Uncovering Core Mechanisms of Selfhood: Novel Methods and Implications for Modelling Selfless States
Amber Bunting, Erik D. Reichle, Vince Polito
PsyArXiv September 30, 2024 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/wvtbj (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the hierarchical nature of neural systems may be a core mechanism for generating selfhood, and hypothesizes that flattening this hierarchy permits qualia to be experienced without the sense that they are given to a subject. The authors implement this hypothesis in the Reichle & Boag (2024) computational model and provide guidance on which parameters to modify to simulate selflessness. |
Abstract
This paper introduces a method for identifying minimally sufficient neurocognitive mechanisms of selfhood. It focuses on extracting context-independent mechanisms from computational models and neuroimaging data of states with disrupted self-specifying processing. A proof-of-concept is demonstrated using active inference models of meditative non-dual awareness and psychedelic ego-dissolution. The resulting predictions suggest that the hierarchical nature of neural systems may be a core mechanism for generating selfhood. The hypothesis posits that flattening the hierarchy in a system allows one to experience qualia without the psychological sense that they are given to a subject. This hypothesis is then implemented in a current computational model of selfhood (Reichle & Boag, 2024). The paper provides two insights: (1) how to deduce core mechanisms of selfhood, and (2) specific guidance on which parameters to modify in computational models of consciousness or selfhood to simulate selflessness.