suggests that one such modality is the experience of differentiation. I try to clarify the terminology and suggest further research in this direction.
Constructivist Foundations, 2018
In agreement with Gallagher’s call to re-examine the standard neurocentric view, we situate the t... more In agreement with Gallagher’s call to re-examine the standard neurocentric view, we situate the target article within constructivist epistemology. We point to certain similarities between E-…
The study of lived experience was for a long time considered a bad career move, but recently this... more The study of lived experience was for a long time considered a bad career move, but recently this situation seems to be changing. There seems to be a growing interest and correspondingly a growing body of research in the field of empirical phenomenology (or first-person inquiry). This rise in interest seems to have caught the CogSci community.
Ars & Humanitas, Jul 11, 2012
Mestoma se kot prevod za »fl ow« uporablja beseda »zanos«, vendar se s tem prevodom ne strinjamo,... more Mestoma se kot prevod za »fl ow« uporablja beseda »zanos«, vendar se s tem prevodom ne strinjamo, ker ima jasno pozitivno čustveno komponento, ki je originalno pojmovanje fl owa (nujno) ne zajema. 2 Menimo, da prevod čuječnost, ki se občasno uporablja, ni najbolj ustrezen, saj implicira zgolj zvišano budnost, medtem ko se izraz mindfulness uporablja za zavestno usmerjanje pozornosti na zunanje in notranje dogodke, in sicer brez presojanja. Besedna zveza zavestna pozornost pa predvideva tako zavestno usmerjanje pozornosti kot golo opazovanje dogajanja, brez kakršnegakoli vrednotenja.
Series on knots and everything, Sep 14, 2017
Constructivist Foundations, 2021
Michel Bitbol offers a well-thought-out system of metaphysical coordinates. Despite the elegance ... more Michel Bitbol offers a well-thought-out system of metaphysical coordinates. Despite the elegance and soundness of the proposed system, I nevertheless have concerns about the very need for a tailor-…
Constructivist Foundations, 2018
Upshot: We begin our response by restating and clarifying the principal argument of the target ar... more Upshot: We begin our response by restating and clarifying the principal argument of the target article. We go on to focus on four main themes addressed by the commentators: (a) the question of the …
The main goal of our study is to research the experiential aspect of the enactment of belief. Our... more The main goal of our study is to research the experiential aspect of the enactment of belief. Our main assumption is that belief is not a fixed structure (representation) but is enacted every time we examine (probe) it in a more or less unique way. We consider the process of enactment of belief as a constitutive part of belief itself. The term enaction, coined by Varela, Thompson and Rosch (1991) is used, to denote the middle way between the emergence of a fixed memory, and the construction of entirely new experience. We model the enactment of belief as influenced by individual's conceptual framework and his or her perception of the particular communication situation. The influence of the latter is the principal research interest of our study. In order to research first-person experience, the study is conducted in a form of in-depth comparative phenomenological case study. Elicitation interviews (Petitmengin, 2006) are combined with are search journals of experiences of belief enactments. In the first phase of the study, the participants are asked common known pre-defined questions in order to form beliefs (i.e. what is Oedipus complex), after answering, they are asked to describe their experience of the enactment of these beliefs. In second phase, the participants become co-researchers, as they are asked to – aided by their research journals - observe their experiences in different communication situations. Journal entries are post festum examined in elicitation interview. This type of study gives insight into understanding personal epistemological view points, which are essential for the understanding of constructing individual realities. Preliminary results show considerable individual differences in the process of enactment of belief. !!References: [1] F. J. Varela, E. Thompson and E. Rosch, The embodied mind: cognitive science and human experience. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1991. [2] C. Petitmengin, “Describing one’s subjective experience in the second person: An interview method for the science of consciousness,” in Phenomenology and the Cognitive sciences, vol. 5 (3-4), S. Gallagher and D. Zahavi, Eds. Netherlands, Springer, 2006, pp. 229-269.
In Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) the focus has been traditionally on performance and functiona... more In Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) the focus has been traditionally on performance and functionality, called usability. Only recently the concept of user satisfaction has been brought from a mere addition to usability into the centre of the focus. It has been transformed into the notion of user experience, which comprises more than user satisfaction. This opened up a new strand of HCI research. This strand is not well defined yet and under rapid development. Despite discussions whether user experience encloses usability or vice versa (“old wine in new bottles”) or criticising engineering as still clinging to functionalism there is also a vivid discussion in progress how to approach the design for or the evaluation of user experience. Or to put it differently, how the phenomenon should be researched. There are at least two approaches that are competing and are viewed by their proponents as more or less opposing. One philosophy of thought is based on cognitive psychology and tries to model (abstract) user experience. The other one is based on phenomenology and ethnography and uses descriptive and dialogical (in-depth) methods. Although some (e.g. [3]) emphasize the need for a unified view in researching user experience there is no method yet that would provide such a view. The question remains open if it would be desirable to have one. In the abstract approach considered here Marc Hassenzahl [2] uses James Russell’s account on emotional experience, hierarchical goals and related action theories to develop his own model of user experience, which allows the classification of product attributes on a hedonic (emotional) and pragmatic (task-oriented) dimension. For his account Hassenzahl stays heavily grounded in psychological research and its methods while also hinting at a possible extension with in-depth approaches. In their (competing) in-depth approach Peter Wright and John McCarthy [1] use John Dewey's pragmatist philosophy of experience and Mikhail Bakhtin's account of dialogue as grounding to develop their approach towards experience centred design, which emphasizes rich descriptions and dialogue between users and designers. Both accounts start from the same premise. That is, it is not enough to focus on performance only. This is basically what usability did so far. Furthermore, user experience is not very different from experience in general. Admittedly, this is not so difficult to agree on. Then they go on and develop quite different approaches, although there is overlap. On its own each method has issues in terms of applicability, validity and reliability. For example, the in-depth approach is hard to grasp and difficult to use in practice. There are problems with repeating studies and experiments and generalizing results or in other words, problems with reliability. On the other hand, the abstract approach tries to model user experience and can therefore be questioned in terms of validity or if the phenomenon is correctly measured. The aim of this thesis is to use two methods, abstract and in-depth, to evaluate user experience for a specific interactive technology (a web based real estate search engine). The results of this evaluation study are to be discussed and compared from methodological, epistemological and application viewpoints. Sometimes both philosophies of thought are already implicitly and in parts used together in the design process. Despite that, I am not aware of a review on complementary use of the two approaches. I believe that it is possible to use both together, the level and degree of possible overlap has to be explicated. Both approaches could complement each other in such a way that the individual weaknesses are covered. In other words, does the combination of both approaches add additional value to the evaluation compared to the usage of only one? However, one has to be careful here. It is not clear if a combined method is fruitful, that means if it is beneficial and practical. In addition, there are also some epistemological problems. Two different bodies of knowledge are used together, so one has to be careful which conclusions to draw from this combined use. Furthermore, both philosophies of thought are characterized by a certain attitude or position towards doing science. Here the question is if this attitude is inherent in the method or if the methods can be used together with the same attitude. The specific methodology for the evaluation study has still to be devised. It will consist of experience sampling, interviews and questionnaires. Participants have to be selected carefully. They should be interested in the product (e.g. are searching for a flat). Preferably, there will be no fixed tasks that have to be carried out by participants, but that depends on the available functionality of the prototype. For the abstract approach participants will have several encounters with the system and afterwards have to fill out a questionnaire (e.g. AttrakDiff), which is also able to…
The second challenge that my proposal represents is that of a call for transforming the style and... more The second challenge that my proposal represents is that of a call for transforming the style and values of the research community itself. Unless we accept that at this point in intellectual and scientific history that some radical re-learning is necessary, we cannot hope to move forward in the compulsive history of the ambivalent rejection-fascination with consciousness in philosophy of mind and cognitive science. My proposal implies that every good student of cognitive science who is also interested in issues at the level of mental experience, must inescapably attain a level of mastery in phenomenological examination in order to work seriously with first-person accounts. But this can only happen when the entire community adjusts itself to the corresponding acceptance of arguments, refereeing standards and editorial policies in major scientific journals, that can make this added competence an important dimension of a young researcher. To the long-standing tradition of objectivist science this sounds like anathema, and it is. But this is not a betrayal of science: it is a necessary extension and complement. Science and experience constrain and modify each other as in a dance. This is where the potential for transformation lies. It is also the key for the difficulties this position has found within the scientific community. It requires us to leave behind a certain image of how science is done, and to question a style of training in science which is part of the very fabric of our cultural identity. Vaja: Kako doživljam ta paradižnik? 44 Kaj opazimo? 45 ★ utelešenost, povezanost čutov ★ intersubjektivno, socialno, kulturno ★ praktična in teoretska drža ★ občutek, da je to resničen paradižnik ★ struktura in dinamika vidnega zaznavanja ★ občutek možnosti ★ utelešenost Kaj opazimo? 46 Fenomenologija vs. razlaganje doživljanja v kognitivni znanosti
Constructivist Foundations, 2020
I critically examine possible advantages of the introduction of a “naturalistic” setting to empir... more I critically examine possible advantages of the introduction of a “naturalistic” setting to empirical phenomenological inquiry. As an alternative, I suggest taking the sum of factors …
The present thematic issue of INDECS is dedicated to cognitive science, especially to the rapidly... more The present thematic issue of INDECS is dedicated to cognitive science, especially to the rapidly growing field of consciousness research. Some of the contributions were presented in shorter version at the International multiconference Information Society (2017 and 2016), that is traditionally held in October in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Constructivist Foundations, 2016
Asian Studies, Aug 10, 2016
The article highlights some of the parallels encountered in the areas of mindfulness and first-pe... more The article highlights some of the parallels encountered in the areas of mindfulness and first-person scientific approaches to research into consciousness. It thus considers the possibilities of using mindfulness as a scientific method in the area of cognitive science. We are well aware that both first-person research approaches in cognitive science and mindfulness as a type of Buddhist practice are intertwined with certain conceptual frameworks. This calls for a careful consideration of their individual characteristics, which may gain completely different meanings outside of their primary contexts. Since the concept of mindfulness has been a part of Western thinking for some time now, especially in the area of therapy, we believe it is necessary for a critical reflection on the possibilities of both of these areas to inspire each other. We touch upon some of the important epistemological and methodological questions, and point out some of the problems common to both empirical first-person research and Buddhist methods of contemplation of experience. More specifically, this work examines the problem of limited scope of insight, the subject-object split and excavation fallacy, the problem of researching everyday experience, and the issue of horizon. We also consider the question of research intention in both science and Buddhism. The conclusion gives some suggestions as to how these two areas might mutually benefit one another. We also point out the ethical aspects that Buddhism might contribute to scientific research, and the open-endedness that science could contribute to Buddhism and other spiritual practices.
The study of individual experience during the performance of a psychological task using a phenome... more The study of individual experience during the performance of a psychological task using a phenomenological approach is a relatively new area of research. The aim of this paper was to combine first- and third-person approaches to investigate whether the strategies individuals use during a working memory task are associated with specific task conditions, whether the strategies combine to form stable patterns, and whether the use of specific strategies is related to task accuracy. Thirty-one participants took part in an experiment in which they were instructed to remember colors, orientations, or positions of stimuli presented in a change detection task. After every few trials, participants took part in an in-depth phenomenological interview in which they described their experiences during the trial that immediately preceded the interview. Qualitative analysis revealed a set of 18 strategies that participants used while performing the task, which we divided into active and passive stra...
Socialna pedagogika, 2012
Constructivist Foundations, 2017
In an attempt to understand its presuppositions, the commentary takes a closer look at the model ... more In an attempt to understand its presuppositions, the commentary takes a closer look at the model proposed by the target article. By analysing the interactions between conscious agents, the model tries to derive the enaction of a spacetime framework. A critical examination of the ontological status of the involved entities indicates inconsistencies, especially at the adoption of viewpoints. It seems that despite the model’s being supposedly grounded on the primacy of consciousness, this characteristic is not immediately apparent. The commentary proposes an even more radical adoption of the first-person point of view.
Constructivist Foundations, 2016
Solomonova and Sha propose a research programme for the study of dreaming based on the theoretica... more Solomonova and Sha propose a research programme for the study of dreaming based on the theoretical framework of enactivism. This commentary intends to demonstrate several unclear points connected to the theoretical framework applied and the proposed methodological solutions. By considering the potential reach of various phenomenological approaches in the research of dreams, I intend to show that taking a more radical phenomenological position might further support the authors’ intention to de-pathologise the research of dreams and, even more importantly, might open up a significant new testing ground for the research of lived human experience.
In experimental cognitive psychology, objects of inquiry have typically been operationalized with... more In experimental cognitive psychology, objects of inquiry have typically been operationalized with psychological tasks. If we are interested in measuring the target phenomena, we must inquire into the validity of the task; that is, to what extent does the task elicit the phenomenon in question. If we subscribe to the second view, evaluating the validity and the interpretation of the gathered data can be supplemented by understanding the experience of solving psychological tasks. The aim of the present article is to investigate how individuals experience performing a psychological task, specifically, a visuo-spatial working memory task. We present ethnographic descriptions of different ways individuals can experience the same task. We focus on aspects of experience that comprise the overall sense of experience (e.g., bodily feelings, emotional atmosphere, mood). We discuss the methodological implications of our findings and the possibility of conducting a neurophenomenology of visuo-spatial working memory.
Constructivist Foundations, 2016
I join Gasparyan’s discussion on a possibility of having a theory of consciousness without ignori... more I join Gasparyan’s discussion on a possibility of having a theory of consciousness without ignoring the intrinsic selfreferentiality of such an endeavour. My questions are: If we acknowledge the primacy of consciousness, is a theory of consciousness even possible? If so, what purpose would it serve? Explaining consciousness “from the inside” leads to some epistemological and methodological dilemmas, one of which is the encounter of phenomenal modalities that might not be accessible to explication. Gasparyan suggests that one such modality is the experience of differentiation. I try to clarify the terminology and suggest further research in this direction.
Constructivist Foundations, 2018
In agreement with Gallagher’s call to re-examine the standard neurocentric view, we situate the t... more In agreement with Gallagher’s call to re-examine the standard neurocentric view, we situate the target article within constructivist epistemology. We point to certain similarities between E-…
The study of lived experience was for a long time considered a bad career move, but recently this... more The study of lived experience was for a long time considered a bad career move, but recently this situation seems to be changing. There seems to be a growing interest and correspondingly a growing body of research in the field of empirical phenomenology (or first-person inquiry). This rise in interest seems to have caught the CogSci community.
Ars & Humanitas, Jul 11, 2012
Mestoma se kot prevod za »fl ow« uporablja beseda »zanos«, vendar se s tem prevodom ne strinjamo,... more Mestoma se kot prevod za »fl ow« uporablja beseda »zanos«, vendar se s tem prevodom ne strinjamo, ker ima jasno pozitivno čustveno komponento, ki je originalno pojmovanje fl owa (nujno) ne zajema. 2 Menimo, da prevod čuječnost, ki se občasno uporablja, ni najbolj ustrezen, saj implicira zgolj zvišano budnost, medtem ko se izraz mindfulness uporablja za zavestno usmerjanje pozornosti na zunanje in notranje dogodke, in sicer brez presojanja. Besedna zveza zavestna pozornost pa predvideva tako zavestno usmerjanje pozornosti kot golo opazovanje dogajanja, brez kakršnegakoli vrednotenja.
Series on knots and everything, Sep 14, 2017
Constructivist Foundations, 2021
Michel Bitbol offers a well-thought-out system of metaphysical coordinates. Despite the elegance ... more Michel Bitbol offers a well-thought-out system of metaphysical coordinates. Despite the elegance and soundness of the proposed system, I nevertheless have concerns about the very need for a tailor-…
Constructivist Foundations, 2018
Upshot: We begin our response by restating and clarifying the principal argument of the target ar... more Upshot: We begin our response by restating and clarifying the principal argument of the target article. We go on to focus on four main themes addressed by the commentators: (a) the question of the …
The main goal of our study is to research the experiential aspect of the enactment of belief. Our... more The main goal of our study is to research the experiential aspect of the enactment of belief. Our main assumption is that belief is not a fixed structure (representation) but is enacted every time we examine (probe) it in a more or less unique way. We consider the process of enactment of belief as a constitutive part of belief itself. The term enaction, coined by Varela, Thompson and Rosch (1991) is used, to denote the middle way between the emergence of a fixed memory, and the construction of entirely new experience. We model the enactment of belief as influenced by individual's conceptual framework and his or her perception of the particular communication situation. The influence of the latter is the principal research interest of our study. In order to research first-person experience, the study is conducted in a form of in-depth comparative phenomenological case study. Elicitation interviews (Petitmengin, 2006) are combined with are search journals of experiences of belief enactments. In the first phase of the study, the participants are asked common known pre-defined questions in order to form beliefs (i.e. what is Oedipus complex), after answering, they are asked to describe their experience of the enactment of these beliefs. In second phase, the participants become co-researchers, as they are asked to – aided by their research journals - observe their experiences in different communication situations. Journal entries are post festum examined in elicitation interview. This type of study gives insight into understanding personal epistemological view points, which are essential for the understanding of constructing individual realities. Preliminary results show considerable individual differences in the process of enactment of belief. !!References: [1] F. J. Varela, E. Thompson and E. Rosch, The embodied mind: cognitive science and human experience. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1991. [2] C. Petitmengin, “Describing one’s subjective experience in the second person: An interview method for the science of consciousness,” in Phenomenology and the Cognitive sciences, vol. 5 (3-4), S. Gallagher and D. Zahavi, Eds. Netherlands, Springer, 2006, pp. 229-269.
In Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) the focus has been traditionally on performance and functiona... more In Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) the focus has been traditionally on performance and functionality, called usability. Only recently the concept of user satisfaction has been brought from a mere addition to usability into the centre of the focus. It has been transformed into the notion of user experience, which comprises more than user satisfaction. This opened up a new strand of HCI research. This strand is not well defined yet and under rapid development. Despite discussions whether user experience encloses usability or vice versa (“old wine in new bottles”) or criticising engineering as still clinging to functionalism there is also a vivid discussion in progress how to approach the design for or the evaluation of user experience. Or to put it differently, how the phenomenon should be researched. There are at least two approaches that are competing and are viewed by their proponents as more or less opposing. One philosophy of thought is based on cognitive psychology and tries to model (abstract) user experience. The other one is based on phenomenology and ethnography and uses descriptive and dialogical (in-depth) methods. Although some (e.g. [3]) emphasize the need for a unified view in researching user experience there is no method yet that would provide such a view. The question remains open if it would be desirable to have one. In the abstract approach considered here Marc Hassenzahl [2] uses James Russell’s account on emotional experience, hierarchical goals and related action theories to develop his own model of user experience, which allows the classification of product attributes on a hedonic (emotional) and pragmatic (task-oriented) dimension. For his account Hassenzahl stays heavily grounded in psychological research and its methods while also hinting at a possible extension with in-depth approaches. In their (competing) in-depth approach Peter Wright and John McCarthy [1] use John Dewey's pragmatist philosophy of experience and Mikhail Bakhtin's account of dialogue as grounding to develop their approach towards experience centred design, which emphasizes rich descriptions and dialogue between users and designers. Both accounts start from the same premise. That is, it is not enough to focus on performance only. This is basically what usability did so far. Furthermore, user experience is not very different from experience in general. Admittedly, this is not so difficult to agree on. Then they go on and develop quite different approaches, although there is overlap. On its own each method has issues in terms of applicability, validity and reliability. For example, the in-depth approach is hard to grasp and difficult to use in practice. There are problems with repeating studies and experiments and generalizing results or in other words, problems with reliability. On the other hand, the abstract approach tries to model user experience and can therefore be questioned in terms of validity or if the phenomenon is correctly measured. The aim of this thesis is to use two methods, abstract and in-depth, to evaluate user experience for a specific interactive technology (a web based real estate search engine). The results of this evaluation study are to be discussed and compared from methodological, epistemological and application viewpoints. Sometimes both philosophies of thought are already implicitly and in parts used together in the design process. Despite that, I am not aware of a review on complementary use of the two approaches. I believe that it is possible to use both together, the level and degree of possible overlap has to be explicated. Both approaches could complement each other in such a way that the individual weaknesses are covered. In other words, does the combination of both approaches add additional value to the evaluation compared to the usage of only one? However, one has to be careful here. It is not clear if a combined method is fruitful, that means if it is beneficial and practical. In addition, there are also some epistemological problems. Two different bodies of knowledge are used together, so one has to be careful which conclusions to draw from this combined use. Furthermore, both philosophies of thought are characterized by a certain attitude or position towards doing science. Here the question is if this attitude is inherent in the method or if the methods can be used together with the same attitude. The specific methodology for the evaluation study has still to be devised. It will consist of experience sampling, interviews and questionnaires. Participants have to be selected carefully. They should be interested in the product (e.g. are searching for a flat). Preferably, there will be no fixed tasks that have to be carried out by participants, but that depends on the available functionality of the prototype. For the abstract approach participants will have several encounters with the system and afterwards have to fill out a questionnaire (e.g. AttrakDiff), which is also able to…
The second challenge that my proposal represents is that of a call for transforming the style and... more The second challenge that my proposal represents is that of a call for transforming the style and values of the research community itself. Unless we accept that at this point in intellectual and scientific history that some radical re-learning is necessary, we cannot hope to move forward in the compulsive history of the ambivalent rejection-fascination with consciousness in philosophy of mind and cognitive science. My proposal implies that every good student of cognitive science who is also interested in issues at the level of mental experience, must inescapably attain a level of mastery in phenomenological examination in order to work seriously with first-person accounts. But this can only happen when the entire community adjusts itself to the corresponding acceptance of arguments, refereeing standards and editorial policies in major scientific journals, that can make this added competence an important dimension of a young researcher. To the long-standing tradition of objectivist science this sounds like anathema, and it is. But this is not a betrayal of science: it is a necessary extension and complement. Science and experience constrain and modify each other as in a dance. This is where the potential for transformation lies. It is also the key for the difficulties this position has found within the scientific community. It requires us to leave behind a certain image of how science is done, and to question a style of training in science which is part of the very fabric of our cultural identity. Vaja: Kako doživljam ta paradižnik? 44 Kaj opazimo? 45 ★ utelešenost, povezanost čutov ★ intersubjektivno, socialno, kulturno ★ praktična in teoretska drža ★ občutek, da je to resničen paradižnik ★ struktura in dinamika vidnega zaznavanja ★ občutek možnosti ★ utelešenost Kaj opazimo? 46 Fenomenologija vs. razlaganje doživljanja v kognitivni znanosti
Constructivist Foundations, 2020
I critically examine possible advantages of the introduction of a “naturalistic” setting to empir... more I critically examine possible advantages of the introduction of a “naturalistic” setting to empirical phenomenological inquiry. As an alternative, I suggest taking the sum of factors …
The present thematic issue of INDECS is dedicated to cognitive science, especially to the rapidly... more The present thematic issue of INDECS is dedicated to cognitive science, especially to the rapidly growing field of consciousness research. Some of the contributions were presented in shorter version at the International multiconference Information Society (2017 and 2016), that is traditionally held in October in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Constructivist Foundations, 2016
Asian Studies, Aug 10, 2016
The article highlights some of the parallels encountered in the areas of mindfulness and first-pe... more The article highlights some of the parallels encountered in the areas of mindfulness and first-person scientific approaches to research into consciousness. It thus considers the possibilities of using mindfulness as a scientific method in the area of cognitive science. We are well aware that both first-person research approaches in cognitive science and mindfulness as a type of Buddhist practice are intertwined with certain conceptual frameworks. This calls for a careful consideration of their individual characteristics, which may gain completely different meanings outside of their primary contexts. Since the concept of mindfulness has been a part of Western thinking for some time now, especially in the area of therapy, we believe it is necessary for a critical reflection on the possibilities of both of these areas to inspire each other. We touch upon some of the important epistemological and methodological questions, and point out some of the problems common to both empirical first-person research and Buddhist methods of contemplation of experience. More specifically, this work examines the problem of limited scope of insight, the subject-object split and excavation fallacy, the problem of researching everyday experience, and the issue of horizon. We also consider the question of research intention in both science and Buddhism. The conclusion gives some suggestions as to how these two areas might mutually benefit one another. We also point out the ethical aspects that Buddhism might contribute to scientific research, and the open-endedness that science could contribute to Buddhism and other spiritual practices.
The study of individual experience during the performance of a psychological task using a phenome... more The study of individual experience during the performance of a psychological task using a phenomenological approach is a relatively new area of research. The aim of this paper was to combine first- and third-person approaches to investigate whether the strategies individuals use during a working memory task are associated with specific task conditions, whether the strategies combine to form stable patterns, and whether the use of specific strategies is related to task accuracy. Thirty-one participants took part in an experiment in which they were instructed to remember colors, orientations, or positions of stimuli presented in a change detection task. After every few trials, participants took part in an in-depth phenomenological interview in which they described their experiences during the trial that immediately preceded the interview. Qualitative analysis revealed a set of 18 strategies that participants used while performing the task, which we divided into active and passive stra...
Socialna pedagogika, 2012
Constructivist Foundations, 2017
In an attempt to understand its presuppositions, the commentary takes a closer look at the model ... more In an attempt to understand its presuppositions, the commentary takes a closer look at the model proposed by the target article. By analysing the interactions between conscious agents, the model tries to derive the enaction of a spacetime framework. A critical examination of the ontological status of the involved entities indicates inconsistencies, especially at the adoption of viewpoints. It seems that despite the model’s being supposedly grounded on the primacy of consciousness, this characteristic is not immediately apparent. The commentary proposes an even more radical adoption of the first-person point of view.
Constructivist Foundations, 2016
Solomonova and Sha propose a research programme for the study of dreaming based on the theoretica... more Solomonova and Sha propose a research programme for the study of dreaming based on the theoretical framework of enactivism. This commentary intends to demonstrate several unclear points connected to the theoretical framework applied and the proposed methodological solutions. By considering the potential reach of various phenomenological approaches in the research of dreams, I intend to show that taking a more radical phenomenological position might further support the authors’ intention to de-pathologise the research of dreams and, even more importantly, might open up a significant new testing ground for the research of lived human experience.
In 2008, fourteen participants in Semir Zeki's neuroimaging laboratory at the University College ... more In 2008, fourteen participants in Semir Zeki's neuroimaging laboratory at the University College London were placed in a scanner and shown a series of 200 abstract paintings. The images were presented in two different contexts. As the participants were told, half of them, presented with the label 'gallery', were artworks from a prestigious Danish gallery. The other half, presented with the label 'computer', were produced by researchers themselves using Photoshop software (Kirk, Skov, Hulme, Christensen & Zeki 2009). For each of the paintings, the participants were asked to rate its aesthetic value on a scale from 1 ("very unappealing") to 5 ("very appealing"). What they did not know, however, was that the presented images did not pertain to two different sources: all of them were in fact drawn from the same database of abstract paintings, and the 'gallery' and 'computer' labels were assigned to them by random chance. The intended trick was successful: on average, the participants rated the paintings labelled as gallery artworks as significantly more appealing than those with the computer label. According to the authors of the study, this behavioral result confirmed their hypothesis that the presentation of an image in the gallery context induces a "greater expectation of [its] hedonic value" (Kirk et al. 2009: 1130) than the presentation of the same image as computer-generated. How does this contextual modulation of participants' aesthetic ratings come about?