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Nothing to see here: The weak evidence base for unconscious control of human behavior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2026

David R. Shanks Open the ORCID record for David R. Shanks [Opens in a new window]
David R. Shanks*
Affiliation:
Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, England, UK d.shanks@ucl.ac.uk
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Fleming and Michel propose that as our evolutionary ancestors made the water-to-land transition, model-based, conscious planning and thought developed alongside the model-free, unconscious, reflexive behaviors that were sufficient in aquatic environments. But a century of research has failed to build a compelling body of replicable evidence that behavior can be controlled unconsciously in humans, severely undermining this theory.

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Open Peer Commentary
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Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e189
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© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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