How working memory could give rise to consciousness

5 hours ago

The doorway effect occurs when entering a new room causes forgetting, linked to working memory which holds immediate task information but has limited capacity.
Working memory is rich in accessible information but poor in storage capacity, debated as having fixed 'slots' or a flexible resource, with a typical limit of about four items.
Consciousness may arise from working memory, especially when combined with attention, as suggested by theories like the global neuronal workspace, though some argue consciousness overflows working memory or that working memory can store unconscious information.
Experiments show walking through doorways triggers forgetting, and attention affects consciousness (e.g., phone users ignoring a clown), supporting the link between working memory, attention, and conscious experience.
Working memory might exist on a spectrum rather than being all-or-nothing, with grey areas between fully stored and not stored information, potentially mirroring nuances in consciousness.

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