The evolutionary function of conscious information processing is revealed by its task-dependency in the olfactory system

Frontiers in Psychology

Andreas Keller¹ 

关键词: olfaction;    consciousness;    evolution;    task-dependency;    information processing;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00062

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Although many responses to odorous stimuli are mediated without olfactory information being consciously processed, some olfactory behaviors require conscious information processing. I will here contrast situations in which olfactory information is processed consciously to situations in which it is processed non-consciously. This contrastive analysis reveals that conscious information processing is required when an organism is faced with tasks in which there are many behavioral options available. I therefore propose that it is the evolutionary function of conscious information processing to guide behaviors in situations in which the organism has to choose between many possible responses.

【 授权许可】

CC BY