Bruce Bridgeman (1992) On the Evolution of Consciousness and Language
. Psycoloquy: 3(15) Consciousness (1)
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Psycoloquy 3(15): On the Evolution of Consciousness and Language
ON THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND LANGUAGE
Target Article on Consciousness
Bruce Bridgeman
Dept. of Psychology
Kerr Hall UCSC
Santa Cruz, Ca. 95064
(408) 459-4005
bruceb@cats.ucsc.edu
Abstract
Psychology 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.
Keywords
consciousness, language, plans, motivation, evolution,
motor system
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