Sex Differences in Sexual Motivation in Humans and Other Mammals: The Role of Conscious and Unconscious Processes.

In self-report questionnaires, men report higher scores than women on variables such as desire for sex, frequency of sexual thoughts, number of sex partners, etc. Based on this, men are considered to have a higher level of sexual motivation than women. However, retrospective self-reports may be unsuitable for estimations of the inherent level of sexual motivation. We review data on automatic (unconsciously controlled) responses and measures of implicit motivation during exposure to sexual stimuli. These responses and measures are inaccessible to willful manipulations and make it possible to determine whether the sex difference in answers to questionnaires is replicated when volitional response manipulations are unlikely. We complement the human data with observations from some rodent and non-human primate species. The attentional resources allotted to stimuli with sexual relevance as well as genital responses to such stimuli are similar in men and women. Measures of implicit motivation also fail to detect any sex difference. Finally, the frequency of masturbation is superior in female infants before the age at which social expectations begin to determine behavior. Neither in rodents nor in non-human primates is there any clear-cut evidence for sex differences in motivation. It seems that males and females are similar with regard to the intensity of sexual motivation. The responses to questionnaires may be affected by social learning of sexual scripts and/or the inferior quality of sexual experiences in women, among other things.

Unconscious Integration of Categorical Relationship of Two Subliminal Numbers in Comparison with "5".

Many studies have shown that the brain can process subliminal numerals, i.e., participants can categorize a subliminal number into two categories: greater than 5 or less than 5. In the context of many studies on the unconscious integration of multiple subliminal stimuli, the issue of whether multiple subliminal numbers can be integrated is contentious. The same-different task is regarded as a perfect tool to explore unconscious integration. In the two experiments reported, we used a same-different task in which a pair of masked prime numbers was followed by a pair of target numbers, and participants were asked to decide whether the two target numbers were on the same (both smaller or larger than 5) or different sides (one smaller, the other larger than 5) of 5 in magnitude. The results indicated that the prime numbers could be categorized unconsciously, which was reflected by the category priming effect, and that the unconscious category relationship of the two prime numbers could affect the judgment on the category relationship of the two target numbers, as reflected by the response priming effect. The duration of the prime-to-target interstimulus interval (ISI) was also manipulated, showing a positive compatibility effect (PCE) of category priming and a negative compatibility effect (NCE) of response priming no matter whether the ISI was short (50 ms) or long (150 ms). The NCE, which occurred when the prime-to-target ISI was relatively short in this study, contradicted the conventional view but was consistent with previous results of unconscious integration based on an attention modulation mechanism. Importantly, this study provided evidence for the still-under-debate issue of numerical information integration.

Identifying Consciousness in Other Creatures: Three Initial Steps.

Identifying consciousness in other creatures, be they animals or exotic creatures that have yet to be discovered, remains a great scientific challenge. We delineate the first three steps that we think are necessary for identifying consciousness in other creatures. Step 1 is to define the particular kind of consciousness in which one is interested. Step 2 is to identify, in humans, the key differences between the brain processes that are associated with consciousness and the brain processes that are not associated with consciousness. For Step 2, to identify these differences, we focus on passive frame theory. Step 3 concerns how the insights derived from consciousness research on humans (e.g., concerning these differences) can be generalized to other creatures. We discuss the significance of examining how consciousness was fashioned by the process of evolution, a process that could be happenstance and replete with incessant tinkering, yielding adaptations that can be suboptimal and counterintuitive, far different in nature from our efficiently designed robotic systems. We conclude that the more that is understood about the differences between conscious processing and unconscious processing in humans, the easier it will be to identify consciousness in other creatures.

Psychological Approach in the Interpretation of 20th Century Kazakh Postmodern Literature.

The aim of the study is to analyse contemporary postmodern literary works of Kazakhstan through the conceptual prism of Freudian and Jungian psychoanalysis. To achieve research goals, the following methods were used: axiomatic, content analysis, and comparative. The results of the study determined that contemporary Kazakh writers characterise a large field of motives and ideas that are revealed through text, symbols, and characters. Strong tools for their interpretation were the psychological approaches of Freud and Jung, which are the standards of psychoanalysis and have their own specific features of semantic content. Content analysis of postmodern materials has established that Kazakh stories trace the motives of mythology, religion, relationships and inner spiritual development, which consider the mental differences of the heroes of the storylines. During the psychoanalysis of the works, it was emphasised that postmodernism in the literature of Kazakhstan reflects the rejection of absolute truths, blurring the boundaries between genres, playing with traditional forms and content. Many of the characters in the stories are experiencing an identity crisis, which has been analysed through the Freudian triad and Jung's archetypal images. Kazakh literature, being woven into the cultural and historical heritage of the nation, reflects the features of mentality, socio-cultural transformations, identity and spiritual quest of heroes.

Unconscious processing effects manifest only if conscious processing is excluded.

In their discussion paper Steinkrauss and Slotnick argue against a role for the hippocampus in unconscious memory formation and retrieval. Unfortunately, they omitted highly relevant evidence that supports a role for the hippocampus in unconscious memory. They criticize four articles, two from our laboratory, pointing out long-known confounds like residual consciousness. We uncover these reproaches as untrue allegations. In our own interest, we prevented conscious mnemonic processing because reliable unconscious memory effects manifest only if consciousness is completely excluded, and because we always knew that residual consciousness would be our Achilles heel for the proponents of the 'explicit memory dogma.'

On the question of the internal frame.

This paper attempts to expand José Bleger's classic, metapsychological descriptions of the psychoanalytic frame to formulate and emphasize the role of the analyst's internal frame in establishing a psychoanalytic observational perspective in the analytic situation. The rationale for doing so follows from clinical necessity, especially when working with patients and psychic organizations that are 'beyond neurosis' and in non-traditional settings such as distance and telemetric analyses. Clinically speaking, in its most effective state, the analyst's internal frame can inform the possibility of an observational vertex aimed at the intuitive grasp of psychic reality rather than a sense-based, empirical observation of parameters denoted by the elements of a consensually validatable social reality.

The dead salmon strikes again: Reports of unconscious processing in the hippocampus may reflect Type-I error.

Steinkrauss and Slotnick (2024) reviewed neuroimaging studies linking the hippocampus with implicit memory. They conclude that there is no convincing evidence that the hippocampus is associated with implicit memory because prior studies are confounded by explicit memory (among other factors). Here, we ask a different yet equally important question: do reports of unconscious hippocampal activity reflect a Type-I error (i.e. a false positive)? We find that 39% of studies linking the hippocampus with implicit memory (7 of 18) do not report correcting for multiple comparisons. These results indicate that many unconscious hippocampal effects may reflect a Type-I error.

The priming of stimulus-elicited involuntary mental imagery.

Percepts, urges, and even high-level cognitions often enter the conscious field involuntarily. The Reflexive Imagery Task (RIT) was designed to investigate experimentally the nature of such entry into consciousness. In the most basic version of the task, participants are instructed not to subvocalize the names of visual objects. Involuntary subvocalizations arise on the majority of the trials. Can these effects be influenced by priming? In our experiment, participants were exposed to an auditory prime 300 ms before being presented with the RIT stimuli. For example, participants heard the word "FOOD" before seeing two RIT stimuli (e.g., line drawings of BANANA and CAT, with the former being the target of the prime). The short span between prime and target allowed us to assess whether the RIT effect is strategic or automatic. Before each trial, participants were instructed to disregard what they hear, and not to think of the name of any of the objects. On an average of 83% of the trials, the participants thought (involuntarily) of the name of the object associated with the prime. This is the first study to use a priming technique within the context of the RIT. The theoretical implications of these involuntary effects are discussed.

Exploring the Role of Conscious and Unconscious Processes in Hypnosis: A Theoretical Review.

This review provided a comprehensive examination of various theories that attempt to explain hypnosis, focusing on the interplay between conscious and unconscious processes. We conducted a thorough analysis of key theories, from historical origins to recent models centered on cognition, social factors, and attributions. A central theme emerged: the critical role of the unconscious as a "gatekeeper" that modulates and guides the hypnotic experience. This notion appears in various forms across many theories, with the unconscious actively shaping and regulating the flow of information between conscious and unconscious realms during hypnosis. Understanding this dynamic interplay is crucial for comprehending the complex nature of hypnosis. The synthesized view of the unconscious as a "gatekeeper" offers a framework for integrating insights from diverse perspectives and highlights the centrality of unconscious processes in shaping hypnotic phenomena. Future research should further investigate the mechanisms of this unconscious "gatekeeper" role and its impact on hypnosis.

Episodic long-term memory formation during slow-wave sleep.

We are unresponsive during slow-wave sleep but continue monitoring external events for survival. Our brain wakens us when danger is imminent. If events are non-threatening, our brain might store them for later consideration to improve decision-making. To test this hypothesis, we examined whether novel vocabulary consisting of simultaneously played pseudowords and translation words are encoded/stored during sleep, and which neural-electrical events facilitate encoding/storage. An algorithm for brain-state-dependent stimulation selectively targeted word pairs to slow-wave peaks or troughs. Retrieval tests were given 12 and 36 hr later. These tests required decisions regarding the semantic category of previously sleep-played pseudowords. The sleep-played vocabulary influenced awake decision-making 36 hr later, if targeted to troughs. The words' linguistic processing raised neural complexity. The words' semantic-associative encoding was supported by increased theta power during the ensuing peak. Fast-spindle power ramped up during a second peak likely aiding consolidation. Hence, new vocabulary played during slow-wave sleep was stored and influenced decision-making days later.

On the Belatedness of Psychoanalytic Clinical Writing.

The belatedness of analytic writing and its effects on analytic processes are explored through the concepts of nachträglichkeit and thirdness. The temporal gap between being with and writing about functions as a meaningful pause filled with opportunities for investigating unconscious pathways to the analyst's countertransference. The significance of analytic narration in affecting specific psychoanalytic developments is explored. The theoretical framework utilizes the concept of après coup, which brings to light new meanings in an afterwardness of time. Aspects of analytical writing dynamics are discussed as equivalent to those of nachträglichkeit. Analysts also deploy thirdness in constructing presentations of clinical material. This could be an intrapsychic third or an external figure representing an internal introjected third. A clinical vignette demonstrates the enhanced understanding achieved by writing. It specifically assisted in exploring the analyst's enactment relating to change in the setting, the background for which was a move to online analysis. This evoked infantile anxieties and painful confusions about loss. Historically, the patient had to navigate a path through miasmic ambiguities between reality and phantasy, truths and lies. A conclusion is reached, arguing that analytic processes extend beyond the duration of sessions, and that the processes of clinical writing can provide a significant contribution.

Using virtual reality to induce multi-trial inattentional blindness despite trial-by-trial measures of awareness.

Unconscious processing has been widely examined using diverse and well-controlled methodologies. However, the extent to which these findings are relevant to real-life instances of information processing without awareness is limited. Here, we present a novel inattentional blindness (IB) paradigm in virtual reality (VR). In three experiments, we managed to repeatedly induce IB while participants foveally viewed salient stimuli for prolonged durations. The effectiveness of this paradigm demonstrates the close relationship between top-down attention and subjective experience. Thus, this method provides an ecologically valid setup to examine processing without awareness.

Taking consciousness for real: Increasing the ecological validity of the study of conscious vs. unconscious processes.

The study of consciousness has developed well-controlled, rigorous methods for manipulating and measuring consciousness. Yet, in the process, experimental paradigms grew farther away from everyday conscious and unconscious processes, which raises the concern of ecological validity. In this review, we suggest that the field can benefit from adopting a more ecological approach, akin to other fields of cognitive science. There, this approach challenged some existing hypotheses, yielded stronger effects, and enabled new research questions. We argue that such a move is critical for studying consciousness, where experimental paradigms tend to be artificial and small effect sizes are relatively prevalent. We identify three paths for doing so-changing the stimuli and experimental settings, changing the measures, and changing the research questions themselves-and review works that have already started implementing such approaches. While acknowledging the inherent challenges, we call for increasing ecological validity in consciousness studies.

Simulation as an educational tool to teach emergency medicine residents about unconscious bias.

Medical training embraces simulation-based education. One important topic that has recently been added to the simulation curriculum at the University of Toronto is unconscious bias. This educational innovation project evaluates a simulation that could be used as a novel instructional design strategy to teach unconscious bias. The simulation involved two resuscitation scenarios with a similar clinical trajectory. Each resuscitation was led by standardized physicians of different binary genders, followed by a debrief with highly trained facilitators. Tangible educational takeaways on team dynamic variation between different gendered team leaders were discussed following the simulation, highlighting its benefit to resident education on bias awareness and response. Limitations include inevitable unconscious bias in facilitators and unequal gender representation in the learner participants, which may impact simulation effectiveness. The findings support translating this simulation to other forms of bias education in future simulation development.

RéSUMé: La formation médicale englobe l'éducation basée sur la simulation. Un sujet important qui a récemment été ajouté au programme de simulation de l'Université de Toronto est celui des préjugés inconscients. Ce projet d'innovation éducative évalue une simulation qui pourrait être utilisée comme une nouvelle stratégie de conception pédagogique pour enseigner les préjugés inconscients. La simulation a impliqué deux scénarios de réanimation avec une trajectoire clinique similaire. Chaque réanimation a été menée par des médecins standardisés de sexe binaire différent, suivis d'un débriefing avec des facilitateurs hautement qualifiés. Après la simulation, on a discuté de points concrets à retenir sur la variation de la dynamique d'équipe entre les différents chefs d'équipe selon le sexe, en soulignant les avantages pour l'éducation des résidents sur la sensibilisation aux préjugés et la réponse. Les limites comprennent des préjugés inconscients inévitables chez les animateurs et une représentation inégale des sexes chez les apprenants participants, ce qui peut avoir une incidence sur l'efficacité de la simulation. Les résultats appuient la traduction de cette simulation à d'autres formes de formation sur les préjugés dans le développement futur de la simulation.

The Sorrow of an Analysand.

The death of an analyst does not imply a socially sanctioned role for their analysand as a mourner. Through an account of experiences following her first analyst's death, the author reflects on the role of writing as a mode of grieving, on the impact of her subsequent analysis, and on the holding function of analytic community.

The Impact of an Interactive Unconscious Bias Training on Perioperative Learners.

Background: Providers' unconscious biases reinforce health disparities through negative direct patient care and interactions with colleagues. Objective: We created a workshop grounded in Critical Race Theory and the importance of different intersectionalities to improve medical trainees' self-assessment of their implicit biases in curated facilitated spaces. Methods: A total of 44 UCSF first-year clinical anesthesiology residents (CA-1) (95% response rate) and 23 surgery residents in their research year (77% response rate) participated in this workshop over 4 separate sessions in September 2020 and 2021. Quantitative data from a pre-/post-workshop survey was analyzed via a paired t test to evaluate our workshop's effectiveness. Feedback on efficacy was obtained by coding themes from our survey's open-ended questions. Results: The workshop was evaluated positively by a total of 65 of 67 participants in the post-workshop survey. On a 5-point Likert scale, participants self-reported they agreed that their unconscious biases affect their clinical interactions from a pre-workshop mean of 3.3 (SD ± 1.32) to a post-workshop mean of 3.9 (SD ± 0.87, P = .008). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that this workshop was effective for perioperative residents and can be extrapolated to all residents by tailoring the workshop to their respective work environments.

"But what do you really think?" Nurses' contrasting explicit and implicit attitudes towards people with disabilities using the implicit association test.

AIMS: To investigate how nurses' implicit and explicit attitudes towards people with disabilities (PWD) compare to (1) other healthcare providers and (2) non-healthcare providers. METHOD: We present an analysis of secondary data from the publicly available disability Implicit Association Test (IAT). We compare the explicit and implicit attitudes towards PWD for (1) nurses (n = 24,545), (2) other healthcare providers (n = 57,818) and (3) non-healthcare providers (n = 547,966) for a total of 630,238 respondents, between 2006 and 2021. DATA SOURCES: We use publicly available data for the Disability IAT from Open Science Framework repository of Project Implicit available at https://osf.io/tx5fi/. REPORTING: STROBE checklist. RESULTS: There is a distinct contrast between nurses' explicit and implicit attitudes. While nurses have more positive explicit attitudes towards PWD compared to other groups, they also have more negative implicit attitudes towards PWD. As such there is a contrast between nurses' stated (explicit) attitudes and their unconscious (implicit) attitudes towards PWD. Further, we find that implicit bias towards PWD-among all groups-has not improved over the 15 year period of our sample. CONCLUSIONS: We present a contrast between nurses' explicit and implicit attitude towards PWD compared to non-healthcare providers. We posit that implicit bias is driven by a combination of workload and stress which drives nurses to unconscious modes of thinking more frequently. IMPLICATIONS: We discuss three potential tools for improved educational praxis regarding treatment of PWD; (1) more PWD service user involvement, (2) the use of mindfulness techniques to reduce stress and (3) the use of patient contact simulation to promote education and understanding. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: There is no patient or public contribution.

Unhinged: A Prospective Perspective on Being Unsafe1.

Given the unprecedented events unfolding around the globe over the past four years, psychoanalytic communities near and far have sought to ask and ventured to answer the question: What does psychoanalysis have to offer individuals, and the collective, as a way of seeing and being with the reality of what is? Taking up these questions in such a time as this, feels, perhaps inevitably, unsafe. Sometimes it can feel as if there is a silent and unspoken mandate to ensure safety at all costs when we seek to find a spirit of the depth's response to the spirit of the times. I propose that the work of psychoanalysis is grounded in nothing but the journey through that which is unsafe. This article will take up Ann Ulanov's notion that one's own evil is the hinge door into collective and archetypal evil. To become unhinged means to risk well-formulated understandings, theories, and modalities about being and becoming for the other and instead to allow the other to penetrate that which is unknown in ourselves, upending our well-formed theories and pressing us to take up our own lives in new and unpredictable ways.

Compte tenu des événements sans précédent qui se sont déroulés dans le monde entier au cours des quatre dernières années, les communautés psychanalytiques proches et lointaines ont cherché à poser la question suivante et à y proposer des réponses: qu'est­ce que la psychanalyse peut offrir aux individus, et au collectif, comme moyen de voir et d'être avec la réalité de ce qui est ? Aborder ces questions dans un moment comme celui­ci nous fait nous sentir en danger, et c'est peut­être inévitable. Parfois, on peut avoir le sentiment qu'il y a un décret silencieux et tacite d'assurer la sécurité à tout prix lorsque nous cherchons à trouver une réponse de l'esprit des profondeurs à l'esprit du temps. Je propose que le travail de la psychanalyse n'est fondé sur rien d'autre que le voyage à travers ce qui est dangereux, risqué. C'est, en effet, ce qu'implique la recherche d'une conversation active et vivante avec l'esprit des profondeurs et c'est ce qui distingue le travail de thérapie du travail de psychanalyse. Si nous nous enfermons dans des notions de sécurité, nous resterons liés à des notions similaires d'anonymat analytique et d'innocence, restant inconscients de notre propre implication dans les horreurs qui continuent d'aliéner, d'étouffer et d'isoler ceux qui sont en marge. Cette présentation reprendra la conception d'Ann Ulanov selon laquelle le mal d'une personne est la porte charnière du mal collectif et archétypal. Notre travail, individuellement et collectivement, est de descendre dans ce territoire dangereux à l'intérieur de nous­mêmes pour voir ce qui s'y est passé et ce qui reste à vivre dans les zones d'ombre. Devenir déséquilibré signifie mettre en doute des compréhensions, des théories et des modalités bien formulées sur l'être et le devenir pour l'autre et, à la place, permettre à l'autre de pénétrer ce qui est inconnu en nous­mêmes, bouleversant nos théories bien formées et nous poussant à prendre notre propre vie en main d'une manière nouvelle et imprévisible. En ce sens, la psychanalyse est intrinsèquement une forme d'activisme intérieur et extérieur. Ce qui est proposé ici est un regard sur la façon dont la psychanalyse, déséquilibrée, se déplace au­delà des murs sécurisants et au­delà des murs de la salle de consultation vers le monde au sens large.

Dados los acontecimientos sin precedentes que han tenido lugar en todo el mundo en los últimos cuatro años, las comunidades psicoanalíticas cercanas y lejanas han tratado de preguntarse y han intentado responder a la pregunta: ¿qué tiene el psicoanálisis que ofrecer a los individuos, y al colectivo, en términos de ver y estar con la realidad de lo que acontece? Abordar estas cuestiones en un momento como el actual puede resultar inevitablemente inseguro. A veces puede dar la sensación de que existe un mandato silencioso y tácito de garantizar la seguridad a toda costa cuando tratamos de encontrar una respuesta del espíritu de las profundidades al espíritu de los tiempos. Propongo que el trabajo del psicoanálisis no se basa en otra cosa que en el viaje a través de lo que es inseguro. Esto, de hecho, es lo que implica buscar una conversación activa y viva con el espíritu de las profundidades y es lo que distingue el trabajo de la terapia del trabajo del psicoanálisis. Si nos encerráramos en las nociones de seguridad, seguiríamos limitados por nociones similares de neutralidad analítica e inocencia, permaneciendo inconscientes de nuestra propia implicancia en los horrores que continúan ajenos, encerrando y aislando a aquellos que se encuentran en los márgenes. Esta presentación retomará la noción de Ann Ulanov de que el mal propio es la puerta de entrada al mal colectivo y arquetipal. Nuestro trabajo individual y colectivo es descender a este territorio inseguro dentro de nosotros mismos para ver lo que ocurrió allí y lo que permanece viviendo en las sombras. Perturbarse significa arriesgar comprensiones, teorías y modalidades bien formuladas sobre el ser y el devenir para el otro y, en su lugar, permitir que el otro penetre en lo que es desconocido en nosotros mismos, trastornando nuestras teorías bien formadas y presionándonos para que asumamos nuestras propias vidas de maneras nuevas e impredecibles. De este modo, el psicoanálisis es inherentemente una forma de activismo interior y exterior. Lo que se ofrece es una mirada sobre cómo el psicoanálisis, perturbado, traspasa los muros de la seguridad y va más allá de las paredes del consultorio analítico para adentrarse en el mundo en general.