We all recognize that moment when clarity strikes. It turns out that animals experience these enlightening moments as well. These instances may be valuable for studying consciousness, according to Ekrem Dere.
For years, scientists have been intrigued by how and where the brain creates consciousness. Professor Ekrem Dere from Ruhr University Bochum in Germany suggests a fresh method for investigating conscious cognitive processes. He proposes defining different stages of conscious cognitive processing based on behavioral observations and learning trends. “Learning often isn’t a smooth journey; instead, it happens in sudden leaps. Both humans and animals encounter unexpected realizations occasionally,” he remarks. “It seems these moments are usually preceded by conscious thought.” Dere shares his innovative approach, applicable to both humans and animals, in the upcoming July 2024 edition of Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
Varied levels of consciousness
Consciousness operates on a spectrum, not in absolutes. “There are varying degrees of consciousness depending on what we’re doing, like whether we are sleeping or composing an email,” explains Ekrem Dere, affiliated with the Mental Health Research and Treatment Center in Bochum and a member of Sorbonne Université in Paris. “At the higher end of this spectrum is the conscious cognitive processing needed to tackle complex problems.”
To explore the neurobiological aspects of these processes scientifically, a person or animal must engage in an experimental task that requires conscious cognitive processing to find a solution—importantly, there should be no predetermined answer. “Cognitive behavioral psychology has developed many such tasks over its extensive history,” says Dere. “However, the main challenge lies in the fact that a human or animal might not utilize conscious cognitive processing throughout the task.”
Eureka moment as a key indicator
To address this, Dere recommends using learning curves to identify the phases of conscious information processing over time. These curves chart performance in a specific task against the timeline. “Often, learning doesn’t improve steadily but rather in leaps or stages,” Dere clarifies. This kind of learning, which follows an insight, acts as a crucial timestamp. “At that moment of insight and in the moments leading to it, conscious cognitive information processing must have occurred,” asserts the psychologist. “With this understanding, we can apply imaging or electrophysiological techniques to monitor the brain during conscious cognitive processing by analyzing the periods just before the significant spike in learning against earlier or later moments in the task.” This approach will enable researchers to discern which brain mechanisms and regions are involved in conscious information processing.
