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Spatial attention and two modes of visual consciousness
1Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fukushima Medical College, Japan.
Cognition
|December 1, 1993
Summary
Visual consciousness operates in two modes: object consciousness tied to spatial attention and background consciousness for scene monitoring. This research suggests visual awareness extends beyond focal attention, revealing a default background consciousness.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Traditional views link visual consciousness solely to spatial attention and object identification.
- A dichotomy of visual consciousness modes, object and background, is proposed.
- Background consciousness involves monitoring the broader visual scene.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine the relationship between spatial attention and visual consciousness.
- To investigate the existence and function of two simultaneous modes of visual consciousness.
- To explore visual consciousness beyond focal attention.
Main Methods:
- Review of five experimental psychology topics: iconic storage, retinal image stabilization, external space perception, texture segregation, and spatial frequency sensitivity.
- Analysis of findings related to attention and visual awareness.
- Theoretical integration of evidence for distinct consciousness modes.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests visual consciousness exists independently of focal attention.
- Background consciousness appears to function as a default mode for global scene analysis.
- This mode may serve as an early warning system for environmental anomalies.
Conclusions:
- Two distinct modes of visual consciousness, object and background, likely operate simultaneously.
- Background consciousness provides a continuous, global monitoring of the visual environment.
- Potential neural substrates for these two modes are proposed.