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Abstract:
Emotional experience is a ubiquitous component of the stream
of consciousness, and emotional "qualia" appear to interact with
other contents and processes of consciousness in complex ways.
Recent research suggests that important functional aspects of
emotion can operate nonconsciously (e.g., Öhman, Flykt, and
Lundqvist, in press; Öhman and Soares 1994). Scientific and
philosophic accounts of consciousness will require an understanding
of the role of emotion. Indeed emotional experience may be a
critical factor in key philosophic debates within consciousness
studies, such as the plausibility of thought experiments on the
functional role of phenomenal conscious states (DeLancey 1996).
Specification of neural circuitry critical for the conscious
experience of emotion may also provide important clues in the
search for neural systems upon which other domains of conscious
experience are dependent. The three chapters of this section each
provide perspectives on the relationships between brain and
emotional experience.
Full text of Introduction
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