Modeling phenomenal similarity of global states of consciousness leveraging LLMs
We leveraged LLMs to derive the similarity structure between phenomenal experiences described in short sentences. Our data–sentences borrowed from existing phenomenology questionnaires–can be viewed here.
We prompted GPT4 (gpt-4-0125-preview) to generate answers “describing an internal aspect of what that experience feels like, such as sensations, perceptions, emotions, or thoughts.” Then, we used nonnegative matrix factorization to extract 50 latent dimensions of phenomenal features. These dimensions seemed to be hierarchical, and we merged some topics (4, 43, 36, 27, 8, 24, 20, 0), resulting in the final 46 topics.
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├─curiosity_sudden_curious_surprise_pique ── Topic: 88
│ ├─curiosity_curious_pique_curiosity pique_intrigue ── Topic: 77
│ │ ├─O curiosity_pique_curiosity pique_spark_curiosity spark ── Topic: 4
│ │ └─O curious_intrigue_unknown_openness_surprised ── Topic: 43
│ └─sudden_surprise_sudden clarity_surge_momentary ── Topic: 63
│ ├─O surprise_sudden_momentary_fleet_unexpected ── Topic: 36
│ └─O sudden_sudden clarity_surge_rush_adrenaline ── Topic: 27
└─focus_heighten_attention_focused_heighten focus ── Topic: 97
├─heighten_emotion_awareness_overwhelm_profound ── Topic: 96
│ ├─heighten_emotion_awareness_awareness heighten_heighten awareness ── Topic: 94
│ │ ├─heighten_emotion_awareness_awareness heighten_heighten awareness ── Topic: 70
│ │ │ ├─O heighten_awareness_awareness heighten_heighten awareness_alertness ── Topic: 7
│ │ │ └─O emotion_intensify_flow_heighten_thought ── Topic: 33
│ │ └─anticipation_sensation_thought_inside_float ── Topic: 93
│ │ ├─anticipation_thought_anxious_mind_anxiety ── Topic: 89
│ │ │ ├─thought_mind_anxious_heart_overwhelm ── Topic: 82
│ │ │ │ ├─heart_overwhelm_race_stomach_thought ── Topic: 78
│ │ │ │ │ ├─desire_restless_overwhelm_scatter_distract ── Topic: 73
│ │ │ │ │ │ ├─O desire_discomfort_escape_longing_nausea ── Topic: 45
│ │ │ │ │ │ └─O restless_scatter_distract_easily_thought scatter ── Topic: 39
│ │ │ │ │ └─heart_race_overwhelm_stomach_well ── Topic: 69
│ │ │ │ │ ├─race_heart_thought_stomach_heart race ── Topic: 53
│ │ │ │ │ │ ├─O race_heart_heart race_race thought_thought ── Topic: 1
│ │ │ │ │ │ └─O stomach_thought_chest_knot_stomach knot ── Topic: 12
│ │ │ │ │ └─O overwhelm_well_heavy_tear_sadness ── Topic: 25
│ │ │ │ └─thought_mind_anxious_within_overwhelmed ── Topic: 80
│ │ │ │ ├─thought_anxious_within_overwhelmed_swirl ── Topic: 62
│ │ │ │ │ ├─O anxious_overwhelmed_thought_swirl_rise ── Topic: 11
│ │ │ │ │ └─thought_within_clarity thought_cloud_stir ── Topic: 59
│ │ │ │ │ ├─O thought_clarity thought_overwhelm thought_moment_absorb ── Topic: 3
│ │ │ │ │ └─O within_thought_cloud_stir_cloud thought ── Topic: 30
│ │ │ │ └─mind_thought_foggy_contentment_ease ── Topic: 55
│ │ │ │ ├─O mind_foggy_thought_wander_heavy ── Topic: 10
│ │ │ │ └─O contentment_ease_mind_envelop_thought ── Topic: 38
│ │ │ └─anticipation_anxiety_anxious anticipation_frustration_grow ── Topic: 83
│ │ │ ├─O anticipation_anxious anticipation_anxious_excitement_eager ── Topic: 18
│ │ │ └─frustration_grow_control_anxiety_loss ── Topic: 81
│ │ │ ├─frustration_grow_frustrate_impatience_mount ── Topic: 57
│ │ │ │ ├─O frustration_frustrate_mount_grow_frustration grow ── Topic: 31
│ │ │ │ └─O grow_impatience_impatience grow_drag_restlessness ── Topic: 21
│ │ │ └─control_anxiety_loss_fear_loss control ── Topic: 72
│ │ │ ├─O anxiety_fear_judgment_spike_self-doubt ── Topic: 34
│ │ │ └─O control_loss_loss control_lose_helplessness ── Topic: 16
│ │ └─sensation_float_tingle_inside_emptiness ── Topic: 91
│ │ ├─inside_emptiness_time_lose_confusion ── Topic: 87
│ │ │ ├─inside_emptiness_detach_emotional_emotionally ── Topic: 74
│ │ │ │ ├─O inside_emptiness_emptiness inside_fade_empty ── Topic: 41
│ │ │ │ └─detach_emotional_emotionally_detachment_disconnect ── Topic: 54
│ │ │ │ ├─O emotional_detachment_emotional detachment_numbness_detach ── Topic: 8
│ │ │ │ └─O emotionally_detach_surroundings_disconnect_emotionally detach ── Topic: 24
│ │ │ └─time_confusion_lose_confuse_disorient ── Topic: 86
│ │ │ ├─O time_lose_lose time_intense_intense focus ── Topic: 26
│ │ │ └─confusion_confuse_disorient_slight_sensation ── Topic: 64
│ │ │ ├─confuse_disorient_lose_perception_confusion ── Topic: 56
│ │ │ │ ├─O confuse_lose_confusion_disorient_thought lose ── Topic: 15
│ │ │ │ └─O disorient_perception_reality_surreal_disorientation ── Topic: 49
│ │ │ └─O confusion_slight_sensation_slight confusion_mild ── Topic: 37
│ │ └─sensation_float_tingle_heartbeat_quicken ── Topic: 68
│ │ ├─O sensation_float_freedom_weightless_peaceful ── Topic: 14
│ │ └─O tingle_heartbeat_sensation_quicken_skin ── Topic: 22
│ └─overwhelm_profound_joy_warmth_clarity ── Topic: 95
│ ├─overwhelm_profound_joy_bubble_boundless ── Topic: 75
│ │ ├─profound_overwhelm_peace_awe_boundless ── Topic: 50
│ │ │ ├─O profound_peace_boundless_unity_timelessness ── Topic: 32
│ │ │ └─O overwhelm_profound_awe_gratitude_profound awe ── Topic: 6
│ │ └─joy_bubble_overwhelm joy_overwhelm_heart ── Topic: 51
│ │ ├─O joy_overwhelm joy_overwhelm_heart_swell ── Topic: 13
│ │ └─O bubble_joy_eye_inside_joy bubble ── Topic: 44
│ └─warmth_clarity_emotional_inner_mental ── Topic: 92
│ ├─warmth_emotional_spread_nostalgia_warmth spread ── Topic: 85
│ │ ├─emotional_vivid_connection_color_deeply ── Topic: 79
│ │ │ ├─vivid_color_emotional_imagery_vivid imagery ── Topic: 52
│ │ │ │ ├─O color_shift_vivid color_intrigue_eye ── Topic: 28
│ │ │ │ └─O vivid_emotional_imagery_vivid imagery_image ── Topic: 23
│ │ │ └─emotional_connection_deeply_deep_introspective ── Topic: 67
│ │ │ ├─emotional_connection_deep_intense_relief ── Topic: 65
│ │ │ │ ├─O emotional_intense_relief_understanding_intensity ── Topic: 48
│ │ │ │ └─O connection_deep_emotional_empathy_deep connection ── Topic: 29
│ │ │ └─O deeply_introspective_self-awareness_emotional_introspection ── Topic: 42
│ │ └─warmth_spread_nostalgia_warmth spread_emotional ── Topic: 61
│ │ ├─O nostalgia_warmth_emotional_wash_nostalgic ── Topic: 5
│ │ └─O warmth_spread_warmth spread_inside_chest ── Topic: 2
│ └─clarity_inner_mental_calmness_peace ── Topic: 90
│ ├─inner_calmness_peace_empower_inner peace ── Topic: 84
│ │ ├─empower_inner_confident_energize_confidence ── Topic: 58
│ │ │ ├─O energize_idea_hopeful_creativity_motivate ── Topic: 46
│ │ │ └─O empower_inner_confident_confidence_strength ── Topic: 35
│ │ └─inner_calmness_peace_inner peace_tension ── Topic: 71
│ │ ├─inner_calmness_peace_inner peace_deep ── Topic: 60
│ │ │ ├─O calmness_inner_calm_peaceful_stillness ── Topic: 20
│ │ │ └─O inner_peace_inner peace_deep_deep inner ── Topic: 0
│ │ └─O inner_tension_moment_turmoil_conflict ── Topic: 40
│ └─clarity_mental_inner_dialogue_fog ── Topic: 76
│ ├─O inner_dialogue_echo_inner dialogue_voice ── Topic: 47
│ └─clarity_mental_fog_mental fog_exhaustion ── Topic: 66
│ ├─O mental_fog_mental fog_exhaustion_mental exhaustion ── Topic: 17
│ └─O clarity_mental_mental clarity_emerge_emotional ── Topic: 9
└─O focus_attention_focused_heighten focus_mind ── Topic: 19
Comparison of similarity structure after topic modeling and merging
These are the phenomenological topics we get (pretty coherent and interpretable!):
which create coherent clusters of items based on phenomenological similarity, not semantic similarity:
Similarity structure of cluster centroids (exemplars):
We compared this model-derived similarity structure of 70 items with human-judgment-based similarity structures:
Correlation between model v. humans (feature-agreement): r=0.35 (lower-bound: r=0.26), p<0.001 Correlation between model v. humans (pairwise-judgment): r=0.23, p<0.001 Correlation between humans (feature-agreement) v. humans (pairwise-judgment): r=0.22, p<0.001
Since our data comes from phenomenology questionnaires, we can see ‘where in the space’ each questionnaire item covers (in the legend, double-click on ‘trace 0’ and single-click on the instrument of interest):