Knowledge Tree
Relations (1)
related 2.32 — strongly supporting 4 facts
Consciousness is related to sensory input as it functions to assign meaning to these inputs [1] and modulates behavior when sensory inputs trigger conscious sensations [2]. While consciousness can operate independently of current sensory input [3], it evolved as a serial process distinct from the parallel processing of sensory input already present in vertebrate nervous systems [4].
Facts (4)
Sources
The function(s) of consciousness: an evolutionary perspective frontiersin.org 2 facts
perspectiveLacalli conjectures that a key function of consciousness, related to both memory and distinguishable qualia, is to assign meaning to sensory inputs.
referenceBudson et al. (2022) propose a model where consciousness modulates appetitive actions in foraging animals by slowing or redirecting behavior when sensory inputs evoke conscious sensations of danger through memory.
The evolution of human-type consciousness – a by-product of ... frontiersin.org 2 facts
claimThe single-channel, serial mode of operation typical to consciousness appeared hundreds of millions of years after vertebrate nervous systems had already mastered parallel control of muscle operation and parallel processing of sensory input, as noted by Marois and Ivanoff (2005).
claimConsciousness operates in a 'virtual space' that is independent of current sensory input and operative activity, allowing it to be disconnected from automatic control systems during complex activities like driving or walking.