Julian Jaynes Society
 



Reflections on the Dawn of Consciousness

Articles Related to Jaynes's Bicameral Mind Theory

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Articles Referencing/Related to Jaynes's Bicameral Mind Theory

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Ambidexterity and Magical Ideation
Barnett K.J., Corballis M. 2002. Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain, and Cognition, 7(1): 75-84
In a sample of 250 healthy undergraduate students, scores on a scale of magical ideation rose to a peak at the point of ambilaterality on a scale of hand preference, and fell away with increasing right- or left-handedness. This effect mirrors that reported by Crow, Crow, Done, and Leask (1998) who found a dip in academic abilities at the point of ambilaterality, or what they call ''the point of hemispheric indecision''. We relate these findings to genetic theories of laterality in which one allele (RS+) codes for left-cerebral dominance while the other (RS-) leaves laterality to chance. RS-- homozygotes may be susceptible to a lack of dominance, resulting in a disposition to magical ideation and an increased risk of schizophrenia, but also enhanced creativity and lateral thinking.

Caring for the Psyche: Classical Origins and Modern Paradigms
Bemporad, Jules. 1996. Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis, 24:353-363

Cerebral Glucography with Positron Tomography: Use In Normal Subjects and In Patients with Schizophrenia
Buchsbaum, M. S.; Ingvar, D. H.; Kessler, R.; Waters, R. N.; Cappelletti, J.; et al. 1982. Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol. 39: 251-259

The K'og 'To Dead Father' Hypothesis
Carr, Michael. 1989. Journal of Liberal Arts, 77: 51-117

Demons, Doubles, and Dinosaurs: Life before Man, The Origin of Consciousness, and 'The Icicle'
Carrington, Ildiko de Papp. 1986. Essays on Canadian Writing, Fall, Vol. 33

The Role of Language in Intelligence
Dennett, Daniel. 1984. in What is Intelligence?, The Darwin College Lectures, ed. Jean Khalfa, Cambridge, Cambridge Univ. Press.

Faith: The Fifth Psychological Need?
Dennis, Brent G. 1989. Journal for Reality Therapy, Spring, Vol. 8 (2): 39-56
Argues that new discoveries in brain science suggest that faith may be another basic human need in addition to the needs of belonging, power, fun, and freedom suggested by W. Glasser (1986). The author briefly discusses brain structure and some major events in brain science, including the study of a weakened frontal-limbic connection in a 25-year old man; the frontal lobe surgery of A. Moniz; the split-brain discoveries of R. Sperry; and the brain stimulation discoveries of W. Penfield. In discussing the modular organization theory of M. S. Gazzaniga (1988) and the bicameral mind theory of J. Jaynes (1977), the author suggests that brain structure and physiology may contribute to the existence of spiritual beliefs.

The Evolution of Childhood Reconsidered
Ebel, Henry. 1977. Journal of Psychohistory, Vol. 5 (1): 67-80

Laterlized Temporal-Limbic Dysfunction and Psychopathology
Flor-Henry, P. 1976. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 28: 777-795.

The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind (Book Review)
Forrest, David V. 2002. American Journal of Psychiatry, September, 159: 1615 - 1616.

Poetry as Right-Hemispheric Language
Kane, Julie. 2004. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 11, No. 5-6: 21-59

Consciousness, Mental Imagery, and Action
Marks, D.F. 1999. British Journal of Psychology, 90(4): 567 - 585
This article is founded on the bold claim that mental imagery is a basic building block of all consciousness. Conscious mental imagery is reported in association with waking, dreaming and intermediate states of consciousness. Meta-cognitive theory claims that the individual may be treated as an imperfect measuring device of his or her own consciousness. This is supported by the evidence on the psychological correlates of imagery vividness reported using the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) (Marks, 1973). Meta-analysis of 150 studies has demonstrated high levels of reliability, content validity and criterion validity (McKelvie, 1995 a, b). This analysis demonstrates that under controlled conditions, verbal reports provide reliable and valid measures of conscious experience. The activity cycle theory of conscious imagery claims that a primary function of consciousness is the mental rehearsal of adaptive, goal-directed action through the experimental manipulation of perceptual-motor imagery. As predicted by this theory, the meta-analysis shows that the vividness of conscious mental imagery is strongly associated with precisely those performances most likely to benefit from the use of perceptual-motor imagery and mental practice. The theory helps to explain the existence and function of conscious experience.

Personality and Consciousness: A Theoretical Essay
Natsoulas, Thomas. 1984. Cognition and Brain Theory, Spring, Vol 7 (2): 135-166
Introduces a concept of conscious personality that refers to the distinctive, subjective organization of a person's personal consciousness. Consciousness is discussed in relation to the ability to identify with one's mental life, categorize mental episodes, relate segments of this mental life in a maximally meaningful way, relate mental episodes to their causes and effects, and use these contents to acquire knowledge. The nature of the basic ingredients of personal consciousness is considered in relation to H. A. Murray's (1936, 1938) description of regnant processes, and differing views on the property of consciousness are reviewed. The depreciation of consciousness in modern psychology is examined, with particular reference to the position of J. Jaynes (1976).

Incremental Improvement of Dichotic Left Ear Accuracy and Toe Gnosis Between 9 and 10 Years of Age: Implications for Maturation of a Portion of the Corpus Callosum and of the Sense of Self
Persinger, M.A., Moulden, J.A., P.M. Richards, P.M. 1999. Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain, and Cognition, 4(4): 379-387
Analyses of the data from 212 boys and girls, aged 7-14 years, demonstrated a relatively abrupt and permanent decrease in the numbers of errors for dichotic (left ear) word listening and for toe gnosis after the ninth year. This pattern was not observed for right ear errors, finger gnosis, or indices of finger and foot agility. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that the final differentiation of the paracentral lobules and adjacent corpus callosum by the most distal portions of the Anterior Cerebral Artery occurs around 9 or 10 years of age. Implications for the development of the sense of self, enhanced apprehension, and "the sense of a presence" are discussed.

Invisible Playmates
Pines, M. 1978. Psychology Today, 12: 38-42

The Retrieval of Memory in Early Infancy
Rovee-Collier, Carolyn K. and Fagen, Jeffrey W. 1981. Advances in Infancy Research, Vol. 1: 225-254
Describes a learning analysis approach to the study of infant memory and the research it has inspired. The retrieval of memory and factors that promote retention is focused on, and forgetting as a retrieval failure rather than a memory deficit is discussed. Evidence is provided for a mechanism by which infants demonstrate the cumulative effects of prior experiences and by which early experiences may influence later behavior. It is argued that infants retrieve memories of past events through encounters with contextual cues that were previously noticed. It is demonstrated that manipulation of these cues can alleviate forgetting after quite lengthy retention intervals. Findings challenge interpretations that presume loss of information from storage and confirm the suggestion of B. A. Campbell and J. Jaynes that reinstatement is a potent mechanism by which the effects of early experiences continue to influence behavior after lengthy time periods.

Why Neanderthals Hate Poetry: A Critical Notice of Steven Mithen's The Prehistory of Mind
Sarnecki, J. and Sponheimer, M. 2002. Philosophical Psychology, 15(2): 173-184.

Religion: Is It All In Your Head?
Talan, Jamie. 1998. Psychology Today, April, Vol. 31 (2): 9
Vilayanur Ramachandran, M.D., a neurologist, believes that somewhere in the brain's temporal lobes there may be neural circuitry for religious experience; he points to the fact that about 25 percent of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy are obsessed with religion. He thinks that these patients' seizures caused damage to the pathway that connects two areas of the brain: the one that recognizes sensory information and the one that gives such information emotional context.

A Research Note on Becoming What We Do in Career Development
Tiedeman, David V. 1978. Vocational Guidance Quarterly, June, Vol. 26 (4): 361-364
In context of the breakdown of the bicameral mind, evidence is noted suggesting that we lose courage to aspire to higher levels of occupational responsibility during late adolescence as we fail to decide how to use our study time. 68 students completed the Individual Career Exploration (ICE), a classification scheme for occupational preferences that also yields information on occupational responsibility level, and recorded for 1 wk how they used their time. Findings showed that 18 high-responsible Ss spent an average of 16.11 hrs studying, 48 middle-responsible Ss spent 9.38 hrs, and 2 low-responsible Ss spent 5.00 hrs. F-testing showed that these means were significantly different even after low-responsible Ss were omitted from the analysis. Action without self-awareness (e.g., without study-time investment) constitutes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The solution lies in developing conscious "I" power to free individuals to grow.

Inner Speech as a Language: A Saussurean Inquiry
Wiley, Norbert. 2006. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, Volume 36, Number 3, September, pp. 319-341

The Fragility of Identity, and the Tenacity of the Processes, in Psychotherapy
Wilkinson, Heward. 2001. International Journal of Psychotherapy, November, Vol. 6(1): 253.

Editorial: To Know or Not to Know: Science, Beliefs, and Values in Psychotherapy
Wilkinson, Heward. 2000. International Journal of Psychotherapy Vol. 5(2): 93-102.

A World Without Gods: This Troy Could Have Done with Some Divine Intervention
The Evening Standard, May 13, 2004 (Newspaper article)