Brain signals do not demonstrate unconscious decision making: An interpretation based on graded conscious awareness
- Neuroscientific studies have shown that brain activity correlated with a decision to move can be observed before a person reports being consciously aware of having made that decision (e.g., Libet, Gleason, Wright, & Pearl, 1983; Soon, Brass, Heinze, & Haynes, 2008). Given that a later event (i.e., conscious awareness) cannot cause an earlier one (i.e., decision-related brain activity), such results have been interpreted as evidence that decisions are made unconsciously (e.g., Libet, 1985). We argue that this interpretation depends upon an all-or-none view of consciousness, and we offer an alternative interpretation of the early decision-related brain activity based on models in which conscious awareness of the decision to move develops gradually up to the level of a reporting criterion. Under this interpretation, the early brain activity reflects sub-criterion levels of awareness rather than complete absence of awareness and thus does not suggest that decisions are made unconsciously.
Author details: | Jeff Miller, Wolfgang SchwarzORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2013.12.004 |
ISSN: | 1053-8100 |
ISSN: | 1090-2376 |
Pubmed ID: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24394375 |
Title of parent work (English): | Consciousness and cognition |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Place of publishing: | San Diego |
Publication type: | Review |
Language: | English |
Year of first publication: | 2014 |
Publication year: | 2014 |
Release date: | 2017/03/27 |
Tag: | Consciousness; Decision making; Libet; Neuroscience |
Volume: | 24 |
Number of pages: | 10 |
First page: | 12 |
Last Page: | 21 |
Organizational units: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Strukturbereich Kognitionswissenschaften / Department Psychologie |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Institution name at the time of the publication: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Psychologie |