Vigilance and Negligence

Negligence might seem to be the opposite of vigilance. We will show that the relation is more complex, by studying different kinds of negligence : neglect, inattentional blindness and its relation with the contrast between focal and peripheral visual field; change blindness, choice blindness, and meta-cognitive neglect of these kinds of blindness. We consider an evolutionary explanation of these kinds of negligence and their relation with the dynamics of action. Straightforward consciousness neglects the phenomenon of focusing (which is a cause of negligence), but also involves a neglect of inferences. It is possible to exploit the diversity of these various forms of negligence in order to avoid depending on only one kind of vigilance.