For Consciousness to be considered a biological phenomena the underlying generative order must be constrained by biological principles as well as the physical and chemical rules of the material world.
Biology has found it's greatest reach within the Darwinian paradigm - A bottom up approach based upon selection and differential amplification of favorable variation within a population over time and space.
Computational approaches to cognition stand in direct opposition to the biological approach in as much as computational algorithms are designed in a top-down fashion and operate with a specific endpoint in mind.
Following the work of Gerald Edelman (1978, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989) we will adopt a somatic selective systems apporach to understanding the evolution of consciousness.
Donald Merlin (2001) suggests that consciouness has three alternative ways of being described depending on the task at hand:
- State Of Awareness -
- Architectural -
- Representational -
Following a long-standing tradition in psychology, we will apply the following terminology albiet in a significantly revised manner.
-
Consciousness: Those components of neurobiological function that focus attentional awareness during the real-time assimilation of novelty - and responses to hedonically salient ecological conspecifics - into the postural and physiological reportoire of the organism.
The symbolic content of consciousness is externally-tuned and linked to the hedonic value systems via the emotions.
-
The Subconscious: The epigenetically determined physiological linkages that define somatic postures and habitual cognitive routines of the organism.
This system is experientially-tuned by consciousness and eventually operates in real-time below the threshold of consciousness, thereby freeing consciousness for it's primary function of assimilating and adapting to ecological and historical novelties.
This system provides the basis the development of ontological memory.
-
The Unconscious: Those componenets of the nervous system that are developmentally and phenotypically conserved across all members of a species by virtue of a common genetic heritage - They are the archaic forms that pattern perception and behavior whose specific structure is deeply rooted in the evolutionary history of the developmental contingencies that define the species bodyplan.
It is further postulated that vertebrate consciousness has proceeded thru several neurophysiological transitions on the evolutionary road to human consciousness.
-
Trophic-Reflexive @ Craniata/Vertebrata - The ancient state of vertebrate cognitive organization.
-
Predator-Prey Cognition @ Gnathostomes - Marked by the emergence of the sympathetic nervous system.
-
Terrestrial-Orienting @ Amniotes - Marked by the emergence of secondary sensory orienting system interating the newly emergent ear and neck with the more ancient vestibulo-ocular system as well as the emegernce of the cardiorespiratory system.
-
Socio-Reflective Emotional Differentiation @ Mammalia - Marked by the emergence of the cortical/myelinated sympathetic system.
-
Linguistic Abstraction @ Homo Sapiens - Marked by the emergence of the linguistic systems.
EEG Measures of Brain Activity
- Alpha [8-12 Hz]- Waking, resting, eyes closed - originates in the occipital lobe.
- Alpha mu [8-12 Hz]- Waking, resting - originates in motor cortex.
- Beta [12-24 Hz] - Waking
- Gamma [1-4 Hz] - Non-REM Stage IV slow-wave sleep
- Delta [>24 Hz] -
- Theta [4-8 Hz] -