Automaticity

Synonyms

Nonconscious; Unconscious processes; Unconsciousness

Definition

Automaticity is defined as the process of engaging in cognitive or behavioral responding without the need for conscious guidance or monitoring. The notion of automaticity hinges on the principle that conscious attention is exhaustive and, therefore, should be preserved for tasks requiring conscious effort and not tasks that can be executed reflexively or automatically. Forms of automatic processes include affective (i.e., attitude formation), cognitive (i.e., stereotyping, goal pursuit), and behavioral (i.e., reflexive behaviors such as mimicry) responses to the environment that occur outside of conscious awareness.

Introduction

Do humans possess free will? Some of the most influential philosophers and scientists of the twentieth century have spent a considerable amount of time and effort in contemplating the differences between controlled versus uncontrolled and attentive versus pre-attentive processes. In fact,...