Related papers: Pain and Spontaneous Thought
Network control theory has recently emerged as a promising approach for understanding brain function and dynamics. By operationalizing notions of control theory for brain networks, it offers a fundamental explanation for how brain dynamics…
The evolution of the human mind through natural selection mandates that our conscious experiences are causally potent in order to leave a tangible impact upon the surrounding physical world. Any attempt to construct a functional theory of…
Dual process models of cognition suggest there are two kinds of thought: rapid, automatic Type 1 processes, and effortful, controlled Type 2 processes. Models of creative thinking also distinguish between two sets of processes: those…
4E views of cognition seek to replace many of the long-held assumptions of tra- ditional cognitive science. One of the most radical shifts is the rejection of the sandwich model of cognition [8], which holds that mental processes are…
Attention is a complex and broad concept, studied across multiple disciplines spanning artificial intelligence, cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, and related fields. Although many of the ideas regarding attention do not…
Existing approaches to Theory of Mind (ToM) in Artificial Intelligence (AI) overemphasize prompted, or cue-based, ToM, which may limit our collective ability to develop Artificial Social Intelligence (ASI). Drawing from research in computer…
Trial-to-trial variability is an essential feature of neural responses, but its source is a subject of active debate. Response variability (Mast and Victor, 1991; Arieli et al., 1995 & 1996; Anderson et al., 2000 & 2001; Kenet et al., 2003;…
We frame the question of what kind of subjective experience a brain simulation would have in contrast to a biological brain. We discuss the brain prosthesis thought experiment. We evaluate how the experience of the brain simulation might…
The relation between spontaneous and stimulated brain activity is a fundamental question in neuroscience, which has received wide attention in experimental studies. Recently, it has been suggested that the evoked response to external…
Narratives about artificial intelligence (AI) entangle autonomy, the capacity to self-govern, with sentience, the capacity to sense and feel. AI agents that perform tasks autonomously and companions that recognize and express emotions may…
Neural theories of consciousness face three difficulties: (1) The selection problem: how are those neurons which cause consciousness selected, from all the other neurons which do not? (2) the precision problem: how do neurons hold a…
Migraine (MGR) ranks first among diseases in terms of years of lost healthy life in young adult and adult women. Currently, there is no theory of MGR. This paper presents a complete theory of migraine that explains its etiology, symptoms,…
Meditation and hypnosis both aim to facilitate cognitive-emotional flexibility, i.e., the "de-automatization" of thought and behavior. However, little research or theory has addressed how internal thought patterns might change after such…
We show that trial-to-trial variability in sensory detection of a weak visual stimulus is dramatically diminished when rather than presenting a fixed stimulus contrast, fluctuations in a subject's judgment are matched by fluctuations in…
Spontaneous brain activity in the absence of external stimuli is not random but contains complex dynamical structures such as neuronal avalanches with power-law duration and size distributions. These experimental observations have been…
Selection theory requires multiple, distinct, simultaneously-actualized states. In cognition, each thought or cognitive state changes the 'selection pressure' against which the next is evaluated; they are not simultaneously selected…
In this paper the theory of flexibly-bounded rationality which is an extension to the theory of bounded rationality is revisited. Rational decision making involves using information which is almost always imperfect and incomplete together…
Studies on software tutoring systems for complex learning have shown that confusion has a beneficial relationship with the learning experience and student engagement (Arguel et al., 2017). Causing confusion can prevent boredom while signs…
We postulate that consciousness is intrinsically connected to quantum spin since the latter is the origin of quantum effects in both Bohm and Hestenes quantum formulisms and a fundamental quantum process associated with the structure of…
This paper addresses the question of the brain's critical dynamics after an injury such as a stroke. It is hypothesized that the healthy brain operates near a phase transition (critical point), which provides optimal conditions for…