The Primary Function of Consciousness in the Nervous System. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5016/1806-8774.2007v9p37

Authors

  • Ezequiel Morsella San Francisco State University
  • Stephen C. Krieger Stephen C. Krieger, M.D., Department of Neurology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, N
  • Sergio Rizzo-Fontanesi San Francisco State University
  • John A. Bargh Yale University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5016/1806-8774.2007v9p37

Abstract

The integration consensus proposes that consciousness integrates activities in the nervous system that would otherwise be independent, but it fails to specify which kinds of integration require consciousness. By contrasting the task demands of consciously-penetrable processes (e.g., pain) and consciously-impenetrable processes (e.g., pupillary reflex, peristalsis), Supramodular Interaction Theory proposes that consciousness is required to integrate agentic, high-level systems that are vying for (specifically) skeletomotor control, as described by the principle of parallel responses into skeletal muscle (PRISM). Thus, consciousness functions above the level of the traditional module to permit cross-talk among specialized, and often multi-modal, systems

Author Biography

Ezequiel Morsella, San Francisco State University

Ezequiel Morsella's research focuses on the nonconscious and conscious (e.g., urges) mechanisms in human action production. To understand the nature of these mechanisms, he has investigated action production at different levels of analysis and in different contexts, including simple actions, subjective urges, speech production, social action, and language use (communication cognition). His approach is broadly based in terms of dependent measures: cognitive, affective, social, and neurobiological.

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Published

2007-12-19

Issue

Vol. 9 (2007)

Section

Reviews

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