Consciousness, Introspection, and Subjective Measures

Subjective measures of consciousness, often called introspective measures, are widely used but face criticism due to potential response bias. This chapter reviews the main types of subjective measures in consciousness science and examines whether they truly involve introspection. The author finds no clear answer, as proponents lack a worked-out notion of subjective access, which makes the problem of response bias harder to resolve.

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Abstract

In recent years, the divide between conscious and unconscious perception has been the focus of a thriving research area in the science of consciousness. Subjective measures, frequently referred to as ‘introspective measures’, play a prominent role in this literature and have been the subject of intense criticism. This chapter discusses the main types of subjective measures used in current-day science of consciousness. I explain the key worry about such measures, namely the problem of a putatively ever-present response bias. I then turn to the question of whether subjective measures of consciousness are introspective. I show that there is no clear answer to this question, as proponents of subjective measures do not employ a worked out notion of subjective access. In turn, as I explain, this makes the problem of response bias less tractable than it might otherwise be.