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Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES 1.0 Consciousness in Cognitive Psychology 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Definitions 1.3 Overview of the Chapters 2.0 Introduction 2.1 Consciousness 2.1.1 Categories of Consciousness 2.1.2 Consciousness and Attention 2.1.3 Global Workspace Theory 2.1.3.1 Elements in the Model 2.1.3.2 Some Implications 2.1.4 In conclusion 2.2.1 Mysticism in Perspective 2.2.2 Describing the Mystical Experience 2.2.3 Inducing the Mystical Experience 2.2.3.1 Apophatic Mysticism 2.2.3.2 Kataphatic Mysticism 2.2.4 Arousal and the Mystical Experience 2.2.4.1 Bottom-up: Ergotropic-Trophotropic Tuning in the Autonomic Nervous System 2.2.4.2 Top-down: The Role of the Cerebral Cortex 2.2.4.2.1 Brain parts involved in Mystical Experience 2.2.4.2.2 Top-down model with Trophotropic Arousal 2.2.4.2.3 Top-down model with Ergotropic Arousal 2.2.4.2.4 Research into d'Aquili and Newberg's (1993a) Top-down model 2.2.5 In conclusion 2.3.1 Working Memory in perspective 2.3.2 Working Memory history 2.3.3 Contemporary Working Memory Theories 2.3.3.1 Age V: Working Memory as a Constraint on Language Comprehension 2.3.3.2 Age VI: Working Memory as Activation, Attention, and Expertise 2.3.3.3 Age VII: Working Memory as Multiple Components 2.3.4 Importance of Attention in Working Memory 2.3.4.1 The Prefrontal Cortex and Working Memory 2.3.5 In conclusion 2.4 Meditation and Contemporary Theatre 2.4.1 Trophotropic discipline: Tantra Yoga tradition 2.4.2 Ergotropic discipline: Grotowski's Contemporary Theatre 2.4.3 In conclusion 2.5 Conclusion 3.0 Introduction 3.1 Participants 3.1.1 Demographics 3.1.1.1 Demographics for each group 3.2 Apparatus 3.2.1 Actors and Meditators Checklists 3.2.1.1 Controls Checklist 3.2.2 Letter of Invitation 3.2.3 Informed Consent 3.2.4 Data Checklist 3.2.5 Debriefing Statement 3.2.6 Measurement 3.2.6.1 Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery 3.2.6.1.1 Intra/Extra-Dimensional Shift 3.2.6.1.2 Rapid Visual Information Processing 3.2.6.1.3 Paired Associates Learning 3.2.6.1.4 Spatial Working Memory 3.3 Procedure 3.3.1 Participants 3.3.2 Pilot Test 3.3.3 Experiment 3.3.4 Data Transformation 4.0 Introduction 4.1 Descriptive Statistics 4.1.1 Group membership, age, gender and level of education 4.1.2 Training in hours 4.2 Comparisons between Samples 4.2.1 Intra/Extra-Dimensional Shift (IED) 4.2.1.1 Stage reached in IED 4.2.1.2 Total Errors in IED 4.2.1.3 Errors at ED-Shift 4.2.1.4 Errors up to ED-Shift 4.2.2 Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVP) 4.2.2.1 Probability of Hit 4.2.2.2 Probability of False Alarm 4.2.3 Paired Associates Learning (PAL) 4.2.3.1 Total Trials 4.2.3.2 Mean Errors 4.2.4 Spatial Working Memory (SWM) 4.2.4.1 Between Errors 4.2.4.2 Strategy Score 4.3 Total training hours 5.0 Introduction 5.1 Discussion of the Methodology 5.2 Discussion of Results and their Possible Implications 5.2.1 Intra/Extra-Dimensional Shift (IED) 5.2.2 Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVP) 5.2.3 Paired Associates Learning (PAL) 5.2.4 Spatial Working Memory (SWM) 5.2.5 Amount and Quality of Training 5.3 Limitations of the Study 5.3.1 Limitations of the CANTAB 5.3.2 Limitations in the Choice of Participants 5.3.3 Limitations of the Participants' Training 5.4 Research Directions 5.5 Conclusion APPENDICES List of Tables and FiguresTable 1 Gender and age characteristics of the sample Table 2 Comparison among groups on stage reached in IED Table 3 Comparison among groups on total errors in IED Table 4 Comparison among groups on errors at ED-shift in IED Table 5 Comparison among groups on errors up to ED-shift in IED Table 6 Comparison among groups on probability of hit in RVP Table 7 Comparison among groups on probability of false alarm in RVP Table 8 Comparison among groups on total trials in PAL Table 9 Comparison among groups on mean errors in PAL Table 10 Comparison among groups on between errors in SWM Table 11 Comparison among groups strategy score in SWM Table 12 Pearson's correlations between total hours training in actors and performance on CANTAB tests Table 13 Pearson's correlations between total hours practising in meditators and performance on CANTAB tests Figure 1 Diagram representing circular continuum leading to mystical experience Figure 2 D'Aquili & Newberg's (1998) model for inducing the mystical experience Figure 3 A Schematic drawing of the neural events occurring during passive meditation Figure 4 Graph showing the level of education of participants Figure 5 Histogram showing the frequency distribution of total training hours in actors Figure 6 Histogram showing the frequency distribution of total meditation hours in meditators Figure 7 Graph of the stage reached in IED Figure 8 Graph of the stage reached in IED (Std-Score) Figure 9 Graph of the total errors in IED Figure 10 Graph of the total errors in IED (Std-Score) Figure 11 Graph of the errors at ED-shift in IED Figure 12 Graph of the errors at ED-shift IED (Std-Score) Figure 13 Graph of the errors up to ED-shift in IED Figure 14 Graph of the errors up to ED-shift in IED (Std-Score) Figure 15 Graph of the probability of hit in RVP Figure 16 Graph of the probability of hit in RVP (Std-Score) Figure 17 Graph of probability of false alarm in RVP Figure 18 Graph of probability of false alarm in RVP (Std-Score) Figure 19 Graph of total trials in PAL Figure 20 Graph of total trials in PAL (Std-Score) Figure 21 Graph of the mean errors in PAL Figure 22 Graph of mean errors in PAL (Std-Score) Figure 23 Graph of between errors in SWM Figure 24 Graph of between errors in SWM (Std-Score) Figure 25 Graph of strategy score in SWM Figure 26 Graph of strategy score in SWM (Std-Score) Figure A Display of the IED Shift Test Figure B Display of the RVP Test |
