Topic: mind

Could consciousness arise from working memory? A leading theory of the mind

• How does the electrical activity of the brain give rise to the felt experience of being aware?
• One influential idea ties consciousness closely to working memory — the mind's ability to hold information briefly 'in mind.' In this view, we become conscious of whatever wins a competition to be broadcast across the brain.
• It is a compelling framework, but, as researchers readily admit, still far from a settled answer.