Postdiction and the speed of consciousness.
Behav Brain Sci June 25, 2026
Postdiction and the speed of consciousness.
Behav Brain Sci
ISSN 0140-525x; 1469-1825;
10 papers in the library · 12 citations · publishing 2018-2026
Papers
Speed of consciousness results: Implications for conscious agency and free will.
Behav Brain Sci June 25, 2026
Abstract Speed of consciousness results may contribute to the popular notion that our consciousness is inefficacious. I argue that Fleming and Michel’s claim that consciousness is slow, coupled with their idea that consciousness marks a predictive world model, instead supports a view of agency in which we are consciously engaged with the world as it unfolds, both in perception and response.
Functions of consciousness: Proprioception and mental imagery.
Behav Brain Sci June 25, 2026
Functions of consciousness: Proprioception and mental imagery.
The evolution of consciousness: Olfaction first, vision later?
Behav Brain Sci June 25, 2026
The evolution of consciousness: Olfaction first, vision later?
Consciousness facilitates model-based planning, but is that really why consciousness evolved?
Behav Brain Sci June 25, 2026
Abstract The authors make a timely argument that the temporal profile of consciousness is an under-exploited constraint on theories of consciousness. However, the exact timing matters for the evolutionary hypothesis. A rival hypothesis is that in aquatic environments, it already had the function of representing distal objects, with a time-delay to consciousness in the 100–200ms range.
Sensory horizons, reality monitoring, and the higher-order nature of consciousness: A critical look.
Behav Brain Sci June 25, 2026
Abstract Fleming and Michel’s hypothesis about the origins of consciousness not only faces multiple challenges but also overlooks phenomenal experience—the very phenomenon that needs explaining. Although we are in broad agreement with the authors’ overall perspective, we highlight challenges and suggest that consciousness evolved to attribute subjective value, enabling organisms to care about...
Pain and the evolutionary origins of subjective experience.
Behav Brain Sci November 3, 2025
Pain and the evolutionary origins of subjective experience.
The social functions of shamanism.
Behav Brain Sci 2018 Rachel E. Watson-Jones, Cristine H. Legare 7 citations
Cultural evolutionary accounts of shamanism must explain the cross-cultural recurrence and variation in associated practices. We suggest that Singh's account of shamanism would be strengthened by considering the social functions of shamanism in groups. Shamanism increases social group cohesion, making it distinct from other magico-religious practices.
Complexity and possession: Gender and social structure in the variability of shamanic traits.
Behav Brain Sci 2018 Connor P. Wood, Kate J. Stockly 5 citations
Singh deploys cultural evolution to explain recurrent features of shamanistic trance forms, but fails to substantively address important distinctions between these forms. Possession trance (vs. trance without possession) is disproportionately female-dominated and found in complex societies. The effects of cultural conditions on shamanism thus extend beyond its presence or absence and are vital...
Shamanism and efficacious exceptionalism.
Behav Brain Sci 2018
Shamanism and efficacious exceptionalism.