Mark Solms ~ Active Inference Insights 017 ~ Affect, Consciousness, Dreams
May 10, 2024
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Psychoanalyst and neuropsychologist Mark Solms discusses affect, consciousness, dreams, interoception, and more. Topics include subjective nature of affect, prioritization in consciousness, semantics of feelings, and the role of consciousness in adaptive behavior. The conversation also touches on Markovian monism, precision optimization, affect perception, and the complex relationship between dreaming and REM sleep.
Affect in consciousness is valenced and qualitatively differentiated, shaping subjective experiences.
Consciousness guides adaptive responses in unpredictable situations, improving predictive models for survival.
Consciousness aids in real-time adjustments based on subjective experiences, optimizing actions for increased adaptive fitness.
Deep dives
The Significance of Affect in Consciousness
Affect plays a crucial role in consciousness by being valenced, meaning it has a subjective goodness or badness that applies only to the subject of the affect. Additionally, affect is qualitatively differentiated, with each affect having its unique quality, contributing to subjective experiences. Understanding the valenced and categorical nature of affect sheds light on its essential features in shaping conscious experiences.
Consciousness as a Mechanism for Monitoring and Action
Consciousness serves as a mechanism for monitoring and prioritizing needs in uncertain circumstances, enhancing adaptive responses in novel environments. When instinctual predictions fail to address unpredictable situations, consciousness guides voluntary actions by providing real-time feedback on the effectiveness of choices. This mechanism allows for navigating unpredictable scenarios and improving predictive models within a lifetime, leading to enhanced survival and reproduction.
The Role of Consciousness in Voluntary Action and Survival
Consciousness enhances the adaptability of organisms by facilitating real-time adjustments based on subjective experiences, particularly in unfamiliar or unpredictable conditions. By providing subjective valence and qualitative distinctions, consciousness enables organisms to prioritize survival needs and optimize actions in challenging contexts. This mechanism extends beyond reflexive responses, allowing for dynamic learning and decision-making that contribute to increased adaptive fitness and successful navigation of novel environments.
Attention, Precision, and Precision Weighting in Governance of Attention
The podcast delves into the distinction between attention, precision, and precision weighting as separate constructs governing our focus. While precision usually relates to clear causes, attention is guided by our goals, even in ambiguous situations. This distinction emphasizes that governance of attention is not solely based on precision but also on broader objectives, influencing our focus in varying contexts.
Dreaming Function and the Separation of Dreaming from REM Sleep
The discussion uncovers the intricate relationship between dreaming and REM sleep, highlighting a notable double dissociation where lesions affecting the generation of REM do not halt dreaming, and vice versa. This separation challenges previous assumptions and directs research towards understanding the independent mechanisms behind dreaming and REM. Discoveries suggest dreaming's link to intense motivation and virtual reality experiences during sleep, shedding light on the function of dreaming and its role in maintaining sleep states.
It’s more consciousness-talk on today’s episode of Active Inference Insights, as Darius discusses affective states, dreams, interoception and much more with psychoanalyst and neuropsychologist Professor Mark Solms.
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