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How rich is consciousness? The partial awareness hypothesis
Sid Kouider1, Vincent de Gardelle, Jérôme Sackur
1Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives & Psycholinguistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure-CNRS, 29 rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France. sid.kouider@ens.fr
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|July 8, 2010
Summary
Evidence for rich phenomenal consciousness without access is questionable. A new model proposes partial awareness across representational levels, offering a simpler explanation for consciousness phenomena.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- Current consciousness theories propose distinct phenomenal (rich) and access (limited) consciousness.
- Empirical evidence for phenomenal consciousness without access is debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the evidence for dissociable phenomenal and access consciousness.
- To propose a refined model of access consciousness based on representational levels and partial awareness.
Main Methods:
- Critical analysis of existing empirical evidence.
- Development of a hierarchical model of representational access.
Main Results:
- Evidence for phenomenal consciousness without access is equivocal, potentially stemming from confusions with unconscious content or illusory experiences.
- A hierarchical model of access, incorporating partial awareness, better explains existing data.
Conclusions:
- Dissociable levels of access, rather than distinct forms of consciousness, offer a more parsimonious explanation.
- The 'rich phenomenology illusion' can be investigated through testable cognitive mechanisms.
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