Consciousness ... again?

Article Abstract:

While psychoanalytic and behavioral theorists have provided us with a variety of contradictory theories and problem-ridden empirical research related to consciousness, cognitive theorists have focused on the structural and procedural aspects of cognition and have tended to ignore questions related to how consciousness and the brain interact. In ''A Cognitive Theory of Consciousness'' (1988), Bernard J. Baars attempts to explain consciousness by proposing a theoretical framework in which consciousness involves a central information exchange area which he calls the global workspace. To be a part of conscious awareness, a thought or image must gain access to this area. Then, the central information exchange broadcasts messages to the entire mind-body system. Message broadcasting is achieved by 'specialized processors.' Each processor is thought of as a special skill which is highly practiced, automatic and unconscious. Baars cites evidence related to research on the development of automaticity with practice, and on research related to errors in perception, memory, language and knowledge. His conclusion is that while unconscious specialized processors mediate many cognitive abilities, they fail when faced with new, harmful or ambiguous situations. At such times, it is thought that the global workspace allows many processors to cooperate. These cooperative dynamics are described as being ruled by competition versus cooperation (inhibition versus neural excitation). Many phenomena that are well known in the areas of sensation, perception, learning, abstraction, language, thinking and problem solving are interpreted in terms of the global workspace model. Although the reader is not offered any alternative explanations for such phenomena, Baars' theory offers a novel and challenging contribution to cognitive theory. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Psychological aspects, Models, Evaluation, Bibliography, Human information processing, Consciousness

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No room

Article Abstract:

The projection that England will require 4.4 million new homes by 2016 is causing consternation. Developers are keen to meet the growing demand, but environmentalists want to ensure that at least 75 percent of the new homes are built on previously used land instead of new "greenfields."

Single Family Housing Construction, Single-family housing construction, 1-Family Housing, United Kingdom, Planning, Residential construction, Housing, Environmental aspects, Urban renewal, Land use, Environmental protection, Single family housing

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HHow you doin?

Article Abstract:

Now is the time for all good bozos.

Usage, Penis

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