Desire and Motivation in Predictive Processing: An Ecological-Enactive Perspective

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience
• Philosophy of Mind

Background:

• Predictive processing theories posit hierarchical models for prediction-error minimization.
• A philosophical challenge exists in reconciling belief-like predictions with the motivational role of desire.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose "first priors" as prioritized predictions within the predictive processing hierarchy.
• To elucidate the role of affective sense-making in motivating action through predictive processing.
• To bridge phenomenological and ecological-enactive analyses of desire.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of predictive processing theories.
• Integration of "first priors" into the predictive processing framework.
• Exploration of affective sense-making and precision-weighting mechanisms.

Main Results:

• First priors facilitate affective sense-making, providing a neurocomputational basis for desire.
• Affective sense-making influences precision-weighting, modulating the reliability of predictions.
• Desire shapes perception, framing the environment as a field of affordances.

Conclusions:

• Predictive processing offers a framework for understanding desire as a neurocomputational process.
• Affective sense-making is crucial for linking predictive models to motivated action.
• This approach integrates subjective experience with objective analysis of desire.