•  41
    This paper discusses the ways in which anesthetic agents can be used to investigate the role of awareness in learning and memory. It reviews research into learning during light, subclinical anesthesia, termedhypesthesia.This research suggests that the effects of anesthetics on implicit and explicit memory are roughly comparable, although implicit memory for simple stimuli may resist the effects of very low doses of anesthetic. In addition, this paper reports experimental data demonstrating that …Read more
  • Awareness in anesthesia
    with J. G. Jones
    In G. Hall & Morris J. Morgan (eds.), Short Practice of Anesthesia, Chapman & Hall. 1997.
  •  53
    Cognitive Performance during Anesthesia
    with Rajesh Munglani, J. Gareth Jones, and Alan D. Baddeley
    Consciousness and Cognition 3 (2): 148-165. 1994.
    This paper explores the changes in cognitive function which occur as someone "loses consciousness" under anesthesia. Seven volunteers attempted a categorization task and a within-list recognition test while inhaling air, 0.2% isoflurane, and 0.4% isoflurane. In general, performance on these tests declined as the dose of anesthetic was increased and returned to baseline after 10 min of breathing air. A measure of auditory evoked responding termed "coherent frequency" showed parallel changes. At 0…Read more
  •  379
    Is priming during anesthesia unconscious?
    with Catherine Deeprose
    Consciousness and Cognition 15 (1): 1-23. 2006.
    General anesthesia provides an alternative to typical laboratory paradigms for investigating implicit learning. We assess the evidence that a simple type of learning—priming—can occur without consciousness. Although priming has been shown to be a small but persistent phenomenon in surgical patients there is reason to question whether it occurs implicitly due to problems in detecting awareness using typical clinical signs. This paper reviews the published studies on priming during anesthesia that…Read more
  •  6
    This paper discusses the ways in which anesthetic agents can be used to investigate the role of awareness in learning and memory. It reviews research into learning during light, subclinical anesthesia, termedhypesthesia.This research suggests that the effects of anesthetics on implicit and explicit memory are roughly comparable, although implicit memory for simple stimuli may resist the effects of very low doses of anesthetic. In addition, this paper reports experimental data demonstrating that …Read more
  •  18
    Is learning during anaesthesia implicit?
    Behavioral and Brain Sciences 17 (3): 395-396. 1994.
  •  25
    Imaginary Relish and Exquisite Torture: The Elaborated Intrusion Theory of Desire
    with David J. Kavanagh and Jon May
    Psychological Review 112 (2): 446-467. 2005.
  •  4
    Learning during anesthesia: A review
    British Journal of Psychology 86 479-506. 1995.
  •  30
    A starting point for consciousness research: Reply to Thomas Schmidt
    with Catherine Deeprose
    Consciousness and Cognition 15 (1): 28-30. 2006.
    Anesthesia research has focused on showing learning in the absence of awareness for good practical reasons. Crucially, continued learning during otherwise clinically adequate anesthesia may affect patients’ well-being on recovery. Theoretically, preserved perceptual priming during anesthesia offers a useful starting point for consciousness research by determining the limits of memory function during minimal consciousness. The big question for consciousness research is not to demonstrate absolute…Read more
  •  66
    Working Memory in Perspective (edited book)
    Psychology Press. 2001.
    In this book, experienced researchers in the field address the question: Will the model survive these challenges?
  • Incidence of awareness and memory priming in paediatric surgery with general anaesthesia
    with Catherine Deeprose and Ian Barker
    British Journal of Anaesthesia. 2008.
  •  36
    Imagery and strength of craving for eating, drinking, and playing sport
    with Jon May, David Kavanagh, and Lucy Penfound
    Cognition and Emotion 22 (4): 633-650. 2008.
    The elaborated intrusion (EI) theory of desire (Kavanagh, Andrade, & May, 2005) attributes the motivational force of cravings to cognitive elaboration, including imagery, of apparently spontaneous thoughts that intrude into awareness. We report a questionnaire study in which respondents rated a craving for food or drink. Questionnaire items derived from EI theory formed a single factor alongside factors for anticipated reward/relief, resistance, and opportunity. In a multiple regression predicti…Read more
  •  13
    Conscious and unconscious processes in human desire
    with Jon May and David Kavanagh
    PSYCHE: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Research On Consciousness 15 (2). 2009.
    Elaborated Intrusion theory distinguishes between unconscious, associative processes as the precursors of desire, and controlled processes of cognitive elaboration that lead to conscious sensory images of the target of desire and associated affect. We argue that the latter play a key role in motivating human behaviour. Consciousness is functional in that it allows competing goals to be compared and evaluated. The role of effortful cognitive processes in desire helps to explain the different time…Read more
  •  25
    Hunger-related intrusive thoughts reflect increased accessibility of food items
    with Lisa-Marie Berry and Jon May
    Cognition and Emotion 21 (4): 865-878. 2007.
    No abstract