Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.
Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.
Conscious Cogn. 2021 Nov;96:103229. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2021.103229. Epub 2021 Nov 5.
The way one asks a question is shaped by a-priori assumptions and constrains the range of possible answers. We identify and test the assumptions underlying contemporary debates, models, and methodology in the study of the neural correlates of consciousness, which was framed by Crick and Koch's seminal paper (1990). These premises create a sequential and passive conception of conscious perception: it is considered the product of resolved information processing by unconscious mechanisms, produced by a singular event in time and place representing the moment of entry. The conscious percept produced is then automatically retained to be utilized by post-conscious mechanisms. Major debates in the field, such as concern the moment of entry, the all-or-none vs graded nature, and report vs no-report paradigms, are driven by the consensus on these assumptions. We show how removing these assumptions can resolve some of the debates and challenges and prompt additional questions. The potential non-sequential nature of perception suggests new ways of thinking about consciousness as a dynamic and dispersed process, and in turn about the relationship between conscious and unconscious perception. Moreover, it allows us to present a parsimonious account for conscious perception while addressing more aspects of the phenomenon.
提问的方式受到先验假设的影响，限制了可能答案的范围。我们确定并测试了意识的神经关联研究中当代争论、模型和方法的基本假设，这些假设源于克里克和科赫的开创性论文（1990 年）。这些前提假设构建了一个连续且被动的意识感知概念：它被认为是无意识机制解决信息处理的产物，由时间和地点上的单一事件产生，代表进入的时刻。产生的有意识感知随后被自动保留，以供后意识机制使用。该领域的主要争论，如关注进入的时刻、全或无与渐变性质，以及报告与无报告范式，都是由这些假设的共识所驱动的。我们展示了如何去除这些假设可以解决一些争论和挑战，并提出更多的问题。感知的潜在非连续性暗示了一种新的思考意识的方式，即将意识视为一个动态和分散的过程，并反过来思考意识和无意识感知之间的关系。此外，它允许我们在解决更多现象的同时，为有意识的感知提供一个简洁的解释。
