A model of the hierarchy of behaviour, cognition, and consciousness.
Processes comparable in important respects to those underlying human conscious and non-conscious processing can be identified in a range of species and it is argued that these reflect evolutionary precursors of the human processes. A distinction is drawn between two types of processing: (1) stimulus-based and (2) higher-order. For 'higher-order,' in humans the operations of processing are themselves associated with conscious awareness. Conscious awareness sets the context for stimulus-based processing and its end-point is accessible to conscious awareness. However, the mechanics of the translation between stimulus and response proceeds without conscious control. The paper argues that higher-order processing is an evolutionary addition to stimulus-based processing. The model's value is shown for gaining insight into a range of phenomena and their link with consciousness. These include brain damage, learning, memory, development, vision, emotion, motor control, reasoning, the voluntary versus involuntary debate, and mental disorder.
The Open University, Biological Sciences, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK. F.Toates@Open.ac.uk
Frederick
F
Toates
D000339:Affect; D001288:Attention; D001332:Automatism; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology*; D006184:Habits; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D012919:Social Behavior; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology