higher order thought
often, a synonym for conscious thought: any of the deliberate, complex cognitive processes of which one is explicitly aware and that are crucial to one’s intentional action and other self-referential activities. Higher order thought thus may be considered equivalent to executive functions and includes any of a variety of acts that involve the access and manipulation of self-knowledge, such as conceptualization, evaluation, introspection, and reflection. U.S. philosopher David M. Rosenthal has extended this idea into higher order thought theory, which specifies that a mental state is conscious only if one thinks deliberately about it such that one knows the state is being experienced and can report on it. Others (e.g., U.S. philosopher William G. Lycan [1945– ]) advocate a higher order perception theory, in which consciousness arises from self-monitoring by a quasi-perceptual faculty; still others (e.g., U.S.
philosopher Rocco J. Gennaro) propose a higher order global state theory, in which meta-activity is key.