A Dynamic Perspective on Conscious and Unconscious Processes – DynaMind

The proposal “Dynamind” is intended as an exploration of the mechanisms of consciousness, from a distinctively dynamic perspective

Distinguishing between conscious and unconscious processes is a fundamental issue for our understanding of the human mind. For a long time this topic has been banned from scientific research, as it was judged that consciousness was not objectively definable, and that its exploration relied too much on subjective statements. This is no longer the case, and consciousness is now a widely studied subject in cognitive psychology as well as in cognitive neurosciences. However, most research on this topic has been limited to a static perspective, by studying static stimuli, by ignoring reflective consciousness, by considering processing as a function of present information, and by focusing on a single, adult stage of development. Yet, both conscious and unconscious mental processes are intrinsically driven by dynamic properties. We will study these properties by relying on behavioral and brain imaging methods along four tracks:

1- Unconscious perception: Our perceptual systems are, in real life, constantly receiving unconscious sequences of information that will generate dynamic and constantly updated processing streams. We will study these dynamic unconscious streams, thanks to Gaze-Contingent Substitution, a novel approach allowing for the presentation of subliminal videos and sequences of stimuli.
2- Introspection: any study of consciousness relies ultimately on participants' access to their own mental data and processes, and their ability to report on them. Yet, precise account of the processes of access are missing in the literature. We will study introspective access to internal representations and processes using new psychophysical paradigms. We will study the informational and temporal relationships between first order processes and the processes of accessing their parameters.
3- Conscious perception: Construction of a conscious percept does not only depend on present stimulation but also on interactions with prior knowledge. Relying on the Bayesian framework, we will study the mechanisms by which prior knowledge leads to the reconstruction of perceptual contents, by "filling-in" missing information during situations of partial awareness.
4- The maturation of consciousness: Using both psychophysical measures of visibility thresholds and high-density EEG, we will study the neural distinction between conscious and unconscious processes in preverbal infants, and whether consciousness develops through the maturation of posterior brain regions encoding sensory information, or rather anterior prefrontal regions related to attention and executive control.

The project builds on a large body of research now available that aims at specifying the properties of conscious and unconscious processing. It will open new avenues of research from both methodological and theoretical perspectives, and it will also extend the inquiry to the yet unexplored field of developmental studies of consciousness.

The expected impact of the project will be 1) to evidence sequential and complex forms of unconscious processing 2) to unravel how access processes hook up on first order processes 3) to specify the cognitive mechanisms leading perceptual illusion 4) to provide new insights on the mystery of how consciousness develops in humans.