Improvisation teachers Viola Spolin, Del Close, and Keith Johnstone knew that with structure and guidelines, the human mind could be trained to be effortlessly spontaneous and intuitive. Cognitive studies is finally catching up with what improvisers have known for over fifty years. Through archival research, workshops, and interviews, Theatrical Improvisation, Consciousness, and Cognition explores improvisation's effects on consciousness and cognition and compares these theories to current findings in cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy.