Answering questions about consciousness by modeling perception as covert behavior

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Philosophy of Mind
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Current consciousness research grapples with identifying neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs) and linking neural activity to subjective experience.
• Existing models often struggle to bridge the gap between objective neural processes and first-person phenomenal experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a model-based analysis addressing the neural basis of consciousness and subjective experience.
• To offer a framework for understanding the conditions under which an individual admits to having a conscious experience.

Main Methods:

• Development of a narrative behavior model integrating neuroscientific and psychological insights.
• Analysis of perception and action selection as unified phenomena, reframing perceptual neuronal activations as covert behavior.
• Model-based reasoning on the 'easy problems' of consciousness, from stimulus discrimination to language.

Main Results:

• Perception and action selection are proposed as manifestations of the same underlying phenomenon, with perception viewed as covert behavior.
• A narrative behavior model suggests consciousness is admitted when an individual is capable of narrating their experience.
• The model reconciles conflicting empirical findings and suggests experiment-independent NCCs are unlikely.

Conclusions:

• The proposed narrative behavior model offers a unified account of consciousness, linking neural activity to subjective experience.
• The model provides a framework for understanding how organisms develop concepts like subjective experience and the 'hard problems' of consciousness.
• This approach challenges the search for fixed NCCs and emphasizes the role of narrative capacity in conscious experience.