Consciousness, cognition, and context: extending the global neuronal workspace model

Abstract

We adapt an information theory analysis of interacting cognitive biological and social modules to the problem of the global neuronal workspace, the current standard neuroscience picture of consciousness. Tunable punctuation emerges in a natural manner, suggesting the possibility of fitting appropriate phase transition power law, and, away from transition, generalized Onsager relation expressions, to observational data on conscious reaction. The development can be extended in a straightforward way to include the role of psychosocial stress, culture, or other embedding structured contexts in individual consciousness, producing a 'biopsychosocial' model that closely retains the flavor of the standard treatment, but better meets philosophical and other objections to brain-only descriptions.