Towards characterizing the canonical computations generating phenomenal experience.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews November 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104903 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Computational modeling Consciousness Metacognition Qualia |
| Key findings | Perceptual metacognition has five properties that make it a powerful opportunity for studying the neural and computational correlates of subjective experience. |
Abstract
Science and philosophy have long struggled with how to even begin studying the neural or computational basis of qualitative experience. Here I review psychological, neuroscience, and philosophical literature to reveal how perceptual metacognition possesses five unique properties that provide a powerful opportunity for studying the neural and computational correlates of subjective experience: (1) Metacognition leads to subjective experiences (we "feel" confident); (2) Metacognition is "about" internal representations, formalizing introspection; (3) Metacognitive computations are "recursive" (applying to meta-cognition and meta-meta-cognition), so we might discover "canonical computations" preserved across processing levels and implementations; (4) Metacognition is anchored to observable behavior; and (5) Metacognitive computations are unobservable yet hierarchically dependent, requiring development of sensitive, specific models. Given these properties, computational models of metacognition provide an empirically-tractable early step in characterizing the generative process that constructs qualitative experience. I also present practical ways to make progress in this vein, applying decades of developments in nearby fields to perceptual metacognition to reveal new and exciting insights about how the brain constructs subjective conscious experiences.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body Consciousness: A Philosophy of Mindfulness and Somaesthetics | 2008 | Review article | |
| Phenomenology, Structure, and Dynamic of Psychedelic States | 2016 | Review | |
| Classic Hallucinogens and Mystical Experiences: Phenomenology and Neural Correlates. | 2018 | Review | |
| The lived experience of psychosis: a bottom-up review co-written by experts by experience and academics. Individuals with lived experience of psychosis, family members, and carers | 2022 | Co-written bottom-up review | |
| From autopoiesis to neurophenomenology: Francisco Varela's exploration of the biophysics of being. | 2003 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Consciousness Under the Spotlight: The Problem of Measuring Subjective Experience. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science 2025
- Introspective psychophysics for the study of subjective experience. Cerebral Cortex January 8, 2025
- Metacognitive Feelings of Epistemic Gain are Central to the Understanding of Psychedelic-Induced Mystical-Type Experiences Cognitive Therapy and Research March 29, 2025
- Building the Blocks of Being: The Attributes and Qualities That Are Independently Required and Jointly Sufficient for Con-Sciousness Preprints.org March 1, 2023
- Now is the time: operationalizing generative neurophenomenology through interpersonal methods. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2025
and 3 more in the library
Cites 34
- Are the Neural Correlates of Consciousness in the Front or in the Back of the Cerebral Cortex? Clinical and Neuroimaging Evidence Journal of Neuroscience October 4, 2017
- Dissociating Perceptual Confidence from Discrimination Accuracy Reveals No Influence of Metacognitive Awareness on Working Memory Frontiers in Psychology June 5, 2016
- Type 2 blindsight and the nature of visual experience. Consciousness and Cognition March 1, 2015
- Confidence Tracks Consciousness* Cambridge University Press eBooks September 30, 2022
- The Strength of the Mind: Essays on Consciousness and Introspection 2018
and 29 more in the library