Aviva Berkovich-ohana
Lecturer
Department of Learning, Instruction and Teaching, Department
University of Haifa
Israel
Biography
Education and Sciences Building The University of Haifa, Israel, 31905
Research Interest
Major research interests of my lab include the effects of contemplative mental training on consciousness, cognition and self-reference, as well as the possible applications to the field of Education. Specifically, I study the effects of contemplative training on creativity, time perception, default mode network and self-related processing. To these ends, I utilize a broad spectrum of tools, including EEG, MEG, fMRI, and various cognitive tasks. Another major research interest is neuro-phenomenology, utilizing depth phenomenology to guide the neural analysis, in collaboration with proficient contemplative practitioners. Such an approach enables studying highly subtle human experiences, typically overlooked in cognitive science, including: ownership, agency, sense of borders, sense of time and space, and sense of minimal versus narrative self. Finally, I’m very interested in theoretical conceptualization of consciousness, and have developed a model, named the Consciousness State Space (CSS). The CSS presents a neuro-phenomenological model for consciousness and selfhood which relates time, awareness, and emotion within one framework, thus creates a comprehensive theoretical framework with explanatory and unificatory power. Current research studies its predictions using a whole body sensory deprivation facility.
