Unified Theories of Cognition: Intention

Intend is the function of committing to a response. There must be such a function or there will not be a response from the person, though there might be a behavior of the person's body. The intention is not the response itself, which is produced by the motor subsystem. Instead, it is the issuance of a command to the motor system that commits the system to a particular response. With the successful completion of an intention, expressed as an encoded command in working memory, control escapes from central cognition. Control can possibly be regained, if enough time elapses before the motor system passes beyond the point of no return and suitable abortion or modification commands are possible, hence can themselves be intended. But such control is a new task and problem, distinct from the original intention.

Intending is performed by an operator. It determines which external action to take and issues the motor command to working memory. With suitable preparation it may be very simple and hence short. It can also expand indefinitely if there are difficulties in determining what response should be made. However, it must always occur, for it is the point where behavior is controlled.