Skip to main content

Modelling Prior and Retrospective Awareness of Actions

  • Conference paper
Book cover Natural and Artificial Models in Computation and Biology (IWINAC 2013)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNTCS,volume 7930))

Abstract

Agents often may prepare for and perform actions without being conscious of these processes. However, in other cases, at some point in time the agent can develop some awareness state relating to the action. This can be an awareness state prior to the execution of the action. An awareness state can also develop in retrospect, after the action was performed. In this paper a neurologically inspired agent model is introduced that is able to make such distinctions. Scenarios are covered in which actions are prepared without being conscious at any point in time. Also scenarios are covered in which the agent develops proir awareness or retrospective awareness, or both. When prior awareness is developed it may be the case that this awareness has a decisive effect on actually executing the action, but it may equally well be the case that the awareness state has no effect on whether the action is performed. All these variations have been illustrated by a wide variety of simulation experiments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Libet, B., Gleason, C.A., Wright, E.W., Pearl, D.K.: Time of conscious intention to act in relation to onset of cerebral activity (readiness potential): the unconscious initiation of freely volantary act. Brain 106, 623–642 (1983)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Haynes, J.D.: Decoding and predicting intentions. Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 1224, 9–21 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Wegner, D.M.: The Illusion of Conscious Will. The MIT Press, Cambridge (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Baumeister, R.F., Masicampo, E.J., Vohs, K.D.: Do conscious thoughts cause behavior? Annual Review of Psychology 62, 331–361 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Wolpert, D.M.: Computational approaches to motor control. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 1, 209–216 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Haggard, P.: Human volition: towards a neuroscience of will. Nature Neoroscience Reviews 8, 934–946 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Synofzik, M., Thier, P., Leube, D.T., Schlotterbeck, P., Lindner, A.: Misattributions of agency in schizophrenia are based on imprecise predictions about the sensory consequences of one’s actions. Brain 133, 262–271 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Voss, M., Moore, J., Hauser, M., Gallinat, J., Heinz, A., Haggard, P.: Altered awareness of action in schizophrenia: a specific deficit in predicting action consequences. Brain 133, 3104–3112 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Moore, J., Haggard, P.: Awareness of action: Inference and prediction. Consciousness and Cognition 17, 136–144 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Treur, J.: A computational agent model incorporating prior and retrospective ownership states for actions. Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures 2, 54–67 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Damasio, A.R.: Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain. Papermac, London (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Damasio, A.: The Feeling of What Happens. Body and Emotion in the Making of Con-sciousness. Harcourt Brace, New York (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Haggard, P., Eimer, M.: On the relation between brain potentials and the awareness of voluntary movements. Experimental Brain Research 126, 128–133 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Banks, W.P., Isham, E.A.: We infer rather than perceive the moment we decided to act. Psychological Science 20, 17–21 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Blakemore, S.-J., Wolpert, D.M., Frith, C.D.: Why can’t you tickle yourself? Neuroreport 11, 11–16 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Fourneret, P., de Vignemont, F., Franck, N., Slachevsky, A., Dubois, B., Jeannerod, M.: Perception of self-generated action in schizophrenia. Cogn. Neuropsychiatry 7, 139–156 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Geldard, F.A., Sherrick, C.E.: The cutaneous “rabbit”: a perceptual illusion. Science 178(4057), 178–179 (1972)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Dennett, D.C.: Consciousness explained. Little Brown & Co., Boston (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Bosse, T., Jonker, C.M., van der Meij, L., Treur, J.: A Language and Environment for Analysis of Dynamics by Simulation. Intern. J. of Artificial Intelligence Tools 16, 435–464 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Thilakarathne, D.J., Treur, J. (2013). Modelling Prior and Retrospective Awareness of Actions. In: Ferrández Vicente, J.M., Álvarez Sánchez, J.R., de la Paz López, F., Toledo Moreo, F.J. (eds) Natural and Artificial Models in Computation and Biology. IWINAC 2013. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 7930. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38637-4_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38637-4_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-38636-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-38637-4

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics