Global Workspace Theory and LIDA ---- the role of conscious events in cognitive architectures. This powerpoint is available for educational use, from: www. bernardbaars.pbwiki.com Additional pdf articles: 1.Baars & Franklin (2007) Architectural models of conscious/unconscious brain functions: GWT and IDA. Neural Networks. 2.Baars & Frankin, (2003) How conscious experience and working memory interact. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 3.Baars (2002) The conscious access hypothesis: History and recent evidence. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Bernard J. Baars

How can scientists study consciousness? “The study… of the distribution of consciousness shows it to be exactly such as we might expect in an organ added for the sake of steering a nervous system grown too complex to regulate itself.” --- W. James, The Principles of Psychology, 1890, p. 141

Global workspace theory and IDA/LIDA - development 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000's

Pandemonium - A parallel distributed architecture for cognition. The “demons” are little processors that do specialized tasks. The blackboard is a place where they can all interact. The supervisor tries to keep them on task. The eyes scan one word at a time. But where is consciousness? Where is the audience? From Lindsay & Norman, Human Information Processing.

From Carl Carpenter, A New Model of Consciousness, Sci & Con Rev A theater of consciousness - a useful theoretical metaphor --- only the bright spot on stage is conscious (consciousness is very limited in capacity) --- sensory inputs compete for access to the conscious bright spot --- the "stage" corresponds to Working Memory --- all other features as unconscious, including long-term memory, the automatic processes of language, and the events going on backstage -- the theater metaphor has been turned into several testable models.

Applying GWT to cognitive functions. Baars & Gage, Brain correlates:

The "spotlight of selective attention" works with the "broadcasting of conscious contents." Spotlight - controlled by prefrontal regions. Broadcasting arrow - from sensory cortex?

Binocular competition for consciousness - gamma resonance. (Engel & Singer, 1995)

subliminal processing conscious processing at threshold Early visual areas Higher visual areas Prefrontal areas subliminal conscious weak masking strong masking Masking strength time following stimulus onset (ms) Dehaene's Predictions of the global neuronal workspace model

From Dehaene et al, 2001 Experimental results:

Scheider & Chein - architectural model for automaticity. Novel task --- Automatic task

Conscious input is also turned into longterm memory traces --- via hippocampal-neocortical distribution. oare Conscious visual input flows freely through the Hippocampal Complex) to be encoded in multiple distributed traces in neocortex. (Traces are unconscious) This allows neocortex to constantly learn and update itself with novel and significant information. (Nadel & Moscovitch - Multiple Trace Theory. Figure from M. Moscovitch, personal comm. ) "Episodic memory" = memory for conscious episodes HC = Hippocampal Complex, medial temporal lobe Conscious episodes Hippocampal Complex

Conscious input is also turned into longterm memory traces --- via hippocampal-neocortical distribution. oare Hippocampal connections to neocortex --- huge distribution. This allows neocortex to constantly learn and update itself with novel and significant conscious information. (Nadel & Moscovitch - Multiple Trace Theory. Figure from M. Moscovitch, personal comm. ) "Episodic memory" = memory for conscious episodes The Hippocampal Complex includes neighboring regions in the medial temporal lobe.

GWT-IDA prediction: All "active components" of Working Memory involve consciousness From Baars & Franklin,"Conscious ness and Working Memory Interact" Trends in Cognitive Sciences.2003 after Baddeley & Hitch Notice the open circles for conscious moments needed to trigger distributed WM functions.

Memory: A GW/IDA account of conscious and unconscious aspects of Working Memory (Baars & Franklin, 2003, TICS)

The LIDA Cognitive Cycle Sensory Memory Perception & Perceptual Memory Environment Workspace Transient Episodic Memory Declarative Memory Consciousness Procedural Memory Action Execution Action Selection Structure-building codelets

How the IDA-GWT Cognitive Cycle might run Working Memory

From Carl Carpenter, A New Model of Consciousnes, Sci & Con Rev GWT: theater of consciousness - a useful theoretical metaphor --- only the bright spot on stage is conscious (because consciousness is very limited in capacity) --- sensory inputs compete for access to the conscious bright spot; so do output plans; --- the "theater stage" corresponds to Working Memory; --- all other parts are unconscious, including longterm memory, the automatic processes of language, and events going on backstage. (The capacity of unconsciousness is enormous.) -- the theater metaphor has been turned into several testable models.

From Carl Carpenter, A New Model of Consciousnes, Sci & Con Rev.2006.

Cognitive Cycle Overview Incoming Stimulus Understanding Attending Selecting Executing Action Cognitive Cycle

Stabilizing Points in Time Time line Incoming stimulus Percept sent Model updated Winning coalition chosen Action selected Selecting Attending Understanding Source of selection must be fixed four times - frozen snapshot Fix SNFix WorkPlace fix GW Fix BN

Cognitive Cycle Processing Hypothesis— Like IDA’s, human cognitive processing is via an iterating sequence of Cognitive Cycles Duration— Each cognitive cycle takes roughly 200 ms with steps 1 through 5 occupying about 80 ms Cascading— Several cycles may have parts running simultaneously in parallel Seriality— Consciousness maintains serial order and the illusion of continuity Start— Cycle may start with action selection instead of perception