On the evolution of consciousness and languageBridgeman, Bruce (1992) On the evolution of consciousness and language. Psycoloquy, 92.consciousness (1.bridgeman). [electronic journal-29 paragraphs. Full text available as:
Official URL: http://psycprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/archive/00000239/#html AbstractPsychology can be based on plans, internally held images of achievement that organize the stimulus-response links of traditional psychology. The hierarchical structure of plans must be produced, held, assigned priorities, and monitored. Consciousness is the operation of the plan-executing mechanism, enabling behavior to be driven by plans rather than immediate environmental contingencies. The mechanism unpacks a single internally held idea into a series of actions. New in this paper is the proposal that language uses this mechanism for communication, unpacking an idea into a series of articulatory acts. Language comprehension uses the plan-monitoring mechanism to pack a series of linguistic events into an idea. Recursive processing results from monitoring one's own speech. Neurophysiologically, the planning mechanism is identified with higher-order motor control. Comments/DiscussionThe paper is part of an effort to reorganize psychology around plans rather than stimulus-response contingencies.
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