Controlled Hallucinations and Precision Weighting: Predictive Coding as a Computational Framework for Visual Consciousness
Journal of Education and Educational Research April 16, 2026 Yimeng Liu
Visual consciousness may arise when the brain's predictive coding system fully minimizes prediction errors, creating a stable generative model state. The brain actively constructs perceptions by comparing top-down predictions with bottom-up sensory inputs, a process sometimes called 'controlled hallucinations.' Evidence from unconscious neural decoding shows predictive processing can occur without conscious vision. Even without attention, the brain automatically generates electrophysiological responses to expectation violations, indicating automatic prediction error generation. Different frequency neural oscillations convey prediction and prediction error signals, supporting intercortical information exchange. Challenges remain, including unclear biological implementation and risk of conceptual circularity. Future research should develop biologically realistic computational models and combine TMS with EEG and fMRI.