Sun R
NEC Research Institute, 4 Independence Way, Princeton, New Jersey, 08540, USA. rsun.cecs.missouri.edu
Conscious Cogn. 1999 Dec;8(4):529-65. doi: 10.1006/ccog.1999.0405.
This paper argues for an explanation of the mechanistic (computational) basis of consciousness that is based on the distinction between localist (symbolic) representation and distributed representation, the ideas of which have been put forth in the connectionist literature. A model is developed to substantiate and test this approach. The paper also explores the issue of the functional roles of consciousness, in relation to the proposed mechanistic explanation of consciousness. The model, embodying the representational difference, is able to account for the functional role of consciousness, in the form of the synergy between the conscious and the unconscious. The fit between the model and various cognitive phenomena and data (documented in the psychological literatures) is discussed to accentuate the plausibility of the model and its explanation of consciousness. Comparisons with existing models of consciousness are made in the end.
本文主张对意识的机制（计算）基础进行一种解释，该解释基于局部主义（符号）表征与分布式表征之间的区别，这些观点已在联结主义文献中提出。开发了一个模型来证实和检验这种方法。本文还探讨了意识的功能作用问题，这与所提出的意识机制解释相关。体现表征差异的模型能够以有意识与无意识之间的协同作用形式解释意识的功能作用。讨论了该模型与各种认知现象和数据（记录在心理学文献中）之间的契合度，以强调该模型及其对意识解释的合理性。最后与现有的意识模型进行了比较。
