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Neural Networks and the Emergence of Consciousness

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Part of the book series: Perspectives in Neural Computing ((PERSPECT.NEURAL))

Abstract

After a brief account of a two-stage model for awareness, the continuum neural field theory model is described as a possible neural network to help explain one of the most puzzling features of phenomenal experience, that of the relatively long temporal duration of the neural activity involved. The model allows for an explanation of this by means of long-lived ‘bubbles’ of activity caused by recurrence in the neural field; this is related to experimental data on traces observed in auditory and visual cortices, and also to some of the specific features of phenomenal experience.

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© 1998 Springer-Verlag London Limited

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Taylor, J.G. (1998). Neural Networks and the Emergence of Consciousness. In: Bullinaria, J.A., Glasspool, D.W., Houghton, G. (eds) 4th Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop, London, 9–11 April 1997. Perspectives in Neural Computing. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1546-5_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1546-5_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-76208-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-1546-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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