Working in Movement

Have you ever arrived home after driving and not recollected anything about the trip? Your nervous system just handled a demanding task, yet you can't say that you were conscious of it. We do this sort of thing all the time and think nothing of it. What to make of it?

Chrisof Koch, a neurobiologist at Cal Tech in Pasadena calls this sort of thing Zombie Behavior. In fact, he and collaborator Francis Crick (one of the double helix guys) don't think there's anything wrong with it. On the contrary, they acknowledge that much of what does on in our nervous system escapes awareness. Koch and Crick explore these sorts of issues in their new book, The Quest for Consciousness. The book will hit the stores on Friday, but until then you can read some sample chapters and peruse the table of contents at the book's official website.

To see a concrete example of the difference between conscious and unconscious neural processing, have a look at a page on motion induced blindness. (You'll need a browser with a Quicktime plug in, but the demo is worth it.)

What to make of this? If so much of what we do works on automatic pilot, zombie mode, what's the point in developing body awareness, or awareness of anything for that matter? The answer has to do with learning. I don't mind sharing the road with zombie drivers, but if someone is learning to drive on autopilot, I want to be as far off the road as I can get. Awareness is invaluable, indispensable in learning situations. Once a skill or activity is learned, the zombie can take over. But if the learner then desires an improvement in performing the activity, the zombie needs to be given the bum's rush in favor of awareness.