How Does Consciousness Work? Dueling Scientists Tested Two Big Theories but Found No Winner
1 min read
Summary
A team called Cogitate recently carried out an “adversarial collaboration” to test two theories of consciousness.
Global neuronal workspace theory suggests that conscious perception should be associated with sustained synchronisation of signals in the posterior cortex, while integrated information theory claims that it should be possible to decode a person’s thoughts from activity in their prefrontal cortex.
Although neither theory was supported by the results, the test set a standard for the field going forwards.
It proved that the design of an experiment can bias the results in favour of one theory over another, and that proponents of different theories must work together to agree on predictions for testing.
Despite the rising number of theories of consciousness, the field has been particularly dogmatic, and proponents of different theories tend to look for evidence that supports their view while ignoring other possibilities.
The test carried out by Cogitate has set an important precedent for resolving these issues in the future.
