CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE

SOCIAL BRAIN

Michael S. A. Graziano

Collaborators:Yin Kelly

Taylor WebbJeffrey Meier

Sabine Kastner

Attention Schema Theory

How and why do brains attribute the property of consciousness to themselves?

Selective signal enhancement

How can the brain control attention?

How can the brain control attention?Partly by using a model of attention.

How can the brain control attention?Partly by using a model of attention.

(e.g. the brain controls the arm using an internal model of the arm.)

Awareness = Attention Schema

I am attending to an apple

I am attending to an apple

Color

Shape

Texture

Movement

Smell

Semantic Knowledge

I am attending to an apple

Color

Shape

Texture

Movement

Smell

Semantic Knowledge

Location Of Self

Body Schema

Self Identity

Mood

Memory

Color

Shape

Texture

Movement

Smell

Semantic Knowledge

Location Of Self

Body Schema

Self Identity

Mood

Memory

AttentionSchema

Color

Shape

Texture

Movement

Smell

Semantic Knowledge

Location Of Self

Body Schema

Self Identity

Mood

Memory

AttentionSchema

Color

Shape

Texture

Movement

Smell

Semantic Knowledge

Location Of Self

Body Schema

Self Identity

Mood

Memory

AttentionSchema

Color

Shape

Texture

Movement

Smell

Semantic Knowledge

Location Of Self

Body Schema

Self Identity

Mood

Memory

AttentionSchema

Color

Shape

Texture

Movement

Smell

Semantic Knowledge

Location Of Self

Body Schema

Self Identity

Mood

Memory

AttentionSchema

Color

Shape

Texture

Movement

Smell

Semantic Knowledge

Location Of Self

Body Schema

Self Identity

Mood

Memory

AttentionSchema

Predictions

If:

Awareness = schematic model of attention

Predictions

If:

Awareness = schematic model of attention

Then:

Prediction 1) You should be able to pay attention to something without being aware of it.

Predictions

If:

Awareness = schematic model of attention

Then:

Prediction 1) You should be able to pay attention to something without being aware of it.

Prediction 2)

Predictions

If:

Awareness = schematic model of attention

Then:

Prediction 1) You should be able to pay attention to something without being aware of it.

Prediction 2) Without awareness of an object, attention to that object should become less controlled.

Predictions

Temperature outside

Tem

pera

ture

Ins

ide

Temperature outside

Tem

pera

ture

Ins

ide

Working Control Mechanism

Temperature outside

Tem

pera

ture

Ins

ide

Working Control Mechanism

Broken Control Mechanism

Aware

Aware

Unaware

AL

AL

AL

Latency(Seconds)

1.0

Match

0.5

AL

Latency(Seconds)

Match

1.0

0.5

AL

Latency(Seconds)

Match Mismatch

1.0

0.5

AL

Latency(Seconds)

Match Mismatch

1.0

0.5

Aware

Unaware

If:

Awareness = schematic model of attention

Then:

Prediction 1) You should be able to pay attention to something without being aware of it.

Prediction 2) Without awareness of an object, attention to that object should become less controlled.

Predictions

Prediction 3) Brain areas involved in attributingawareness to oneself should overlap with brainareas involved in attributing awareness to others.

Gaze and expression suggest the sameanswer.

Gaze and expression suggest the sameanswer.

Gaze suggests one answer, Expression suggests a different answer.

Left Hemisphere Right Hemisphere

Left Hemisphere Right Hemisphere

TPJ (Temporo-parietal Junction)

Awareness

AttentionSocialAttribution

Jellyfish

JellyfishHuman

Consciousness

Attention Schema Theory

Awareness is a schematic model of attention.

The brain attributes awareness to itself and to others.

Left Hemisphere Right Hemisphere