formance, at any time, is synthesized by the dominant (most activated) clus-
ter of compatible schemes available in the brain’s field of activation at the
time of responding (Pascual-Leone, 1997). In this process the schemes that
are incompatible with the dominant cluster, even after accommodation (i.e.,
relaxation) of their constraints, are locally or centrally (this is interruption)
inhibited. In this way, mental attention focuses on the schemes of the domi-
nant cluster, and incompatible schemes, left out ofM-space, are inhibited by
an automatic interruption mechanism.
Figure 8.1 symbolizes this dynamic model of mental attention. The three
key constituents of mental attention—theM-operator (mental energyM),
theI-operator (central inhibition or interruptI), and the currently dominant
cluster of executive schemesE, are symbolized by a rectangular flashlight
controlled, at least in part, from the prefrontal lobes. This flashlight of men-
tal attention illuminates (boosts the activation of ) a region (the inner ellipse
in Fig. 8.1) of the repertoire of action schemes. This region is theM-space
(i.e.,M-centration) or focus of endogenous attention. Mental energy is ex-
erted onEand on the chosen action schemesH, to empower them to produce
performance. Figure 8.1 assumes that the task the subject is dealing with is a
misleadingone, that is, a situation that provides cues for and activates
schemes that are inadequate/misleading for the task at hand. Consequently,
schemes that are not relevant (and outside theM-space) must be interrupted
to reduce interference. Notice that, as Fig. 8.1 indicates (middle ellipse),
working memoryin our model is a set of simultaneously hyperactivated (and
synchronized) schemes in the brain’sfield of activation(the outer ellipse).
Working memory includes theM-space, but is larger than it withinfacilitat-
ingsituations (i.e., situations that cue only task-relevant schemes and thus do
not requireI-interruption). Notice that in misleading situations, working
memory will be restricted to theM-space, because the schemes outside it will
have been inhibited by theI-operator. In contrast, in facilitating situations
working memory will be larger thanM-space, because of the schemes that are
being hyperactivated by affects–emotions (Ain Fig. 8.1), by content learning
(C), or by logical-structural learning (L). Thus working memory could be
much larger thanM-space in facilitating situations. Pascual-Leone and
Baillargeon (1994) discussed this model of mental attention in more detail
and used it to model probabilistic performance patterns exhibited in anM-
capacity task.
This model of mental attention often has been ignored, due to failure to see
the processual differences imposed by facilitating versus misleading situations.
Inmisleading situations, a processing conflict (dialectical contradictions or
strategy competition) usually emerges between two or more different, implicit
or explicit, strategies. One strategy, Y, is unsuitable, but is facilitated by well
learned or automatized schemes (often congruent with the field factor—ourF-
operator). The other strategy, X, is suitable, but needs to be effortfully boosted
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