Research Focus
Conflict, consciousness, and control

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2004.02.006Get rights and content

Abstract

To what degree is executive conflict resolution dependent on conflict awareness? A recent study by Dehaene et al. compared neural responses to conflict elicited through either visible or subliminal primes. Despite behavioral conflict effects for both prime types, neural activity in a control network including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was present only for visible primes. Along with other recent results, these findings have important implications for theories on the relationship between ACC, consciousness, and cognitive control.

Section snippets

Probing the nature of the awareness–control relationship

How can we make progress regarding our understanding of the awareness–control relationship? Optimally, one would want to examine the neural and behavioral indicators of control, both as a function of awareness and, if possible, as a function of the integrity of the neural control network. If control is contingent on awareness then we should see neural and behavioral indications of control only when awareness is high, and when the control network is intact. Dehaene, Artiges, Naccache, Martelli

Other studies using awareness–control designs

The results of the Dehaene et al. study may not be fully conclusive. However, they do highlight an important approach to the question how exactly consciousness and neurocognitive aspects of control are related. In fact, there are now results from a handful of studies using the same basic strategy of contrasting behavioral and/or neural responses to unconscious and conscious control demands (see Table 1). Does a clear picture emerge when these studies are examined in conjunction?

Interestingly,

Outlook for future

A fruitful next step in this general approach would be a more precise conceptualization and assessment of consciousness. Recent work, involving the first author of the targeted paper could lead the way [16]. The authors applied network simulations of their workspace framework, which equates a globally coherent, representational state with consciousness, to the attentional blink phenomenon (i.e. subjects' frequent failures to consciously identify a target that follows an initial target within a

References (17)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (79)

  • Opposite effects of binge drinking on consciously vs. subliminally induced cognitive conflicts

    2017, NeuroImage
    Citation Excerpt :

    Just like the precuneus, the posterior cingulate cortex has repeatedly been suggested be affected by alcohol and to play a key role in the perception and prioritization of external stimuli that are relevant for adaptive responses to the environment (DeWitt et al., 2015; Moeller and Goldstein, 2014). This means that the subliminal prime and/or the conflict it had evoked was more thoroughly processed in the sober condition than in the intoxicated condition (e.g. Botvinick et al., 2004; Mayr, 2004). Also, this is roughly in line with the finding that a decrease in cingulate activation may in fact be beneficial to the automatic detection of response conflicts (Chen et al., 2013).

  • Unconscious vision and executive control: How unconscious processing and conscious action control interact

    2014, Consciousness and Cognition
    Citation Excerpt :

    Our review has revealed that unconscious or unaware visual processing serves particular, already intended actions and cognitive operations (Ansorge & Neumann, 2005; Dehaene & Naccache, 2001; Kiefer & Martens, 2010; Kunde et al., 2003). By contrast conscious or aware processing seems to be necessary for setting up a task set in the first place (Dehaene & Naccache, 2001; Kunde, 2003; Mayr, 2004; Neumann, 1990), and conscious vision seems to promote the global availability of mental representations for diverse potential goals (Baars, 1988; Dehaene & Naccache, 2001). According to this dichotomy, with a decision being based on conscious or aware vision humans can consider a huge number of potential alternatives.

View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text