Recasting Lewin's Field Theory: A Dynamic, Recursive Model of Behavior with Prediction, Attention, and Metacognition

Abstract:

We extend Lewin’s field theory to a dynamic, recursive model that integrates
predictive processing, a global workspace broadcasting mechanism, and
higher-order metacognition. The framework formalizes behavior as a function
of personality and environment over time, with explicit update rules for
priors, attentional broadcast, and metacognitive gating. We provide compact
equations, propose psychometric priors, and outline human and synthetic
validation protocols with governance hooks for safety and auditability.
Keywords: Lewin, Field Theory, Predictive Processing, Global Workspace,
Higher-Order Thought, Drift–Diffusion, Parameter Recovery