The offline stream of conscious representations

Abstract

When do we become conscious of a stimulus after its presentation? We would all agree that this necessarily takes time and that it is not instantaneous. Here, I would like to propose not only that conscious access is relative to the external stimulation, but also that it can flexibly from external stimulation; it can process some information 'offline', if and when it becomes relevant. Thus, in contrast with initial sensory processing, conscious experience might not strictly follow the sequence of events in the environment. In this article, I will review gathering evidence in favour of this proposition. I will argue that it offers a coherent framework for explaining a great variety of observations in the domain of perception, sensory memory and working memory: the psychological refractory period, the attentional blink, post-dictive phenomena, iconic memory, latent working memory and the newly described retro-perception phenomenon. I will integrate this proposition to the global neuronal workspace model and consider possible underlying brain mechanisms. Finally, I will argue that this capacity to process information 'offline' might have made conscious processing evolutionarily advantageous in spite of its sluggishness and capacity limitations.This article is part of the theme issue 'Perceptual consciousness and cognitive access'.

Subjective inflation: phenomenology’s get-rich-quick scheme

“…There is a longstanding and currently lively debate about whether or not visual phenomenology overflows cognitive access (see recent themed issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] ). The question of phenomenological overflow is often rephrased as asking whether phenomenology is rich or sparse.…”

The Concept of Internal Representation in The Qbit Theory of Consciousness

“…A large body of evidence suggests that internal representations can be stored in a latent form within sensory cortices, and reactivated at a later time. 32 This kind of memory is probably supported by rapid rearrangement of synaptic weights within sensory cortices following initial activation. Reactivation of this reconfigured network, through either top-down attention or a bottom-up boost from a following stimulus, would reveal this hidden structure and reactivate the latent representation.…”

“…Reactivation of this reconfigured network, through either top-down attention or a bottom-up boost from a following stimulus, would reveal this hidden structure and reactivate the latent representation. 32…”

The QBIT Theory of Consciousness

“…There is strong evidence that internal representations can be stored in a latent form within the sensory cortex, and reactivated at a later time. 12 This kind of memory is probably supported by rapid rearrangement of synaptic weights within sensory cortex following initial activation. Reactivation of this reconfigured network, through either top-down attention or a bottom-up boost from a following stimulus, would reveal this hidden structure and reactivate the latent representation.…”

“…Reactivation of this reconfigured network, through either top-down attention or a bottom-up boost from a following stimulus, would reveal this hidden structure and reactivate the latent representation. 12 Internal representations stored in a cognitive system can help the system to make predictions or decisions in conjunction with sensory signals, and even in the absence of sensory signals. In the case of the human brain, as a cognitive system, internal representations could be metaphorically thought of as what the brain already knows about its environment with its eyes closed.…”