Presentations from workshop available
in the program section

Memory theorists have discussed the role of consciousness since Ebbinghaus, and in recent years Tulving, Schacter and Baddeley have particularly addressed the question. Obviously it is essential to have some hypotheses about what consciousness is and does in order to integrate it into current theory.

The IDA model, a conceptual and computational implementation of Global Workspace Theory, suggests sharp and testable claims about the several roles consciousness plays in updating and utilizing the various human memory systems.

Two recent articles from Trends in Cognitive Sciences are available online. One is a summary of Global Workspace theory (Baars, 2002), and the second, a paper on the role of Consciousness in Working Memory from this perspective (Baars and Franklin, 2003). The weekend Workshop on the Role of Consciousness in Memory will focus on a third (draft) paper on Consciousness and Memory by Franklin, Baars, Ramamurthy and Ventura (draft online). These papers suggest testable claims about relationships between the various memory systems, and the roles that conscious events may play in learning, rehearsal, and retrieval.

This workshop is designed to encourage dialogue among the organizers, the four keynote memory researchers, and the participants. There is no fee but attendance is limited; registration and acceptance are required. A reception and a poster session are planned for the first evening. Memory researchers and students of memory are encouraged to attend and participate in order to enrich the dialogue to everyone’s benefit. Accepted participants may present their empirical or theoretical research as a poster during the Saturday evening poster session.

For more information, please contact the Organizers:
Stan Franklin
Uma Ramamurthy
Matthew Ventura