Bridging flexible goal-directed cognition and consciousness: The Goal-Aligning Representation Internal Manipulation theory.
Giovanni Granato, Gianluca Baldassarre
Neural networks : the official journal of the International Neural Network Society August 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2024.106292 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractConsciousness helps align mental representations with goals, enabling more flexible and effective behavior. A new theoretical framework integrates cognitive neuroscience and AI/robotics, extending a previously validated model of goal-directed flexible cognition tested in over 20 human populations. The theory bridges major accounts of consciousness and goal-directed action, offering implications for designing experimental tasks, interpreting clinical data, and improving machine learning and robotic systems, including applications in digital-twin healthcare and roboethics.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Autonomous robotics Computational neuropsychology Consciousness Flexible goal-directed cognition Machine learning |
| Key finding | Proposes that the function of conscious processes is to support the alignment of representations with multi-level goals, leading to more flexible and effective behaviours. |
Abstract
Goal-directed manipulation of internal representations is a key element of human flexible behaviour, while consciousness is commonly associated with higher-order cognition and human flexibility. Current perspectives have only partially linked these processes, thus preventing a clear understanding of how they jointly generate flexible cognition and behaviour. Moreover, these limitations prevent an effective exploitation of this knowledge for technological scopes. We propose a new theoretical perspective that extends our 'three-component theory of flexible cognition' toward higher-order cognition and consciousness, based on the systematic integration of key concepts from Cognitive Neuroscience and AI/Robotics. The theory proposes that the function of conscious processes is to support the alignment of representations with multi-level goals. This higher alignment leads to more flexible and effective behaviours. We analyse here our previous model of goal-directed flexible cognition (validated with more than 20 human populations) as a starting GARIM-inspired model. By bridging the main theories of consciousness and goal-directed behaviour, the theory has relevant implications for scientific and technological fields. In particular, it contributes to developing new experimental tasks and interpreting clinical evidence. Finally, it indicates directions for improving machine learning and robotics systems and for informing real-world applications (e.g., in digital-twin healthcare and roboethics).