Quantum-like Cognition from Multiplicity of Time Scales in the Brain

Abstract

The majority of quantum models of cognition are based on quantum physical reductionism. Since the brain is composed of quantum systems, one might try to use QM (as a physical theory) to describe such quantum-like features of mind as complementarity (which was well established in psychology long before creation of QM), interference of minds and recently even nonlocality (under the influence of the EPR-Bohr debate and recent results on Bell's inequality). Opposite to the traditional quantum reductionism, we present a quantum-like model of the brain functioning which is not related to the evident fact that the brain is composed of quantum systems. In our model the quantum-like brain is described by the mathematical formalism of QM. However, quantum-like features are generated on the macrolevel - from processing of information on two time scales: precognitive (the quick one) and cognitive (the slow one). Our basic postulate is that the brain operates with averages (encoding mental quantities - images, emotions, minds) of stochastic processes evolving on the precognitive scale and that these averages are computed approximately by using the mathematical formalism of QM.