During auditory bistable perception, a sequence of tones can be heard either as a single stream (integrated percept) or as two parallel streams (differentiated percept). Neural recordings showed that when perceptual alternations arose spontaneously, the integrated percept corresponded to increased neural information integration and decreased neural information differentiation across frontoparietal regions, while the differentiated percept showed the opposite pattern. When perception was driven by an external change in the sound stream, neural oscillatory power distinguished between percepts but information measures did not. The findings demonstrate that integration and differentiation of conscious perception map onto theoretically motivated neural information signatures, suggesting a direct link between phenomenology and neurophysiology.
Empathy for pain involves direct bodily perception and sensation, not just mental states. In an experimental phenomenological study, 28 adults watched videos of extreme-sport accidents and then underwent phenomenological interviews. Four main themes emerged: bodily resonance (kinesthetic and affective sensations coordinated with the athlete's actions), attentional focus (either on one's own discomfort or the athlete's pain), kinesthetic motivation (avoidance or helping impulses), and temporal fluctuations in experience. Two experiential structures were identified: a self-centered empathic experience focused on personal discomfort and self-protection, and an other-centered empathic experience focused on the athlete's suffering with prosocial motivation. The findings support an enactive, embodied view of empathy and extend enactive theory to non-interactive social contexts.