@phdthesis{Erlbeck2015, author = {Erlbeck, Helena}, title = {The event-related potentials Mismatch Negativity, P300, and N400: Effects of attentional modulation and application in patients with disorders of consciousness}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121041}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The present work comprises four studies dealing with the investigation of the auditory event-related potentials (ERP) Mismatch Negativity (MMN), P300, and N400 under different attentional instructions, and with their application in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) to assess residual cognitive functioning. In guided interviews (study 1), practitioners working with DOC patients stated their general interest in and an objective need for the complementation of current diagnostic procedures by reliable and valid ERP-based methods. Subsequently, in study 2, simple oddball and semantic paradigms were applied to 19 behaviorally non-responsive DOC patients revealing the presence of at least one ERP in eight patients investigated. In the third and fourth study, specific attentional effects on ERPs were investigated in healthy participants to define optimal instructions and stimulus parameters. In study 3, MMN and N400 amplitudes were assessed in 18 participants, and in study 4, MMN and P300 amplitudes were assessed in 32 participants. Both studies included an ignore task (attention on simultaneous visual stimuli), a passive task, and a focused task and revealed distinct attentional effects on P300 and N400 with largest amplitudes in the focused task, smaller ones in the passive task and no ERP in the ignore task. An MMN was elicited in all tasks, but still, amplitudes differed as a function of task. In addition, study 4 included oddball paradigms comprising several deviants in different dimensions. Higher amplitudes were found in this multifeature paradigm compared to traditional oddball paradigms and larger amplitudes were elicited by deviants highly different from standards. It is concluded that ERPs represent a promising tool to complement clinical assessment of DOC patients. Application of ERP paradigms should include focused instructions, especially when using semantic material. Furthermore, multifeature paradigms have been proven especially useful eliciting large amplitudes and allowing for the investigation of several dimensions of deviants at the same time.}, subject = {Bewusstseinsst{\"o}rung}, language = {en} } @book{Glasgow2018, author = {Glasgow, Rupert}, title = {Minimal Selfhood and the Origins of Consciousness}, edition = {1. Auflage}, publisher = {W{\"u}rzburg University Press}, address = {W{\"u}rzburg}, isbn = {978-3-95826-078-8 (Print)}, doi = {10.25972/WUP-978-3-95826-079-5}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-157470}, publisher = {W{\"u}rzburg University Press}, pages = {260}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The aim of the book is to ground the logical origins of consciousness in what I have previously called the 'minimal self'. The idea is that elementary forms of consciousness are logically dependent not, as is commonly assumed, on ownership of an anatomical brain or nervous system, but on the intrinsic reflexivity that defines minimal selfhood. The book seeks to trace the logical pathway by which minimal selfhood gives rise to the possible appearance of consciousness. It is argued that in specific circumstances it thus makes sense to ascribe elementary consciousness to certain predatory single-celled organisms such as amoebae and dinoflagellates as well as to some of the simpler animals. Such an argument involves establishing exactly what those specific circumstances are and determining how elementary consciousness differs in nature and scope from its more complex manifestations.}, subject = {Selbst}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Pohl2011, author = {Pohl, Carsten}, title = {Feature processing and feature integration in unconscious processing : A Study with chess novices and experts}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-67190}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The scope of the present work encompasses the influence of experience (i.e. expertise) for feature processing in unconscious information processing. In the introduction, I describe the subliminal priming paradigm, a method to examine how stimuli, we are not aware of, nonetheless influence our actions. The activation of semantic response categories, the impact of learned stimulus-response links, and the action triggering through programmed stimulus-response links are the main three hypotheses to explain unconscious response activation. Besides, the congruence of perceptual features can also influence subliminal priming. On the basis of the features location and form, I look at evidence that exists so far for perceptual priming. The second part of the introduction reviews the literature showing perceptual superiority of experts. This is illustrated exemplarily with three domains of expertise - playing action video games, which constitutes a general form of perceptual expertise, radiology, a more natural form of expertise, and expertise in the game of chess, which is seen as the Drosophila of psychology. In the empirical section, I report nine experiments that applied a subliminal check detection task. Experiment 1 shows subliminal response priming for chess experts but not for chess novices. Thus, chess experts are able to judge unconsciously presented chess configurations as checking or nonchecking. The results of Experiment 2 suggest that acquired perceptual chunks, and not the ability to integrate perceptual features unconsciously, was responsible for unconscious check detection, because experts' priming does not occur for simpler chess configurations which afforded an unfamiliar classification. With a more complex chess detection task, Experiment 3 indicates that chess experts are not able to process perceptual features in parallel or alternatively, that chess experts are not able to form specific expectations which are obviously necessary to elicit priming if many chess displays are applied. The aim of Experiment 4-9 was to further elaborate on unconscious processing of the single features location and form in novices. In Experiment 4 and 5, perceptual priming according the congruence of the single features location and form outperformed semantically-based response priming. Experiment 6 and 7 show that (in contrast to form priming) the observed location priming effect is rather robust and is also evident for an unexpected form or colour. In Experiment 8, location and form priming, which was additionally related to response priming, were directly compared to each other. Location priming was again stronger than form priming. Finally, Experiment 9 demonstrates that with the subliminal check detection task it is possible to induce response priming in novices when the confounding influences of location and form are absent. In the General discussion, I first summarized the findings. Second, I discuss possible underlying mechanisms of different subliminal perception in experts and novices. Third, I focus on subliminal perceptual priming in novices, especially on the impact of the features location and form. And finally, I discuss a framework, the action trigger account that integrates the different results of the present work.}, subject = {Bewusstsein}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Reuss2013, author = {Reuß, Heiko}, title = {The interplay of unconscious processing and cognitive control}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-76950}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2013}, abstract = {The aim of this study was both to investigate the influence of cognitive control on unconscious processing, and to investigate the influence of unconscious processing on cognitive control. At first, different mechanisms and accounts to explain unconscious priming are presented. Here, perceptual and motor processes, as well as stimulus-response learning, semantic categorization, and the action trigger account as theories to explain motor priming are discussed. Then, the issue of the potential limits of unconscious processing is presented. Findings that indicate that active current intentions and expertise modulate unconscious processing are illustrated. Subsequently, results that imply an influence of unconsciously presented stimuli that goes beyond motor processes are discussed, with a special focus on inhibition processes, orienting of attention, task set activation, and conflict adaptation. Then I present the results of my own empirical work. Experiment 1 shows that the effective processing of unconsciously presented stimuli depends on expertise, even when potentially confounding difference between the expert and novice groups are controlled. The results of Experiments 2 and 3 indicate that the intention to use particular stimuli is a crucial factor for the effectiveness of these stimuli when they are presented unconsciously. Additionally, these findings show that shifts of attention can be triggered by centrally presented masked arrow cues. Experiments 4 and 5 broaden these results to cue stimuli that are not inherently associated with a spatial meaning. The finding corroborate that typically endogenously controlled shifts of attention can also be induced by unconscious stimuli. Experiments 6 and 7 demonstrate that even a central cognitive control process like task set activation is not contingent on conscious awareness, but can in contrast be triggered through unconscious stimulation. Finally, these results are integrated and I discuss how the concept of cognitive control and the limits of unconscious processing may have to be reconsidered. Furthermore, potential future research possibilities in this field are presented.}, subject = {Bewusstsein}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Ziliotto2011, author = {Ziliotto, Sonia}, title = {Geographiedidaktische Analyse zum Thema "Bildung f{\"u}r nachhaltige Entwicklung". Ein Vergleich zwischen Venetien und Bayern aufgezeigt an Kinderg{\"a}rten und Grundschulen in Padua und W{\"u}rzburg}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-69380}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Bildung f{\"u}r nachhaltige Entwicklung setzt einen systematischen Ansatz voraus, der sozio{\"o}konomische Umweltaspekte in enge Beziehung zueinander setzt. Bildung f{\"u}r nachhaltige Entwicklung bedeutet also, die Komplexit{\"a}t von Ph{\"a}nomenen und deren Beziehung zueinander zu begreifen lernen und Schl{\"u}sselkompetenzen zu entwickeln, um aktiv, bewusst, verantwortungsvoll und kritisch an der Gestaltung der Gegenwart und der Zukunft teilzuhaben. Gegenstand vorliegender Forschungsarbeit ist die Bildung f{\"u}r nachhaltige Entwicklung (BNE) aus Sicht der Geographie und im internationalen Vergleich zwischen der italienischen Stadt Padua in der Region Venetien und W{\"u}rzburg in Bayern. Im Mittelpunkt stehen Aktivit{\"a}ten und Projekte, die im formalen Bereich, d.h. in Kinderg{\"a}rten und Grundschulen, und im non-formalen Bereich, wie in Vereinen, Einrichtungen, lokale K{\"o}rperschaften, durchgef{\"u}hrt wurden. Damit war die Voraussetzung geschaffen, das gesamte Spektrum an Angeboten und M{\"o}glichkeiten der Zusammenarbeit im Bereich BNE in den f{\"u}r die Fallstudie gew{\"a}hlten St{\"a}dten zu erfassen, also einschließlich der Angebote von und der Angebote an die Schulen. Dem Forschungsverfahren liegt ein Fragebogen {\"u}ber die Wertesysteme und Wertvorstellungen von Erziehern und Lehrern in Bezug auf geographische Bildung zugrunde. Dabei stellt sich unter anderem heraus, dass der Zusammenhang zwischen BNE und geographischer Bildung kaum wahrgenommen wird. Diese Feststellung best{\"a}tigt sich im weiteren Verlauf des Untersuchungsverfahrens, das sich auf die Auswertung von dreizehn, aus der Fachliteratur und aus internationalen Dokumenten ausgew{\"a}hlten und behandelten BNE-Themen konzentriert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass es in beiden St{\"a}dten und in beiden Bereichen, im formalen wie im non-formalen, " BNE-Best Practice" gibt und dass Themen mit Bezug zu Bildung zu Nachhaltigkeit gegen{\"u}ber Themen mit Bezug zu entwicklungsbezogener Bildung der Vorzug gegeben wird. Weiter geht daraus hervor, dass in erster Linie Umweltaspekte behandelt werden, gefolgt von sozialen, w{\"a}hrend {\"o}konomische Aspekte das Schlusslicht bilden. In Bezug auf das, was nachhaltige Entwicklung und BNE bedeuten, herrscht bei den Interviewpartnern ziemliche Unklarheit und ein geringes Bewusstsein. Im non-formalen Bereich T{\"a}tige wissen {\"u}ber die Grundlagen nachhaltiger Entwicklung Bescheid, bevorzugen jedoch die Bezeichnung "Umwelterziehung", weil dieser Begriff f{\"u}r die Allgemeinheit angeblich besser verst{\"a}ndlich ist. Die Mehrheit der Erzieher und Lehrer hingegen erkennt keinen Unterschied zwischen BNE und Umwelterziehung. Auch die staatlichen Lehrpl{\"a}ne und Richtlinien geben kaum Aufschluss dar{\"u}ber, was BNE ist. Manchmal wird BNE mit Umwelterziehung gleichgesetzt, dann ist sie wieder Teil davon, andere Male wird sie als Orientierungshilfe f{\"u}r Umwelterziehung empfohlen. Jedenfalls wird darin nichts anderes als Umwelterziehung damit in Verbindung gebracht. Die befragten Personen sind wesentlich mehr auf die " Praxis" als auf die " Theorie" bedacht. Sie f{\"u}hren interessante Projekte und Aktivit{\"a}ten durch, sind sich aber des theoretischen Ansatzes, der BNE zugrunde liegt und der mit dem der Geographie in gar einigen Punkten konvergent ist, nicht wirklich bewusst. In diesem Sinne erschließt vorliegende Forschungsarbeit das Potential an Synergien von BNE und geographischer Bildung. Denn einerseits k{\"o}nnte die Geographie aufschlussreiche theoretische {\"U}berlegungen und Impulse liefern, andererseits k{\"o}nnte BNE den Anstoß zur Erneuerung geographischer Bildung geben und sie damit aus der gesellschaftlichen Isolation f{\"u}hren. Solche Grund{\"u}berlegungen sollten selbstverst{\"a}ndlich auch in den Curricula - in Form der zur Verf{\"u}gung stehenden Stundenzahl - ihren Niederschlag finden.}, subject = {nachhaltige entwicklung}, language = {de} }