Conclusionz

As the concept of a direct, simple linkage between environment and behavior
became unsatisfactory in the late twentieth century, the interest in altered
states of consciousness helped spark new interest in consciousness.
People are actively involved in their own behavior, not passive puppets of external
forces. Environments, rewards, and punishments are not simply defined
by their physical character. There are mental constructs involved in
each of these. People organize their memories. They do not merely store
them. Cognitive psychology, a new division of the field, has emerged to deal
with these interests.
Thanks to the work of developmental psychologists such as Piaget, great
attention is being given to the manner in which people understand or perceive
the world at different ages. There are advances in the area of animal
behavior, stressing the importance of inherent characteristics that arise
from the way in which a species has been shaped to respond adaptively to
the environment. There has also been the emergence of humanistic psychologists,
concerned with the importance of self-actualization and growth.
Clinical and industrial psychology have demonstrated that a person’s state of consciousness in terms of current feelings and thoughts is of obvious importance.
Although the role of consciousness was often neglected in favor of
unconscious needs and motivations, there are clear signs that researchers
are interested in emphasizing once more the nature of states of consciousness.

Sources for Further Study
Brann, Eva T. H. TheWorld of the Imagination: Sum and Substance. Savage, Md.:
Rowman & Littlefield, 1991. Discusses the role of imagination in cognition.
Chalmers, David. The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Presents a clear summary of various
theories of consciousness.
Greenfield, Susan A. Journey to the Centers of the Mind. New York: W. H. Freeman,
1995. This is a study of biological influences in cognition.
Libet, Benjamin. Neurophysiology of Consciousness: Selected Papers and New Essays.
Boston: Birkhäuser, 1993. Clearly presents the role of neurophysiology
in conscious thought.
Weiskrantz, Lawrence. Consciousness Lost and Found. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1997. A study of modes of consciousness and the manner in
which psychologists have rediscovered the importance of the concept.
Frank A. Salamone
See also: Consciousness: Altered States; Dementia; Dreams; Thought: Study
and Measurement.