Transparallel mind: classical computing with quantum power

Abstract

Inspired by the extraordinary computing power promised by quantum computers, the quantum mind hypothesis postulated that quantum mechanical phenomena are the source of neuronal synchronization, which, in turn, might underlie consciousness. Here, I present an alternative inspired by a classical computing method with quantum power. This method relies on special distributed representations called hyperstrings. Hyperstrings are superpositions of up to an exponential number of strings, which-by a single-processor classical computercan be evaluated in a transparallel fashion, that is, simultaneously as if only one string were concerned. Building on a neurally plausible model of human visual perceptual organization, in which hyperstrings are formal counterparts of transient neural assemblies, I postulate that synchronization in such assemblies is a manifestation of transparallel information processing. This accounts for the high combinatorial capacity and speed of human visual perceptual organization and strengthens ideas that self-organizing cognitive architecture bridges the gap between neurons and consciousness.

Structural coding versus free-energy predictive coding

“…Structural coding's view on processing in the visual hierarchy includes both perception and (task-driven, topdown) attention. As discussed in van der Helm (2012Helm ( , 2015a, it conceives of the perceptual organization process as comprising three neurally intertwined but functionally distinguishable subprocesses (see Fig. 6, left-hand panel; cf.…”

“…In fact, structural coding postulates that gamma synchronization mediates transparallel feature processing, which means that many similar features are hierarchically recoded in one go, that is, simultaneously as if only one feature were concerned (van der Helm, 2012(van der Helm, , 2014(van der Helm, , 2015a. There is no direct evidence that the brain indeed performs transparallel processing, but to my knowledge, it is the first computational proposal to do justice to the idea that neuronal synchronization must be a special form of neuro-cognitive processing.…”

“…In computing, transparallel processing corresponds to the extraordinarily powerful form of processing promised by quantum computers (see van der Helm, 2015a). Actually, it is already feasible on single-processor classical computers, and structural coding implemented it in PISA, which is a minimal coding algorithm for strings (van der Helm, 2004(van der Helm, , 2015a.…”

“…Actually, it is already feasible on single-processor classical computers, and structural coding implemented it in PISA, which is a minimal coding algorithm for strings (van der Helm, 2004(van der Helm, , 2015a. Notably, to compute guaranteed simplest codes of strings, PISA employs formal counterparts of the three perceptual subprocesses in Fig.…”

“…It is generally understood to refer to a tendency towards regularity, symmetry, and simplicity, or as Koffka (1935) formulated it for vision: "Of several geometrically possible organizations that one will actually occur which possesses the best, the most stable shape" (p. 138). Building on this Gestaltist idea and on seminal work by, for instance, MacKay (1950), Hochberg and McAlister (1953), Attneave (1954), and Garner (1962), structural coding began as a competence model (Leeuwenberg, 1968), but nowadays, it also includes performance (van der Helm, 2012(van der Helm, , 2014(van der Helm, , 2015a.…”