BI 211 COGITATE: Testing Theories of Consciousness

May 7, 2025

Guest

Rony Hirschhorn

Guest

Oscar Ferrante

Guest

Alex Lepauvre

Alex Lepauvre, a researcher on consciousness theories, collaborates with Oscar Ferrante, an expert in MEG and functional connectivity, and Rony Hirschhorn, a dedicated student at Tel Aviv University. They dive into the COGITATE project, pitting Integrated Information Theory against Global Workspace Theory. This adversarial collaboration reveals the complexities of testing consciousness, including the challenges of neural data analysis and the significance of experimental design. Their discussions emphasize the iterative nature of research and the courage to question established beliefs in science.

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INSIGHT

Cogitate Collaboration Unites Theories

Cogitate is an adversarial collaboration testing integrated information theory (IIT) and global neuronal workspace theory (GNW) of consciousness.
Collaborators agreed on experiments that could potentially falsify either theory's claims, a unique collaborative approach.

INSIGHT

Pre-commit to Predictions

Theories had to commit to experiments with agreed predictions before data collection began.
This pre-commitment reduces bias and forces clarity in theoretical predictions, improving scientific rigor.

INSIGHT

Advance Specification Key Challenge

Specifying brain regions and analyses before running experiments was critical but challenging in Cogitate.
This requirement is unique and helps avoid post hoc interpretations common in consciousness research.

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Rony Hirschhorn, Alex Lepauvre, and Oscar Ferrante are three of many many scientists that comprise the COGITATE group. COGITATE is an adversarial collaboration project to test theories of consciousness in humans, in this case testing the integrated information theory of consciousness and the global neuronal workspace theory of consciousness. I said it's an adversarial collaboration, so what does that mean. It's adversarial in that two theories of consciousness are being pitted against each other. It's a collaboration in that the proponents of the two theories had to agree on what experiments could be performed that could possibly falsify the claims of either theory. The group has just published the results of the first round of experiments in a paper titled Adversarial testing of global neuronal workspace and integrated information theories of consciousness, and this is what Rony, Alex, and Oscar discuss with me today.

The short summary is that they used a simple task and measured brain activity with three different methods: EEG, MEG, and fMRI, and made predictions about where in the brain correlates of consciousness should be, how that activity should be maintained over time, and what kind of functional connectivity patterns should be present between brain regions. The take home is a mixed bag, with neither theory being fully falsified, but with a ton of data and results for the world to ponder and build on, to hopefully continue to refine and develop theoretical accounts of how brains and consciousness are related.

So we discuss the project itself, many of the challenges they faced, their experiences and reflections working on it and on coming together as a team, the nature of working on an adversarial collaboration, when so much is at stake for the proponents of each theory, and, as you heard last episode with Dean Buonomano, when one of the theories, IIT, is surrounded by a bit of controversy itself regarding whether it should even be considered a scientific theory.

Read the transcript.

0:00 - Intro 4:00 - COGITATE 17:42 - How the experiments were developed 32:37 - How data was collected and analyzed 41:24 - Prediction 1: Where is consciousness? 47:51 - The experimental task 1:00:14 - Prediction 2: Duration of consciousness-related activity 1:18:37 - Prediction 3: Inter-areal communication 1:28:28 - Big picture of the results 1:44:25 - Moving forward