Toates, Frederick
(2006).
A Model of the hierarchy of behaviour, cognition, and consciousness.
Consciousness and Cognition, 15(1),
pp. 75–118.
Abstract
Processes comparable in important respects to those underlying human conscious and non-conscious processing can be identified in a range of species and it is argued that these reflect evolutionary precursors of the human processes. A distinction is drawn between two types of processing: (1) stimulus-based and (2) higher-order. For ‘higher-order’, in humans the operations of processing are themselves associated with conscious awareness. Conscious awareness sets the context for stimulus-based processing and its end-point is accessible to conscious awareness. However, the mechanics of the translation between stimulus and response proceeds without conscious control. The paper argues that higher-order processing is an evolutionary addition to stimulus-based processing. The model’s value is shown for gaining insight into a range of phenomena and their link with consciousness. These include brain damage, learning, memory, development, vision, emotion, motor control, reasoning, the voluntary versus involuntary debate and mental disorder.
| Item Type: |
Journal Article
|
| ISSN: |
1053-8100 |
| Keywords: |
consciousness; automaticity; behavioural hierarchy; cognition; determinism; development; goal; habit; modal action pattern; motivation; reflex; will; hippocampus; prefrontal cortex
|
| Academic Unit/Department: |
Science > Life, Health and Chemical Sciences |
| Item ID: |
4444 |
| Depositing User: |
Frederick Toates
|
| Date Deposited: |
06 Jul 2006 |
| Last Modified: |
02 Dec 2010 19:51 |
| URI: |
http://oro.open.ac.uk/id/eprint/4444 |
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