Related Experiment Videos
Infer yourself: Interoception and internal "action" in conscious selfhood
1Department of Informatics,Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science,University of Sussex,Brighton BN1 9QJ,United Kingdom.a.k.seth@sussex.ac.ukwww.anilseth.com.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|March 31, 2017
Summary
Consciousness may involve more than voluntary movement. Integrating internal bodily sensations (interoception) and autonomic regulation is crucial for a complete understanding of conscious selfhood and subjectivity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Philosophy of Mind
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Voluntary skeletomotor action selection is a proposed function of consciousness.
- A narrow focus on external actions may overlook internal regulatory processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore consciousness beyond skeletomotor control.
- To integrate interoception and autonomic regulation into theories of consciousness.
- To examine these concepts using predictive processing frameworks.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis integrating theories of action selection, interoception, and predictive processing.
- Review of existing literature on consciousness and selfhood.
Main Results:
- Consciousness likely encompasses both external action and internal regulation.
- Interoception and autonomic processes are fundamental to subjective experience.
- Predictive processing offers a unified framework for understanding these integrated functions.
Conclusions:
- A comprehensive theory of consciousness must include internal bodily states.
- Conscious selfhood is shaped by both external actions and internal bodily awareness.
- Predictive processing provides a valuable lens for future research into consciousness.