In the attention schema theory (AST), the brain constructs a schematic, simplified model of attention. The model is associated with three cognitive processes: a model of one’s own attention contributes to the endogenous control of attention, a model of the attention of others contributes to theory of mind, and the contents of these models leads to the common human claim that we contain a non-physical consciousness or awareness inside us. Because AST is a control-engineering style theory, it can make specific predictions in complex situations. Here, over six experiments, we examined interactions between attention and awareness to test predictions of AST. Participants performed a visual task in which a cue stimulus affected their attention, as measured by their reactions to a subsequent target stimulus. The task measured both exogenous attention drawn to the cue and endogenous attention directed to a target location predicted by the cue. When participants were not aware that the cue predicted the target, both exogenous and endogenous attention effects remained. In contrast, when participants were not visually aware of the cue itself, the exogenous attention effect remained and the endogenous effect was impaired. In an additional two experiments, when participants learned an implicit shift of attention, the learning generalized from trained spatial locations to adjacent, untrained locations. Each of these findings matched predictions of AST. The results support the interpretation that attention control relies partly on an internal model that is responsible for claims of awareness.

在注意力模式理论 (AST) 中，大脑构建了一个示意性的、简化的注意力模型。该模型与三个认知过程相关：一个人自己的注意力模型有助于注意力的内生控制，一个他人的注意力模型有助于心理理论，这些模型的内容导致了人类的共同主张，即我们包含我们内心的非物质意识或意识。因为 AST 是一种控制工程风格的理论，它可以在复杂的情况下做出具体的预测。在这里，通过六个实验，我们检查了注意力和意识之间的相互作用，以测试 AST 的预测。参与者执行了一项视觉任务，其中提示刺激影响了他们的注意力，这是通过他们对后续目标刺激的反应来衡量的。该任务测量了对线索的外源性注意力和针对线索预测的目标位置的内源性注意力。当参与者不知道线索预测了目标时，外源性和内源性注意力效应仍然存在。相比之下，当参与者在视觉上没有意识到提示本身时，外源性注意力效应仍然存在，而内源性效应则受损。在另外两个实验中，当参与者学习注意力的隐性转移时，学习从受过训练的空间位置泛化到相邻的、未经训练的位置。这些发现中的每一个都与 AST 的预测相匹配。结果支持注意力控制部分依赖于负责意识声明的内部模型的解释。