An extended theory of global workspace of consciousness
July 10, 2008 Xiaolan Song, Xiaowei Tang
Global Workspace theory and the Global Neuronal Workspace hypothesis propose that consciousness arises from a global workspace, but they overlook that conscious content can originate from internal mental representations, not just immediate sensory input. The brain's default mode network shows that organized activity occurs without external sensory input, processing inward information. This article combines the default mode network hypothesis with classical Global Workspace theory to propose an extended theory of consciousness, arguing that the global workspace incorporates both sensory and internally generated content.