Extended consciousness
Encyclopedia
In biological psychology, extended consciousness is an animal's
autobiographical self-perception.
Extended consciousness is said to arise in the brain
of animals with substantial capacity for memory
and reason
. It does not necessarily require language
. The perception of a historic and future self arises from a stream of information from the immediate environment and from neural structures related to memory.
A neurology department chairman from University of Iowa
College of Medicine
popularized the concept. Antonio Damasio
theorized extended consciousness to arise in the structures in the human brain
he described as image spaces and dispositional spaces.
Image spaces imply areas where sensory impressions of all types are processed, including the focused awareness of the core consciousness
. Dispositional spaces include convergence zones, which are networks in the brain where memories are processed and recalled, and where knowledge is merged with immediate experience.
Image processing in the cerebrum is regionally specific to various senses, but is highly distributed and interconnected, with images such as visual, spatial and perhaps linguistic impressions stored in diverse areas then assembled when recalled as a thought. Likewise, neural convergence zones are widely distributed in the lobes of the cerebral cortex
.
While humans are theorized to share extended consciousness with some animals, theorized neural mechanisms for extended consciousness do not provide answers to philosophical
or cosmological
questions about consciousness
such as why we perceive ourselves as a limited part of a larger universe
.
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
autobiographical self-perception.
Extended consciousness is said to arise in the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
of animals with substantial capacity for memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
and reason
Reason
Reason is a term that refers to the capacity human beings have to make sense of things, to establish and verify facts, and to change or justify practices, institutions, and beliefs. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, language, ...
. It does not necessarily require language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
. The perception of a historic and future self arises from a stream of information from the immediate environment and from neural structures related to memory.
A neurology department chairman from University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
College of Medicine
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
popularized the concept. Antonio Damasio
Antonio Damasio
Antonio Damasio is David Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Southern California, where he heads USC's Brain and Creativity Institute and Adjunct Professor at the Salk Institute. Prior to taking up his posts at USC, in 2005, Damasio was M.W...
theorized extended consciousness to arise in the structures in the human brain
Human brain
The human brain has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times larger than the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size. Estimates for the number of neurons in the human brain range from 80 to 120 billion...
he described as image spaces and dispositional spaces.
Image spaces imply areas where sensory impressions of all types are processed, including the focused awareness of the core consciousness
Core consciousness
In António Damásio's theory of consciousness, core consciousness describes a hypothesized level of awareness facilitated by neural structures of most animals that allows them to be aware of and react to their environment...
. Dispositional spaces include convergence zones, which are networks in the brain where memories are processed and recalled, and where knowledge is merged with immediate experience.
Image processing in the cerebrum is regionally specific to various senses, but is highly distributed and interconnected, with images such as visual, spatial and perhaps linguistic impressions stored in diverse areas then assembled when recalled as a thought. Likewise, neural convergence zones are widely distributed in the lobes of the cerebral cortex
Cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is a sheet of neural tissue that is outermost to the cerebrum of the mammalian brain. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It is constituted of up to six horizontal layers, each of which has a different...
.
While humans are theorized to share extended consciousness with some animals, theorized neural mechanisms for extended consciousness do not provide answers to philosophical
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
or cosmological
Cosmology (metaphysics)
Cosmology in metaphysics is the reflection on the totality of all phenomena. It contrasts with physical cosmology, the study of the origin of the universe in scientific terms after the Copernican Revolution....
questions about consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
such as why we perceive ourselves as a limited part of a larger universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
.