An Investigation into Attention and Cognitive Penetrability There is a long-standing debate in cognitive science about the interaction between what we believe or desire to be the case and what we experience to be the case. According to one strand of the debate, our beliefs, desires, and other similar mental states can shape how we experience the world through the senses. According to the opposite strand, our perceptual experiences of the world are determined by what we encounter in the world and immune to any influence from mental states like beliefs and desires....