Active Inference, Novelty and Neglect
Abstract
In this chapter, we provide an overview of the principles of active inference. We illustrate how different forms of short-term memory are expressed formally (mathematically) through appealing to beliefs about the causes of our sensations and about the actions we pursue. This is used to motivate an approach to active vision that depends upon inferences about the causes of 'what I have seen' and learning about 'what I would see if I were to look there'. The former could manifest as persistent 'delay-period' activity - of the sort associated with working memory, while the latter is better suited to changes in synaptic efficacy - of the sort that underlies short-term learning and adaptation. We review formulations of these ideas in terms of active inference, their role in directing visual exploration and the consequences - for active vision - of their failures. To illustrate the latter, we draw upon some of our recent work on the computational anatomy of visual neglect.
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AI-C does not entail the prediction that suppression of background activity will disrupt conscious experience, although suppression of background activity could alter precision estimation in ways that impact visuospatial awareness and behaviour.
“AI-C does not entail this prediction, although it is plausible that the suppression of background activity could alter precision estimation in ways that impact visuospatial awareness and behaviour”
From Integrated information and predictive processing theories of consciousness: An adversarial collaborative review (2026) · cites this paper as Parr & Friston, 2018
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- Authors
- Parr, T., & Friston, K. J.
- Affiliations
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Parr, Thomas
- Venue
- Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing
- Published
- 2018
- Volume
- 41
- Pages
- 115-128
- ISSN
- 1866-3370 (ISSN-L)
- 1866-3389
- OpenAlex
- W2886516001
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 57
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2
- FWCI
- 3.70
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Current topics in behavioral neurosciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust (088130/Z/09/Z)
- Rosetrees Trust
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Embodied and Extended Cognition
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Spatial Neglect and Hemispheric Dysfunction
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Keywords
- active inference, novelty, neglect, active vision, short-term memory, working memory, delay-period activity, synaptic plasticity, visual exploration, computational anatomy, visual neglect, Bayesian inference
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Memory, Short-Term, Perceptual Disorders, Sensation
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