Does phenomenal consciousness overflow cognitive access?

Determine whether phenomenal consciousness overflows cognitive access by establishing whether aspects of subjective experience are present that are not available for report or rational control, and if so, characterize the scope and conditions of such overflow.

Background

The authors discuss methodological challenges in consciousness science, including the reliance on reports and potential confounds. A central controversy concerns whether phenomenal consciousness has richer contents than those captured by cognitive access and reporting mechanisms.

Resolving this question would refine experimental paradigms and theoretical interpretations, impacting how neuroscientific evidence is mapped onto conscious versus unconscious processing.

References

The methodological problem here is arguably more severe because it is an open question whether phenomenal consciousness "overflows" cognitive access in this way—researchers have conflicting views (Phillips 2018a).

— Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousness  (2308.08708 - Butlin et al., 2023) in Section 1.2.2, Scientific theories of consciousness