Neuron
June 17, 2026
Vincent Taschereau-Dumouchel, Jun Seo Hwang, Hakwan Lau et al.
Growing public discussion about consciousness in animals, fetuses, organoids, and artificial intelligence has prompted strong claims. However, most of these claims rely on 'markers' of consciousness that measure general information processing capacity rather than subjective experience itself. Consequently, the usefulness of such markers for settling theoretical debates about consciousness may be limited.
In Consciousness we Trust
February 10, 2022
Hakwan Lau
Consciousness likely emerged during evolution, but its functional role remains unclear. Subliminal priming experiments, which compare conscious and nonconscious processing, show only small, hard-to-replicate effects, and even when functions can operate nonconsciously, consciousness may be needed for them to work fully. New experimental methods that produce strong nonconscious signals are needed. Current evidence suggests consciousness may be less useful than global theories propose; metacognition may be one of the few specific functions to which consciousness contributes.
In Consciousness we Trust
February 10, 2022
Hakwan Lau
The subjective quality of a conscious experience can be understood by how similar it is to all other possible experiences. Similarity relationships are implicitly assessed through the structure of mammalian sensory cortices, allowing effortless knowledge of what an experience is like. This view aligns with perceptual reality monitoring: subjective experience occurs when qualitative sensory information acquires assertoric force. Metaphysical theories generally do not account for these qualitative aspects of consciousness better and may hinder scientific progress.
Frontiers in Psychology
November 5, 2018
Matthias Michel, Stephen M. Fleming, Hakwan Lau et al.
A survey of 249 participants, mostly in academia and about 40% experts in consciousness research, assessed views on the field's progress, funding, job opportunities, and scientific rigor. 78% of respondents said scientific research on consciousness has been making progress. However, most perceived obtaining funding and getting a job in consciousness research as more difficult than in other neuroscience subfields. Work in consciousness research was seen as less rigorous than other neuroscience subfields, but this perception was not linked to the perceived difficulty in funding and jobs. Global workspace theory was rated most promising overall (about 28%), while among non-experts integrated information theory (IIT) was most popular (about 22%).
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
October 4, 2017
Brian Odegaard, Robert T Knight, Hakwan Lau
Activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is critical for conscious perception, contradicting claims that PFC lesions do not affect subjective experience, that PFC activity does not reflect perceptual content, or that its role is solely due to task-related reporting. Empirical evidence shows PFC is essential for subjective experience in perception, not just for performing visual tasks. Confusing these two aspects can lead to misunderstandings.
WIREs Cognitive Science
January 1, 2011
Hakwan Lau
Different theories of visual awareness—the global workspace theory, local visual processing theories, and the higher-order representation theory—are supported by different neural correlates. Studying these neural correlates can advance theoretical understanding, but resolving disagreements between interpretations of neural evidence also requires addressing conceptual issues.