Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M4802

Multiple Drafts Model

Multiple Drafts Model
Learn & MetacognitionHigh supportCognitive Science
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

There is no central "theater" or "self" in the brain that watches all sensory input. Instead, the brain processes various streams of information (drafts) in parallel, and consciousness is merely the draft that is illuminated by a "spotlight" at a particular moment or wins the competition. Consciousness is the result of editing, not live streaming.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Decentralized self. You think you have a unified "I", but in reality you are a collection of micro-personalities vying for discursive power. At this moment, the "I" is the draft that wants to lose weight; at the next moment, the "I" is the draft that wants to eat cake.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Dennett's multiple drafts model posits that consciousness is not a unified theater but rather parallel "drafts" competing in multiple brain areas, with the winner constituting the current experience. The mechanism is parallel drafts replacing a central observer.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_drafts_modelZH · Explicit
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