Faculty Publications

The Content Of Awareness Is A Model Of The World

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Psychological Review

Volume

92

Issue

2

First Page

249

Last Page

284

Abstract

This article restates and develops an older view of mental representations and shows how this view can provide a unifying framework for interpreting current research. The major claim is that the content of awareness may be characterized as a model of the world capable of simulating future events, anticipating present events, and thereby formulating appropriate actions. Empirical evidence from a variety of sources provides support for this notion and helps delimit properties of the model. An explicit distinction between the properties of awareness and properties of underlying processes and structures is shown to be useful in accounting for a variety of experimental findings. It is argued that many of these findings must be interpreted as revealing the nature of awareness rather than the nature of underlying structures or processes, which remain obscure. © 1985 American Psychological Association.

Original Publication Date

4-1-1985

DOI of published version

10.1037/0033-295X.92.2.249

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