Does consciousness overflow cognitive access? Novel insights from the new phenomenon of attribute amnesia.

The experience of seeing a rich, detailed visual world upon opening one's eyes contrasts with the limited amount of information that can actually be reported. This dissociation fuels a debate about visual consciousness: the overflow argument holds that conscious experience is far richer than what can be reported, while the no-overflow argument contends that visual consciousness is impoverished and limited to reportable content. This review systematically examines evidence for the overflow argument from iconic memory paradigms, divided attention studies, and neural correlates of consciousness, alongside critical objections and counterevidence. The authors also present their recent studies on attribute amnesia, which they suggest offers new insight into the overflow view.

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Abstract

The moment we open our eyes, we experience a rich and detailed visual world, but the amount of information available to report is rather limited. This dissociation relates to a major debate regarding the nature of visual consciousness. The overflow argument suggests that our conscious experience is quite rich and far beyond what can be reported, standing in sharp contrast to the no-overflow argument that visual consciousness is severely impoverished and limited to what can be reported. In this paper, we systematically reviewed existing evidence in favor of the overflow argument, including studies of several variations of the iconic memory paradigm and the divided attention paradigm, as well as studies of neural correlates of consciousness. Simultaneously, we expounded some critical objections and alternative interpretations to such evidence, as well as some opposing evidence. Finally, we introduced a series of our recent studies based on a striking phenomenon of attribute amnesia, which we believe could provide new insight into the overflow view of visual consciousness.