title: Information integration without awareness.
abstract: Information integration and consciousness are closely related, if not interdependent. But, what exactly is the nature of their relation? Which forms of integration require consciousness? Here, we examine the recent experimental literature with respect to perceptual and cognitive integration of spatiotemporal, multisensory, semantic, and novel information. We suggest that, whereas some integrative processes can occur without awareness, their scope is limited to smaller integration windows, to simpler associations, or to ones that were previously acquired consciously. This challenges previous claims that consciousness of some content is necessary for its integration; yet it also suggests that consciousness holds an enabling role in establishing integrative mechanisms that can later operate unconsciously, and in allowing wider-range integration, over bigger semantic, spatiotemporal, and sensory integration windows.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. Electronic address: liadmu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Liad
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mudrik
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Faivre
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Allen Institute for Brain Science, 551 North 34th Street Seattle, WA 98103, USA. Electronic address: christofk@alleninstitute.org.
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Koch
mesh_terms: D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007257:Information Theory; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: consciousness; global neural workspace; integrated information theory; integration; integration windows; multisensory integration; unconscious processing