The place of consciousness in the information processing approach: The mental-pool thought experiment
Behavioral and Brain Sciences September 1, 1996 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x00082066 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 24 |
| Key points | Argues, via a thought experiment, that although input information is initially processed unconsciously, subsequent processing involves consciousness, and that consciousness plays an important role in the explanation of behavior, contrary to Velmans's view that consciousness has only a minor explanatory role. |
Abstract
Abstract Velmans (1991a; 1991b) proposed that consciousness plays a minor explanatory role in the information processing approach and that unconscious mechanisms process stimuli and responses and intervene between them. In contrast, the present commentary describes a thought experiment suggesting that, although input information is initially processed unconsciously, subsequent processing involves consciousness, and consciousness plays an important role in the explanation of behavior.