Predictive neurobiology

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In Scientific American:


The Brain’s Autopilot Mechanism Steers Consciousness

Freud’s notion of a dark, libidinous unconscious is obsolete. A new theory holds that the brain produces a continuous stream of unconscious predictions

• By Steve Ayan on December 19, 2018
  
  

  In Brief
  
  Research on the unconscious mind has shown that the brain makes judgments and decisions quickly and automatically. It continuously makes predictions about future events.
  
  According to the theory of the “predictive mind,” consciousness arises only when the brain’s implicit expectations fail to materialize.
  
  Higher cognitive processing in the cerebral cortex can occur without consciousness. The regions of the brain responsible for the emotions and motives, not the cortex, direct our conscious attention.