Consciousness 3 Flashcards
What problem do scientific theories about consciousness concern?
Typical theories concern the easy problem (access consciousness) and functions associated with consciousness.
Mostly, they don’t address the hard problem of why consciousness occurs.
What are the main theories of consciousness?
- Global Workspace Theory (Baars, 1988)
- Higher-order thought (HOT) Theory (Rosenthal, 2005)
- Integrated Information Theory (IIT) (Tononi, 2008)
- Tripartite Theory (Snodgrass, 2009)
Explain the basics of global workspace theory.
Proposed by Baars but a lost of work has been done by Dahane.
Mental content becomes conscious when it enters the global workspace. When this happens, we have access to them.
It can be thought of as a stage and we have access to what appears on stage.
Activity in various parts of the brain may enter the GWT.
If it enters the GWT, it will be sustained and widespread.
If it doesn’t enter–> unconscious processes will be localized and very brief (opposite of sustained and widespread).
What are the NCC predictions for the global workspace theory?
ERP (event-related potential) measured brain waves.
P300 –> sine wave that has oscillations and upward and downward components
P3b –> 1st wave response that is sustained and widespread. It’s hypothesized to be a NCC. It’s known to involve frontoparietal circuits.
–> Studies only get P3b for stimuli they’re aware of.
–> P3b gets more powerful as you move backward (parietal), and it’s sensitive to novel stimuli (gives stronger response to rare stimuli).
What did Dr. Snodgrass find about P3b, and what does this imply in considering P3b an NCC?
Dr. Snodgrass found an unconscious P3b response. Also, got a continued slow wave response, which means that P3b doesn’t disappear.
Pitts et al. found that even with conscious stuff, there is no P3b response.
The idea that P3b isn’t a NCC may be related to attention.
Explain the Higher-order thought (HOT) theory?
mental content becomes phenomenally conscious only when we also have another thought about it. Higher-order thoughts can be themselves unconscious.
What are the advantages and problems of HOT theory?
Advantages
- Fits the idea that to be conscious of X also implies that we are aware of being in that state
- Provides a mechanism for awareness of HOTs
Problems
- Some argue that to be aware of something you don’t have to be aware of being in that state.
e.g., seeing red doesn’t mean that you’re thinking “I’m seeing red right now”
What is the bottom line of HOT theory?
More influential now than when it was proposed. It is not clear that we need HOTs to be aware, we might be seeing some confusion between first and second-order awareness (phenomenal vs reflective awareness).
Explain the Integrated Information Theory (IIT).
Argues consciousness is a function of integrated information.
Information –> the number of different states that a particular system can take on. The more states, the higher the information capacity.
Information is not enough for consciousness; this has to be integrated, and this determines how conscious you are. They propose a continuum of consciousness.
Phi –> attempts to quantify how conscious people are.
What are some advantages and problems of the IIT?
Advantages
- Might point the way to having an objective measure of consciousness.
Advantage/disadvantage
- Solves the hard problem? The panpsychic view –>argues everything has some integrated information. Everything is conscious to some degree.
Problems
- Measuring Phi is complicated
- Ned Block’s criticism –> Maybe it is measuring intelligence or complexity, but not experience
Explain Tripartite Theory?
Argues that there are two types of consciousness.
- Phenomenal (1st order)
- Reflective awareness (2nd order –> thinking about 1st order)
–> We can have 1st without 2nd but not the reverse.
–> All 1st order can be (2nd order) accessed, but only a small subset of 1st order is accessed at any given time.
3 states
–> Not aware - No 1st order or 2nd order
–> Middle - 1st but not 2nd order
–> Completely conscious - 1st & 2nd
Explain the ‘war’ over the objective vs subjective methods.
Both methods measure stimulus awareness.
Objective methods –> Don’t ask directly about awareness. Ask to detect if a stimulus has been presented. When people are unable to tell, then we say that they are objectively unconscious of the stimulus. See if you can discriminate the stimulus –> you can do it if you are aware. Objective because you can observe performance.
Objective measures tend to be more stringent.
Subjective measures –> Rather than asking to discriminate a stimulus, they ask participants to describe their experience interacting with the stimulus. Stimulus conditions can be adjusted until participants deny being able to see them. When that point is reached people are subjectively unaware.
Even when you are subjectively unaware, you can discriminate it above chance.
Fight on which one to use.
What would be a potential solution to the objective vs subjective method problem?
If you want to measure phenomenal experience use objective measures.
If you want to measure phenomenal experience, use the subjective measures.
–> Ask about visual experience –> You are reflecting on it.
What methods do the GWT people use?
They use subjective measures. When they define consciousness that way they don’t get P3b’s.
P3b’s are gotten when they use objective measures.
What are some possible advantages and disadvantages of tripartite theory?
Advantages
- Perhaps dissolves various controversies (e.g., are animals conscious? –> may only have 1st-order awareness)
- Allows for the study of distinct forms of awareness.
Disadvantages
- Some people argue that access is what makes consciousness.
- Tripartite theory proposes that blindsight is phenomenally conscious (people just can’t access it), and this is a very controversial topic.
