Tests for consciousness in humans and beyond.

Journal: Trends in cognitive sciences

Volume: 

Issue: 

Year of Publication: 

Affiliated Institutions:  Department of Philosophy, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: tim.bayne@gmail.com. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada; Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science and School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; IRCCS Fondazione Don Gnocchi. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Belleterra, Spain; ICREA, Barcelona, Spain. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada; Center for Research in Cognition and Neuroscience, ULB Institute of Neuroscience, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada; The Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada; Queensland Brain Institute and School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada; Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK. Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Toronto, ON, Canada; School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Abstract summary 

Which systems/organisms are conscious? New tests for consciousness ('C-tests') are urgently needed. There is persisting uncertainty about when consciousness arises in human development, when it is lost due to neurological disorders and brain injury, and how it is distributed in nonhuman species. This need is amplified by recent and rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI), neural organoids, and xenobot technology. Although a number of C-tests have been proposed in recent years, most are of limited use, and currently we have no C-tests for many of the populations for which they are most critical. Here, we identify challenges facing any attempt to develop C-tests, propose a multidimensional classification of such tests, and identify strategies that might be used to validate them.

Authors & Co-authors:  Bayne Seth Massimini Shepherd Cleeremans Fleming Malach Mattingley Menon Owen Peters Razi Mudrik

Study Outcome 

Source Link: Visit source

Statistics
Citations : 
Authors :  13
Identifiers
Doi : S1364-6613(24)00010-X
SSN : 1879-307X
Study Population
Male,Female
Mesh Terms
Other Terms
animal consciousness;artificial intelligence;disorders of consciousness;fetal consciousness;infant consciousness;neural organoids;test for consciousness
Study Design
Study Approach
Country of Study
Publication Country
England