Conscious access through a model of the world and body

Abstract

A novel framework in which a world/body model mediates conscious access is proposed. The world/body model is assumed to be generated by projecting the latent spaces acquired through adversarial learning in each modality onto a single internal model with an innately constrained temporal and spatial frame of reference. This framework has the following features. (1) Since the latent space holds detailed information about the external world and one's body, it is possible to explain the process of conscious access to rich sensory information. (2) Specifically examining the process by which information is exchanged between modalities is possible by postulating the world/body model as an intermediate representation. Based on the findings on synesthesia, the spatial frame of reference in the world/body model is considered to be based on a Cartesian coordinate system. (3) The phenomenal nature of consciousness can be discussed from a functional perspective by examining the process by which detailed sensory information is represented and accessed via the world/body model. The unity of consciousness is naturally explained by assuming that conscious content corresponds to a single-world/body model. A hypothesis is presented that qualia originates in information that does not have an explicit correspondence between modalities.