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that recall sometimes takes hours. This supports the proposition of cue storage and
circuitry to process cues.
Cues are modeled as being selected from attributes in conscious STM. If they
contain conflicts, a match will not be found in long-term memory, and cue editing is
desired. A register of simulated qubits is made to accept a given set of conflicting
cues and to work on them. Cue editing, however, is not permitted to interfere with
the regular processing of consistent cues taken from new images in consciousness.
Simulated qubits change slightly the probabilities for the occurrence of each cue
that originally was true with 100% probability. The plan is to remove a few
attributes from the list of cues. This increases the chance of associations in long-
term memory because fewer cues make association easier. If this does not work, the
removed cues are restored and another random set is removed.
Cue editing could also be accomplished with a pseudorandom sequence that
removes cues in a random way. Pseudorandom sequencers can be implemented
with toggle devices of the sort that recursive neurons produce.
Modernistic concepts have been proposed that could increase the efficiency of
cue editing. Particularly useful would be electron tunneling to help synchronize
neurons, as mentioned in connection with Walker's work. Also exciting are the
possibilities of real qubits, and not just simulated qubits, as mentioned in connec-
tion with the proposals of Hameroff and others. The above circuitry could easily be
modified to utilize real physical qubits, if in the future they are discovered.
Simulated qubits, although less powerful than the qubits of physics, have
abilities that ordinary logic gates do not have, such as holding true and false
simultaneously, and giving up their logic values with a probability. This feature
is most useful for random cue editing. What is interesting about simulated qubits is
that they might exist at the molecular level within a brain, where they would not
require a quantum system.
Perhaps more common than conflicting cues would be too few cues, and too
many returns. When this happens, it is the task of a recall referee to choose the
highest priority return for admission into conscious STM, as discussed next.
References
1. Gleitman H (1987) Basic psychology. W W Norton and Co., New York
2. Schacter DL (1996) Searching for memory: the brain, the mind, and the past. Basic Books, New
York
3. Schacter DL (2001) Forgotten ideas, neglected pioneers: Richard Semon and the story of
memory. Psychology Press, Philadelphia, PA
4. Golomb SH (1967) Shift register sequences. Holden-Day, San Francisco, CA
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