Global Workspace Theory

Baars/Dehaene ignition — broadcasting, access consciousness, and perceptual thresholds

Stimulus Strength 0.50
Ignition Threshold 0.55
Broadcast Decay 0.950
Subliminal
Status
0.00
GW Activation
0
Ignitions
0
Modules Reached

About

Global Workspace Theory (Baars 1988; Dehaene & Changeux 2011) proposes that consciousness arises when information exceeds a threshold and "ignites" — triggering a sudden, nonlinear amplification and global broadcast to all cortical areas simultaneously. Below threshold: local, modular, unconscious processing. At threshold: bifurcation — ignition propagates through long-range cortical connections, making information globally accessible. This predicts the all-or-nothing quality of conscious perception (masking paradigms, attentional blink). The simulation shows specialized modules (visual, auditory, motor, memory, prefrontal) competing for access to the global workspace; the winning coalition ignites and broadcasts.