level, a competition process takes place in order to select the consummatory preferent signal
which will be finally placed on the Drive level and sent to the other node. The first of these two
processes is carried out by the consummatory preferences selector internal behaviour, whereas
the second process is executed by the transmitter mechanism.
The consummatory preferences selector internal behaviour is composed of a set of specific
elementary behaviours associated with specific needs and a default elementary behaviour. The
condition of an elementary behaviour is satisfied when at the Intero/Extero/Drive Congruents
level has been created the signal C or its value or intensity AC has been actualized; and further,
when for any of these two cases the value AC surpasses a threshold 2 previously established.
All elementary behaviours that have satisfied this condition enter a competition of the type
winner-take-all, which decides which elementary behaviours will execute their final action on
the Drive level. The final action consists in the creation of the signal D with intensity O D, the
last value being calculated from expressions (8) and (9).
(8)
(9)
where AD is the intensity of the signal to be inscribed on the Drive level, OC is the value of the
signal from the Intero/Extero/Drive, inhibited by the rest of the signals O C multiplied by a
negative coupling strength FaijC.
If no element fulfills the condition OD > 2, then there will be no winner behaviour and
the competition ends without a specific behaviour executing its final action on the Drive level.
When more than one elementary behaviour has satisfied the condition O D > 2, then the
competition takes place until it converges to a state in which only one elementary behaviour
will be the winner. This happens by successive actions of the intero/extero/drive congruence and
the consummatory preferences selector internal behaviours.
The communication between both nodes is carried out by the receptor and transmitter
mechanisms. Each node has a receptor and a transmitter.
As part of the construction of this third layer, a new default external behaviour is
incorporated: the explore external behaviour, preserving the default external behaviour defined
in the second layer. The explore external behaviour is oriented towards searching a specific
external signal that is required to satisfy an imperative internal need. The explore external
behaviour might be executed when for a signal received from the Drive level and placed on
Consummatory Preferents, there is not a corresponding signal at the Perceptual Persistent
level. This is, when there is an internal need to be satisfied for which the corresponding external
signal has not yet been perceived.
Reflex behaviours are still controlled by reflex actions, and reactive behaviours can be
implemented in columns with a ( greater than zero.
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