Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T10:50:31.019Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Commentary Responses and Conscious Awareness in Humans: The Implications for Awareness in Non-Human Animals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

L Weiskrantz
L Weiskrantz*
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3UD, UK
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

There are several examples from human neuropsychology of the intact preservation of processes and capacities in the absence of conscious awareness by the patients. These include loss of visual awareness (blindsight), episodic memory (amnesic syndrome), attention (unilateral neglect) and language (aphasia). The implication of these and other clinical phenomena is that descriptions of ongoing behaviour are necessary but quite insufficient for making inferences about conscious awareness, because even quite ‘high level’ behaviour can be run off in the absence of awareness. A commentary, or independent off-line response, is a prerequisite for determining whether the subject is consciously aware. Whether or not the commentary allows an inference about awareness in animals rests ultimately on an argument from analogy, just as is the case when we make judgements about fellow humans. But when parallel disjunctions between on-line behaviour and off-line classifications are found for both human and infrahuman subjects, as is demonstrable for blindsight and amnesia, not only do they bolster inferences about common neural mechanisms, but they strengthen inferences for analogous processing and hence for conscious experience.

Keywords

amnesiaanimal consciousnessanimal welfareawarenesscommentary responsesneuropsychology
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 10 , Issue S1: Consciousness, Cognition and Animal Welfare: Proceedings of the UFAW Symposium, Zoological Society of London, 11-12 May 2000 , February 2001 , pp. S41 - S46
Copyright
© 2001 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Barbur, J L, Sahraie, A, Simmons, A, Weiskrantz, L and Williams, S C R 1998 Processing of chromatic signals in the absence of a geniculostriate projection. Vision Research 38: 3447–3453CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cowey, A and Stoerig, P 1995 Blindsight in monkeys. Nature 373: 247–249CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cowey, A and Stoerig, P 1997 Visual detection in monkeys with blindsight. Neuropsychologia 35: 929–1997CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dickinson, A 1988 Intentionality in animal conditioning. In: Weiskrantz, L (ed) Thought without Language pp 305–325. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UKGoogle Scholar
Gaffan, D 1974 Recognition impaired and association intact in the memory of monkeys after transaction of the fornix. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology 86: 1100–1109CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Humphrey, N K 1974 Vision in a monkey without striate cortex: a case study. Brain, Perception 5.· 241–255CrossRefGoogle Scholar
James, W 1890 Principles of Psychology. Macmillan: London, UKGoogle Scholar
Nagel, T 1980 What is it like to be a bat? Philosophical Review 83: 435–451CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sahraie, A, Weiskrantz, L, Barbur, J L, Simmons, A, Williams, SCR and Brammer, M L 1997 Pattern of neuronal activity associated with conscious and unconscious processing of visual signals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 94: 9406–9411CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sherrington, C C 1957 Spinal cord. Encyclopaedia Britannica 21: 227Google Scholar
Stoerig, P and Cowey, A 1997 Blindsight in man and monkey. Brain 110: 77–92Google Scholar
Weiskrantz, L 1997 Consciousness Lost and Found. A Neuropsychological Exploration. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UKGoogle Scholar
Weiskrantz, L 1998 edition Blindsight: a Case Study and Implications. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UKGoogle Scholar
Weiskrantz, L, Barbur, J L and Sahraie, A 1995 Parameters affecting conscious versus unconscious visual discrimination without VI. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 92: 6122–6126CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitehead, A N 1948 Introduction to Mathematics. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UKGoogle Scholar