Subjective aspect of resting state: an overview of research methods

Background. In recent years, the resting state of the subject in the absence of obvious external sensory stimuli and cognitive tasks has become the subject matter of extensive study. Interest in studying the subjective aspect of calm wakefulness has increased since the emergence of neuroimaging studies indicating the existence of a cerebral network that increases its activity in resting state. There is a variety of methodological approaches to assess the content of the stream of thoughts in calm wakefulness. The issue of elaborating a universal tool to register the subjective aspect of the restful state remains relevant.

Objective. The study aims to analyze the existing methodological approaches to the research of the subjective part of the resting state.

Methods. Review and analysis of existing research into the content of the stream of thoughts in calm wakefulness.

Results. Studies of the free stream of consciousness in a state of calm wakefulness, such as questionnaires, structured interview, reports on the current state at the time of a random signal have been analysed in the current work.

Conclusion. The conducted literature review demonstrated the methodological diversity of assessment approaches to the subjective aspect of the restful state, and also showed the need to take into account various factors affecting the reliability of the results obtained. The necessity of applying additional methods to solve specific research problems as well as the possibility of developing a high-quality universal diagnostic tool to analyze the content of the stream of consciousness in rest are being discussed.

References

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