Towards a computational (neuro)phenomenology of mental action: modelling meta-awareness and attentional control with deep-parametric active inference
Lars Sandved-Smith, Casper Hesp, Antoine Lutz, Jérémie Mattout, Karl Friston, Maxwell James Ramstead
PsyArXiv June 10, 2020 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/5jh3c (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Citations | 11 |
| Key points | Argues that extending active inference with a hierarchical level for explicit meta-awareness and covert attentional action yields a computational proof of principle for how access, monitoring, and control of cognitive states can emerge, illustrated through mind-wandering and its regulation in focused attention. |
Abstract
Metacognition refers to the capacity to access, monitor, and control aspects of one’s mental operations and is central to the human condition and experience. Disorders of metacognition are a hallmark of many psychiatric conditions and the training of metacognitive skills is central in education and in many psychotherapies. This paper provides first steps towards the development of a formal neurophenomenology of metacognition. To do so, we leverage the tools of the active inference framework, extending a previous computational model of implicit metacognition by adding a hierarchical level to model explicit (conscious) meta-awareness and the voluntary control of attention through covert action. Using the example of mind-wandering and its regulation in focused attention, we provide a computational proof of principle for an inferential architecture apt to enable the emergence of central components of metacognition: namely, the ability to access, monitor, and control cognitive states.
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| From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Predictive processing as a systematic basis for identifying the neural correlates of consciousness Philosophy and the Mind Sciences December 30, 2020
- On the varieties of conscious experiences: Altered Beliefs Under Psychedelics (ALBUS). Neuroscience of Consciousness 2025
- Active Inference as a Computational Framework for Consciousness Review of Philosophy and Psychology August 10, 2021
- Distinguishing absence of awareness from awareness of absence Philosophy and the Mind Sciences December 30, 2020
Cites 12
- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
- The Predictive Coding Account of Psychosis. Biological Psychiatry May 25, 2018
- Investigating the phenomenological matrix of mindfulness-related practices from a neurocognitive perspective. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Interoception, contemplative practice, and health Frontiers in Psychology June 9, 2015
and 7 more in the library