Thoughts and images spontaneously popping into our mind are characteristic of self-generated mental phenomena like mind-wandering, dreaming and hallucinations. Mind-wandering, although quite common, has only recently gotten into the forefront of scientific investigations, and philosophical reflection is lagging behind. This project proposes a new model of mind-wandering and develops it into a general framework of all kinds of self-generated mental phenomena. The project also investigates the generative processes that give rise to the highly variable content of spontaneous experiences, how these processes are related to creativity and intelligence and how they could be implemented in machines to improve artificial intelligence.
Project title: Self-generated mental life: Developing an overarching philosophical account and a novel neuro-cognitive research paradigm
Area of research: Philosophy, Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
Fellowship period: 1 Apr 2021 - 31 Mar 2024
Fellowship type: AIAS-COFUND II Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow
This fellowship has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 754513 and The Aarhus University Research Foundation.
