Thing in itself Michael Graziano on consciousness, attention schema theory, AI
Jul 2, 2023
Michael Graziano, professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Princeton University and creator of attention schema theory, discusses the fallacy of the hard problem of consciousness, the role of attention in consciousness, the relevance of brain networks, attention schema theory and the construction of subjective experience, the belief in eye beams, animal consciousness, the relationship between consciousness and intelligence, embodied cognition and motor control, and building AI with human-like emotions.
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Consciousness As A Schematic Self-Model
- Consciousness reports arise from schematic information the brain builds about its own processes.
- Those schematized models are useful but inaccurate, causing the illusion of magical qualia.
Attention Schema Mirrors Body Schema
- The attention schema is analogous to the body schema used for motor control.
- The brain models attention to control it, and that model produces our sense of awareness.
Consciousness As A Social Prediction Tool
- Attributing consciousness to others is an adaptive social tool for predicting behavior.
- We use simplified 'awareness' models to infer what others will attend to and do.