A self-programming theory of perception

Abstract

This paper relies on the self-programming mind hypothesis, providing a novel perspective on perception. According to this interpretation, the process of perception is essentially one of controlling the inflow of sensory information. Through this control, the mind can represent the current sensory input through known concepts. This further allows the mind to acquire the relationships that associate the perceived objects with other known concepts. Thus, consciously considered decisions can be made based on these relationships. The method by which the mind locates the known concepts for representing objects is by obtaining subjective symbol sequences generated from sensory input and top-down processing. These top-down processes for establishing and activating these subjective symbol sequences arise from the habitualization of actions obtained through historical conscious decision-making. This habitualization process applies to both action-based and non-action-based perceptions. To show the evidence that this idea is aligned with the mechanism of perception, we compared it with predictive coding both theoretically and empirically. We show that this idea gives more plausible interpretations than predictive coding in both these two aspects. Through this novel understanding of perception, we have also revisited the process of object recognition. Furthermore, we discussed the relationship between cognition and perception, indicating that the core association between these two systems is that unconscious perceptual processes originate from conscious historical decisions. This suggests a new direction that empirical research about the relationships between cognition and perception should consider. Finally, we dissolved some significant issues faced by action-based theories of perception.