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Attention explains the transition to unlimited associative learning better than consciousness

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A Reply to this article was published on 13 October 2021

The Original Article was published on 03 December 2020

Abstract

This commentary focuses on the importance of attention skills in the development of universal associative learning (UAL), and it explains why the centrality of attention in UAL presents a considerable difficulty for the UAL approach. Attentional abilities are not just developmentally related to UAL but are in fact explanatory (or even constitutive) of UAL. The main problem is that all the types of attention involved in UAL can be dissociated from consciousness. This means that while attention skills for UAL might be necessary for consciousness, they are not sufficient because they can all occur unconsciously. Thus, the possibility that UAL capacities might not be sufficient for consciousness cannot be eliminated, thereby challenging the key claim of the UAL approach.

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  1. Department of Philosophy, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA

    Carlos Montemayor

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  1. Carlos Montemayor
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Correspondence to Carlos Montemayor.

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Montemayor, C. Attention explains the transition to unlimited associative learning better than consciousness. Biol Philos 36, 20 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-021-09794-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-021-09794-2

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