A Software Agent Model of Consciousness

Authors: Franklin S.; Graesser A.

Source: Consciousness and Cognition, Volume 8, Number 3, September 1999 , pp. 285-301(17)

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Abstract:

Baars (1988, 1997) has proposed a psychological theory of consciousness, called global workspace theory. The present study describes a software agent implementation of that theory, called “Conscious” Mattie (CMattie). CMattie operates in a clerical domain from within a UNIX operating system, sending messages and interpreting messages in natural language that organize seminars at a university. CMattie fleshes out global workspace theory with a detailed computational model that integrates contemporary architectures in cognitive science and artificial intelligence. Baars (1997) lists the psychological “facts that any complete theory of consciousness must explain” in his appendix to In the Theater of Consciousness; global workspace theory was designed to explain these “facts.” The present article discusses how the design of CMattie accounts for these facts and thereby the extent to which it implements global workspace theory. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: Institute for Intelligent Systems, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, 38152

Publication date: 1999-09-01