Presentation Information
[1Yin-B-07]Conscious Experience OntologyA Proposal for an Ontology for Consciousness Research
〇Amane Watahiki1,2, Hitomi Yanaka1,2,3 (1. The University of Tokyo, 2. Riken, 3. Tohoku University)
Keywords:
ontology,AI for science,cognitive science,consciousness research,neuro-symbolic AI
One of the main aims of consciousness studies is to identify the features of conscious experiences as experienced from the first-person perspective. A promising methodology called Microphenomenology (MP), characterized by a controlled interview and analysis method for exploring the microstructure of conscious experiences, has been developed and has yielded fruitful results. Singular experiences are accessible only to their subject, and so for that matter, "private." However, it is possible to evaluate the validity of MP study results by assessing the coherence of the subject's verbal reports and other verbal/non-verbal clues, and, in particular, by mapping the "descriptive categories" identified by MP analysis to neural activities in the brain. To do that, conducting large-scale meta-analysis is essential for such mapping between brain and experiential categories, which in turn requires developing a large-scale database, as is the case in other areas of cognitive science. However, MP, as part of the qualitative research, must also maintain its sensitivity to detail while reducing labor intensity and enabling larger-scale data collection and analysis. Beyond relying on AI assistance for MP research, this study highlights the importance of ontology for navigating these bottlenecks and motivates the development of Conscious Experience Ontology.