Crowding, attention and consciousness: In support of the inference hypothesis

One of the most important topics in current work on consciousness is what relationship it has to attention. Recently, one of the focuses of this debate has been on the phenomenon of identity crowding. Ned Block has claimed that identity crowding involves consciously perceiving an object that we are unable to pay attention to. Others have offered different interpretations, emphasising the role of cognitive inference over conscious perception. In this paper, we draw upon a range of empirical findings to argue against Block’s interpretation of the data. We also argue that current empirical evidence strongly supports
one particular version of the inference hypothesis. Finally, we consider the additional evidence Block gives in favour of his view, and argue that it fails to establish his position.