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unconscious information processing
Also known as: non-conscious processing, nonconscious processing, unconscious processing, unconscious information, unconscious information processing modules
Facts (20)
Sources
The Problem of Hard and Easy Problems cambridge.org Mar 31, 2023 5 facts
perspectiveDavid Chalmers argues that because nonconscious processing allows for task performance, consciousness is not necessary for cognitive and behavioral performance, and therefore consciousness cannot be defined as a problem of function performance.
claimResearchers have attempted to disentangle the effects of conscious and nonconscious processing in verbal and verbal-like reporting.
claimNonconscious processing is evidenced only from the experimenter's perspective and requires external prompting for the patient to act on the information covertly processed.
referenceDocumented examples of unconscious processing include visual stimuli (Milner and Goodale, 2006), pain (Melzack and Wall, 1982), threatening events (LeDoux, 1996), blindsight (Weiskrantz, 1990), covert facial recognition (Young and Burton, 1999), and implicit memory (Schacter, 1987).
claimThe empirical justification for distinguishing between conscious and nonconscious processing rests on the observation that brain lesion patients or subjects in experimental conditions can perform certain perceptual and cognitive tasks without conscious experience.
Global workspace theory: consciousness as brain wide information ... selfawarepatterns.com Dec 29, 2019 3 facts
claimGlobal Workspace Theory posits that unconscious processing occurs when brain modules connect to one or a few other modules to accomplish a task without broadcasting the signal to the entire system.
claimGlobal workspace theory is commonly described using a theater metaphor where a light shines on the stage to represent conscious events, while backstage personnel and the audience represent unconscious information processing modules.
claimGlobal workspace theory avoids the infinite regression of the Cartesian theater by stipulating that the audience (the unconscious information processing modules) is not conscious.
Moving Forward on the Problem of Consciousness - David Chalmers consc.net 2 facts
claimBenjamin Libet, Valerie Hardcastle, and Max Velmans observe that some information is nonconscious.
claimDavid Chalmers suggests that one way to address nonconscious information is to identify further constraints on the type of information associated with experience, which might play a role in psychophysical laws.
#17 — ”Global Workspace Theory… - Consciousness and the Brain podcasts.apple.com Nov 22, 2021 2 facts
quoteAlea Skwara, a PhD Candidate in the Perception, Cognition, and Cognitive Neuroscience area of the Psychology Department at UC Davis, stated: "I think in terms of consciousness, it seems to me that these Feelings of Knowing are perhaps the conscious tip of the iceberg for this huge amount of unconscious processing that's going on of all this information in our environment, where maybe I couldn't tell you why I know there's danger, but I know."
referenceThe paper 'Converging Intracranial Markers of Conscious Access' by Gaillard et al. (2009) provides evidence for cortical integration and broadcasting by comparing conscious and unconscious processing of briefly flashed words.
Adversarial testing of global neuronal workspace and ... - Nature nature.com Apr 30, 2025 1 fact
referenceVictor Lamme published 'The crack of dawn: perceptual functions and neural mechanisms that mark the transition from unconscious processing to conscious vision' in Open MIND in 2015.
(PDF) Unifying Theories of Consciousness, Attention, and ... academia.edu 1 fact
claimProgress in imaging networks of brain areas active during simple tasks may provide a useful empirical background for distinguishing conscious and unconscious information processing.
Psychedelics, Sociality, and Human Evolution frontiersin.org 1 fact
claimPsychedelic-assisted divination practices may provide access to new perspectives and unconscious knowledge, serving as a coping strategy against uncertainty.
Resolving the evolutionary paradox of consciousness link.springer.com Apr 1, 2024 1 fact
claimIt is not obvious that consciousness confers any evolutionary fitness benefits that could not theoretically be achieved through non-conscious processing.
The Mechanisms of Psychedelic Visionary Experiences - Frontiers frontiersin.org Sep 27, 2017 1 fact
claimPsychedelic alterations of consciousness enhance access to normally unconscious information by making it available through visual symbolic processes that use image-schemas to integrate knowledge.
Protocol for testing global neuronal workspace and integrated ... journals.plos.org 1 fact
referenceBen-Haim MS, Dal Monte O, Fagan NA, Dunham Y, Hassin RR, Chang SWC, et al. authored 'Disentangling perceptual awareness from nonconscious processing in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)', published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America in 2021, volume 118, issue 15, article e2017543118.
Consciousness (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Fall 2025 ... plato.stanford.edu Jun 18, 2004 1 fact
claimFodor (1983) argues that nonconscious information is more likely to be encapsulated within particular mental modules and available for use only with respect to applications directly connected to that subsystem's operation.
Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART) frontiersin.org 1 fact
claimEarly, non-conscious processing can be measured in pre-categorical, high-capacity sensory memory stores, perceptual rivalry, or affect-biased attention.