Exploring Inner Experience

Written for the psychologist, philosopher, and layperson interested in consciousness, Exploring Inner Experience provides a comprehensive introduction to the Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) method for obtaining accurate reports of inner experience. DES uses a beeper to cue participants to pay attention to their experience at precisely defined moments; participants are then interviewed to obtain high-fidelity accounts of their experience at those moments. Exploring Inner Experience shows (a) how DES uncovers previously unknown details of inner experience; (b) how the implications of this method affect our understanding of inner experience and the human condition more generally; (c) how DES avoids the traps that destroyed the introspections of the previous century; (d) why DES reports of inner experience should be considered reliable and valid; and (e) how to use the DES method. This book will be basic reading for all psychologists, philosophers, and students interested in consciousness, as well as anyone who is seriously concerned with understanding the human condition.(Series B) “The authors' overexuberance notwithstanding their description of the DES technique is compelling, and their dedication, enthusiasm, and experience are beyond doubt. One of the book's central aims is to encourage further use of DES, and despite my concerns about the technique and the ease of implementation, I am inspired to try the technique out during my own research. I am optimistic it will reveal new and surprising information that I look forward to sharing with the authors.”