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Abstract: Different theories propose distinct mechanisms for how subjective experience emerges from brain activity, yet they have seldom been tested side by side. In this open-science adversarial collaboration, we directly contrast Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and the Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT) through a theory-neutral consortium. Together, theory proponents and consortium members co-developed and preregistered the experimental design, divergent predictions, and criteria for interpretation. Participants viewed suprathreshold stimuli of varying durations while we recorded neural responses via fMRI, MEG, and intracranial EEG; this talk will focus on the MEG findings. We observed patterns that partially align with both IIT and GNWT predictions, but which also challenge core assumptions of each framework. Beyond challenging these theories, we propose a broader model for advancing cognitive neuroscience: principled, collaborative, theory-driven research underpinned by a quantitative framework for systematic theory testing and refinement.
For further reading: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.23.546249v2.abstract
Bios: Oscar Ferrante and Ling Liu are members of the COGITATE consortium (https://www.arc-cogitate.com/).
Oscar Ferrante holds an MA in Cognitive Psychology and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Verona, Italy, where he examined how past experiences bias visual attention. He is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, UK, using MEG to study visual attention and consciousness. Oscar is a principal contributor to the FLUX pipeline for standardized MEG analysis.
Ling Liu earned a BA in Psychology and a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Beijing Normal University, China, where she explored the neural dynamics of visual perception using MEG and computational modelling. She is now a lecturer at Beijing Language and Culture University, China. In her role as the director of the MEG laboratory at BLCU, she actively engages in research on magnetoencephalography, focusing on its implications in perception organization, consciousness, language development, and speech-language pathology. Ling is also contributor to the FLUX pipeline, with a specific focus on MVPA analysis.
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