How-tests for consciousness and direct neurophenomenal structuralism

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience of Consciousness
• Philosophy of Mind

Background:

• The search for neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs) remains central to consciousness studies.
• Distinguishing genuine NCCs from mere statistical correlations is a key challenge.
• Current research often conflates NCC data with testable NCC hypotheses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a framework for testing NCC hypotheses through "sufficiency tests."
• To categorize sufficiency tests based on what they predict: creature consciousness, state consciousness, phenomenal content, or phenomenal character.
• To advocate for "How-Tests" focusing on phenomenal character as the most robust method.

Main Methods:

• Categorization of sufficiency tests into four types: creature, state, content, and character consciousness.
• Review of empirical literature providing examples for each test category.
• Argument for the superiority of "How-Tests" by analyzing their strengths and implications.

Main Results:

• Four distinct classes of sufficiency tests for NCC hypotheses are defined.
• Examples from empirical research illustrate each test class.
• "How-Tests" for phenomenal character are identified as preferable due to methodological advantages.

Conclusions:

• Sufficiency tests provide a rigorous approach to testing NCC hypotheses.
• "How-Tests" offer a promising avenue for investigating the subjective experience of consciousness.
• This framework supports direct neurophenomenal structuralism, linking neural and phenomenal domains.