Predictive Processing
Andy Clark · 2013
"Your brain does not passively receive reality through your eyes and ears. It hallucinates reality, and only uses your senses to correct its errors."
We assume our eyes work like cameras, streaming data to the brain for processing. Neuroscience now suggests the opposite: the brain is locked in a dark, silent skull. It generates its own 'best guess' (a hallucination) of what is happening outside.
This is called Predictive Processing. The brain sends its predictions down to the sensory organs. The sensory organs only send signals back up to the brain if reality *disagrees* with the prediction (prediction errors).
According to Predictive Processing, what is the primary role of your sensory organs?
Read more about the topic
The explanation above is written with AI assistance. These are the originals — go to them to check it.
- The Predictive BrainAeon
Inattentional Blindness: The Invisible Gorilla
"Attention is not a spotlight that dims the periphery; it is a gate. When you are focused on one task, a fully visible, unexpected event can pass through the middle of your visual field and never reach awareness — and you will be certain you would have seen it."