| For a rigorous study of consciousness and cognition, it is first prudent to identify normal states of cognition and awareness before assessment during alterations from the normal state. Relevant studies have been outlined in the form of a concise literature review focusing on the neurophysiological changes occurring during various states of consciousness and cognition as an introduction to the current research studies, which are presented as separate chapters in the form of independent manuscripts. It has been argued that physical and self-reports should be effectively merged to obtain objective measurement during the first person (or subjective) experience. To accomplish this, quantitative electroencephalography and various means of analyzing cerebral dynamics have been combined to assess normal states of cognition during a low cognitive demand task, as well as during deviations from this state during wilfully induced meditative states and experimentally induced altered states via electromagnetic field stimulation. Lastly, the concluding chapter will integrate the results from the separate research chapters within the framework of consciousness and cognition. |
