The Attention Schema Theory of Consciousness

Abstract

Although Attention Schema Theory (AST) may seem quite different from other theories of consciousness, it is not necessarily a rival. This chapter suggests it is compatible with many of the common, existing theories, and can add a crucial piece that fills a logical gap. AST has no metaphysical gap, because it contains nothing metaphysical. AST posits a specific kind of relationship between awareness and attention. The chapter summarizes AST and then discusses some of the ways it might make contact with three specific approaches to consciousness: higher-order thought, social theories of consciousness, and integrated information. It does not review the specific experimental evidence in support of AST, instead, it summarizes the concepts underlying the theory. The purpose of AST is to explain how the human brain claims to have so quirky and seemingly magical a property as an awareness of some of its information content.