Consciousness “The” problem of consciousness is not one problem, but many.

1. Consciousness “The” problem of consciousness is not one problem, but many. Some are easy and some are hard.

2. Consciousness -the focus of attention -the deliberate control of behavior -the difference between wakefulness and sleep -the ability of a system to access its own internal states -the reportability of mental states -the awareness of an “I” who observes and “runs the system”

3. Sleep vs. Wakefulness Why sleep? Why be awake? Day and night as different environments Not well adapted to both Minimize activity when less well adapted Other adaptations layered on top

4. Focus of attention Many tasks better handled automatically Don’t muck things up with deliberation Attention is a limited resource Cognitive impenetrability (face recognition, memory, saccadic eye movements) Spend it on things that are odd or special Deliberate control of behavior

5. Learning and Consciousness Some things are conscious when they are being learned but not after they are learned well. Some things are learned outside of consciousness. Consciousness is not necessary for learning (physical, linguistic and social skills)

6. Unity of Consciousness I don’t feel like a collection of modules My senses represent one coherent world not separate ones. This unity must be a product of selection.

7. Consciousness -the focus of attention -the deliberate control of behavior -the difference between wakefulness and sleep -the ability of a system to access its own internal states -the reportability of mental states -the awareness of an “I” who observes and “runs the system” Self awareness

8. Self Awareness How widespread is self-awareness? How would we know? (mirror test) Chimps, yes Gorillas, no Orang-utans, yes Monkeys, no

9. Self Awareness What is self-awareness for? Many animals “simulate” the near future in order to anticipate the outcome of a situation. Some situations require the self be built in as an actor, e.g., will this branch hold my weight?

10. Self Awareness Large climbing animals pass the mirror test (chimps, orangs). Small climbing animals and large terrestrial ones do not (monkeys, gorillas). Once the ability to build oneself into simulations evolves other situations (e.g., social ones) can also be simulated.

11. Self-Awareness and Self-Deception Why share the truth? Advantages of deceiving Advantage of self deception to make deceit more convincing. Self-serving bias.