Here is a 27-minute video of my talk at The Science of Consciousness Conference in Tucson, AZ, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. This talk is based on an 84-page paper entitled “The Model Constructor Schema: A Potential Solution to the Hard Problem of Consciousness.”
If you email me at fbh1949@gmail.com, I will reply with the PDF file of the current 84-page paper. Let me know if you would also like the PowerPoint slide show. I will let you know when other content is available, such as new version of the paper, or if I give a talk somewhere else.
Here is the abstract of that talk:
The Model Constructor Schema: A Potential Solution to the Hard Problem of Consciousness
This talk presents a holistic framework to understand consciousness, focusing on the brain’s information processing and consequent creation of conscious experiences. It introduces a dual-agent model for the information processed by the human agent. We delineate the roles of the two sub-agents comprising the human agent: the Modeler and the Controller. The Modeler constructs the Complete World Model, including Concrete and Abstract World Models and several auxiliary models. The Modeler employs sensory data to construct the Concrete World Model, and the Controller utilizes the Modeler’s focal attention target models to control the body.
The Modeler is identified as the central creator of all conscious experiences. The Model Constructor is a part of the Modeler, which uses incoming sensory information to construct the World Model. “Schema” signifies a model of an object; hence, the Model Constructor Schema (MCschema) is a model of the Model Constructor. We demonstrate that the Model Constructor generates experiences and that the MCschema models these experiences.
This model describes and distinguishes between focal and diffuse attention. For instance, diffuse attention across the entire visual field creates diffuse peripheral visual awareness; thus, diffuse attention results in diffuse awareness. When focal attention is directed at a red rose, the result is the focal experience of the color red. Our model explains varied conscious experiences, such as the sensory perception of a rose’s red hue, the auditory sensation of a piano note, and internal experiences, such as the inner voice, visualizations, and emotions.
In addition to explaining these “sensory” qualia, our model uniquely addresses abstract cognitive experiences. For example, it differentiates between “understood” and “not understood” experiences for abstract focal targets, expanding the discussion beyond traditional sensory experiences to include the cognitive aspect of consciousness. This distinction offers a broader perspective on consciousness, emphasizing its role in sensory and abstract information processing.
We present an experiment that enables participants to experience diffuse awareness directly, demonstrating that information from the peripheral visual field—crucial for diffuse awareness—is inaccessible to the Controller. This experiment proves that diffuse awareness is exclusively a Modeler’s experience. Further, participants then direct peripheral visual focal attention (also known as covert attention) to targeted peripheral objects, demonstrating that the Controller can access and report information about these targets. We will convincingly argue that such peripheral visual focal experiences are exclusively within the Modeler’s domain. Thus, all focal experiences and diffuse awareness occur only in the Modeler.
Rigorous justifications will support our claim that the MCschema model encapsulates all conscious experiences, making it the comprehensive experience model. One argument will demonstrate that a semantic description of the Model Constructor’s mathematical functionality aligns with our descriptions and understanding of experiences.
This MCschema model addresses David Chalmers’s “hard problem” of consciousness by demonstrating how subjective experiences arise from the brain’s physical processes. The paper explores how the MCschema model responds to Chalmers’s proposed “how” and “why” questions and aligns with his principles. We aim to establish that the MCschema is a critical ingredient in a consciousness model. See www.frankheile.com