Conscious sensation, conscious perception and sensorimotor theories of consciousness

David Gamez

pp. 159-174

in: Andrew O. Martin (ed), Contemporary sensorimotor theory, Berlin, Springer, 2014

Abstract

This article explores the hypothesis that the differences between our conscious sensations (color, sound, smell, etc.) could be linked to the different ways in which our senses process and structure information. It is also proposed that the organization of our conscious sensations into a conscious perception of a three-dimensional world could be linked to our mastery of sensorimotor contingencies. These hypotheses are supported by a number of observations, including the appearance of conscious sensations without motor action and the apparent failure of sensory substitution systems to generate visual sensations in congenitally blind subjects. The article discusses how the correlates of conscious sensation and perception could develop in the brain and some suggestions are put forward about how this account could be experimentally tested.