Psychology
Summary
Notably, scholars have studied the human brain with efforts to understand the wonders behind its functionality. Over recent decades, scholars in the field of psychiatry have discovered groundbreaking understanding of the human brain. One of those areas is in the field of cognitive and motor brain mechanisms. Hesslow (2002) suggests that there is a close connection between imaging and perception in how the brain reacts. It can be explained through the simulation hypothesis, which states that thinking consists of simulated interaction with the environment and rest upon three assumptions. The assumptions include simulation of actions, simulation of perception, and anticipation. Hesslow (2002) argues that the simulation hypothesis is considered plausible because it explains various brain reactions that can be proven and it does so without exploring outrageous assumptions on brain functionality. However, anticipation in the simulation hypothesis is less well supported compared to the others but it is still highly acceptable (Anderson 2012).
Commentary
Through the simulation hypothesis, Hesslow (2002) suggests that internal simulation has a mechanism that generates an inner world that we associate with consciousness. This inner world is however not entirely controlled by external input. Such is explained by the fact that since perception is generated by assembling perceptions of the external world, it should, therefore, also be accompanied with the experience of the non-physical worlds. To support this, evidence further suggests that a brain reaction can be triggered through stimuli and not the traditional sensory triggers. Therefore, this suggests that robots too might have an inner world based on the fact that their actions are based on predictions created from external input triggered by stimuli. Verschure, Voegtlin, and Douglas (2003) states that sometimes trained robots are able to perform a function blindly in an open environment if they have performed the function numerous times before. As a result, it raises the question what triggers robots to behave similarly to humans though in a rudimentary level and whether this means that they have an inner world.
Reference
Anderson, R. J. (2012). Imagining novel futures: The roles of event plausibility and familiarity. Memory, 20(5), 443-451.
Hesslow, G. (2002). Conscious thought as simulation of behavior and perception: Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 6 (6), 242-247.
Verschure, P. J., Voegtlin, T., & Douglas, R. J. (2003). Environmentally mediated synergy between perception and behaviour in mobile robots. Nature, 425(6958), 620.