Perceptual Control Theory

Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) proposes that behavior is organized around the control of perception rather than the production of outputs or responses to stimuli. Developed originally by William T. Powers in the 1960s-70s and applied to consciousness by researchers including Warren Mansell and Richard Young, PCT offers a cybernetic framework where organisms act to maintain perceived states at reference values, much like a thermostat maintains temperature.

The fundamental mechanism is the negative feedback loop: organisms compare their perceptions against internal reference signals and act to reduce any discrepancy. What makes PCT distinctive is its emphasis that behavior controls perception, not vice versa. We don't respond to stimuli—we act on the world to keep our perceptions where we want them. This inverts the traditional stimulus-response view of behavior. Consciousness, in this framework, is intimately connected to the ongoing process of perception and control, particularly at higher levels of the control hierarchy where abstract goals and self-models are maintained.

PCT's hierarchical structure includes multiple levels of control, from basic sensory regulation up to system concepts and programs. Consciousness may be associated with the higher levels where conflict between control systems can be detected and reorganized. The theory provides a unified account of purposive behavior, learning through reorganization, and the experience of agency. Its implications for consciousness remain actively developed, with proposals that awareness arises from control processes monitoring and adjusting other control processes within the hierarchy.