THE MVAP PUZZLE a brief explanation
The structure of the theory of MVAP (Models of Volitional Adaptivity of the Psyche)MVAP is a model that reveals how a subject learns to respond to novelty — from simple reflexes to complex decisions. The key point here is not what the psyche is made of (neurons or code), but how it finds optimal ways to adapt.
If we strip away from conventional neuroscience views everything that pertains only to the implementation-specific features of the adaptive system, what remains are the core principles. These are the very principles that evolution, across all species of living beings on Earth, discovered through trial-and-error to optimize adaptive responses. They develop sequentially — from the simplest mechanisms to those that provide the most competitively effective adaptation to novelty.
The methodological article “Criteria for Completeness and Validity of a Theory” (fornit.ru/7649 ) introduces the concept of “puzzle assembly” — a representation of interacting model elements that clearly reveals the completeness and quality of the structure. This is exactly how D. I. Mendeleev constructed his Periodic Table of Elements, allowing him to spot gaps and fill them through interpolation. The MVAP puzzle serves the same purpose.
The puzzle of the system presented at fornit.ru/70320 embodies precisely these implementation-independent principles, which can be realized in vastly different ways — as indeed they are across the full spectrum of living systems, both natural and artificial. There are no cells in this puzzle, because cells are a necessary feature of biological implementation only. In artificial systems, these mechanisms can (and already have been, in the Beast project: fornit.ru/beast ) be implemented programmatically, without emulating neurons or cells (fornit.ru/69528 ).
This is why the elements of the puzzle might confuse neuroscientists and trigger the Semmelweis effect (fornit.ru/68139 ) — resistance to a fundamentally new approach. Working with principles rather than specific implementations is highly unusual in neuroscience (fornit.ru/67252 ), yet it clearly defines boundary conditions for theories of consciousness and filters out non-essential exotic hypotheses (fornit.ru/69716 ).
In essence, everything reduces to a decision tree and a system for discovering new solutions. While the decision tree itself is relatively straightforward to organize, the search for new solutions in humans engages numerous brain regions — so much so that a large portion of the brain (excluding the cerebellum) is dedicated to this task. The MVAP puzzle clearly shows which components are involved in this search.
The most universal feature of any individual adaptive system is its response to a stimulus, given the organism’s current internal state, external conditions, and situational context. The same stimulus, under different combinations of state–conditions–situation, calls for the most appropriate response for the individual — one that aligns with a desired goal. First, this response must be discovered; then it is consolidated as a habitual reaction, eliminating the need to rediscover it each time.
One can imagine a tree whose root consists of three nodes representing the organism’s current state: Bad, Normal, and Good. Each of these influences how we act next (fornit.ru/66797 ).
For example, the same situation (e.g., a loud sound) may trigger different reactions depending on context (at home vs. in a dangerous place). Thus, each of these three root nodes branches into behavioral styles determined by the status of specific homeostatic parameters, and further into final recognized perceptual images. Consequently, the same final image may appear on different branches of the tree.
Here are two example branches:
• Bad (organism is uncomfortable; blood sugar is low) > general style: problem-solving > Morning: if tired > action: drink coffee
• Normal (stable state) > general style: working mode > Day: check energy level; if not hungry > action: perform required task
In both cases, the final recognized image (to which a habitual response is already attached) is:
1. morning fatigue
2. daytime normalcy
Each such image is unique, and it is precisely to this image that responses become linked — enabling fast and well-tested reactions. This yields an optimized adaptive system: a verified response is triggered only under the specific conditions for which it was validated. If something new appears, a different final image is recognized — one for which no confident, habitual response yet exists. A new response must then be found.
Consciousness is engaged only when something new and significant occurs — like an alarm signal: “Hey, this needs attention!”
The psyche evolved specifically to find responses that are not yet habitual but yield desirable outcomes in new conditions. Therefore, awareness is activated exclusively via the orienting reflex, which selects the most relevant stimulus from all currently active ones based on significant novelty. The orienting response is thus a quantum of awareness — a dynamic update of what is happening, evaluated from the subject’s perspective in terms of significance (fornit.ru/70254 ).
Complex organisms (like humans) have evolved additional “layers” in this system to adapt more quickly and accurately. Each new element in the puzzle represents a step toward more efficient problem-solving.
Evolution addressed this challenge incrementally, discovering mechanisms that progressively approached the adaptive optimum. As a result, the system’s puzzle has been continuously enriched with new elements built upon existing ones. Each puzzle element includes a clickable link to its detailed description.
The complete system is described in the monograph “Foundations of the Fundamental Theory of Consciousness”, published by the academic publisher Rusains (fornit.ru/68715 ).