Graziano’s Attention Schema Theory
Advanced by neuroscientist Michael Graziano, attention schema theory asserts that for the brain to handle a profusion of information, it must have developed a quick and dirty model, a simplified version of itself, which it then reports “as a ghostly, non-physical essence, a magical ability to mentally possess items.”
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Michael Graziano
Scientist & Novelist
Michael S. A. Graziano is an American neuroscientist and novelist, professor at Princeton University, known for his “attention schema” theory explaining brain awareness.
*This summary was verified on July 1, 2024.
Key Takeaways
Core Claim
Consciousness is the brain’s internal model of attention, not a mysterious essence.
How It Works
The brain builds a simplified “attention schema” to monitor and control its own focus.
Distinguishing Idea
This self-model feels like a ghostly inner self—but it’s a useful, evolved illusion.
Graziano’s Attention Schema Theory
Advanced by neuroscientist Michael Graziano, attention schema theory asserts that for the brain to handle a profusion of information, it must have developed a quick and dirty model, a simplified version of itself, which it then reports “as a ghostly, non-physical essence, a magical ability to mentally possess items” (Graziano, 2019a, 2019b). He likens the attention schema to “a self-reflecting mirror: it is the brain's representation of how the brain represents things and is a specific example of higher-order thought. In this account, consciousness isn't so much an illusion as a self-caricature.”
Graziano claims that this idea, attention schema theory, gives a simple reason, straight from control engineering, for why the trait of consciousness would evolve, namely, to monitor and regulate attention in order to control actions in the world. Thus, Graziano argues that “the attention schema theory explains how a biological, information processing machine can claim to have consciousness, and how, by introspection (by assessing its internal data), it cannot determine that it is a machine whose claims are based on computations” (Graziano, 2019a, 2019b).
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