Unit 7.2 Cognition: Thinking and Problem Solving

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Unit 7.2 Cognition Thinking and Problem Solving
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Fact 1

• The brain is awesome and we know nothing about
  it

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No, but really there are reasons she will be
forever alone. Girls got some moves?
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Really really annoying.
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How is all that possible and you can speak and
pick up a pencil without thinking about it?
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The Cognitive Niche Steven Pinker (Harvard)

• Three key ideas to note
• Computation
• Evolution (genetic survival)
• Specialization

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1. Computation

• The function of the brain is information
  processing
• Problem What is intelligence, and how can a hunk
  of matter (such as a brain) achieve it?

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• Intelligence pursuit of goals by inference
  (knowledge of logic, statistics and cause/effect)
• Romeo and Juliet
• Goal touch Juliets lips

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Romeos Inference

• If C is between A and B, they cannot touch. If
  A goes over C, C is no longer between A and B.
  Therefore, to touch Juliets lips, go over the
  wall

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How computation works in the brain

• Goals and knowledge are information they are
  represented as patterns in bits of matter in the
  system.
• System is designed so that one representation
  causes another, and the changes mirror the laws
  of logical or statistical inference

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In other words

• Romeos going to go over the wall because his
  brain made it possible due to his intellectually
  based cognition, or his inference

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Evolution and Specialization

• 2. Evolution already covered in Behavior
  Genetics chapter
• Whats the argument for evolution in how our
  brains work?
• 3. Specialization a theory of everything
  doesnt exist
• Specific parts of the body have specific
  functions that have evolved over time

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In other words

• We have specialization because every different
  type of problem requires a different tool for
  solving
• Cognition problem solving?
• Heart-based problem solving?
• Nervous system based problem solving

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The Limits of Human Intuition

• A man bought a horse for 60 and sold it for
  70. Then he bought the same horse back for 80
  and again sold it, for 90. How much money did he
  make in the horse business?

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Super simple, right?

• Most common answer 10
• You actually make 20
• How do you do it?
• Comparing total amount paid out with total amount
  taken in (160-14020)
• Most American college students answer incorrectly
• Most German banking executives get it wrong

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Lets try again

• A man bought a horse for 60 and sold it for
  70. Then he bought firewood for 80 and then
  sold it, for 90. How much money did he make?

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Information processing model

• Organize items into mental groupings
• Called concepts
• Form concepts from prototypes
• Representative of the most typical member of a
  category
• Complex concepts schemas

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How do you give someone directions?What mental
processes do you go through?
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Lets try some more logic puzzles

• All members of the cabinet are thieves. No
  composer is a member of the cabinet.
• What conclusion can you draw? Is there one?
• Yes! There is a valid conclusion
• Some thieves are not composers or there are
  thieves who are not composers

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How about another

• Some archaeologists, biologists, and chess
  players are in a room. None of the archaeologists
  are biologists. All of the biologists are chess
  players. What follows? What conclusions can you
  draw?
• Pinker found that most people will say that none
  of the archaeologists are chess players not
  valid
• What is valid is to say that some chess players
  are not archaeologists.

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One more for extra credit

• If you love, then you suffer when your loved ones
  suffer. If you hate, then you suffer when your
  enemies flourish. So, since you must love or
  hate, either you suffer when your loved ones
  suffer or you suffer when your enemies flourish.
• Inductive or deductive?
• If you love, then you suffer when your loved ones
  suffer
• If you hate, then you suffer when your enemies
  flourish
• Since you must love or hate
• You suffer when your loved ones suffer or you
  suffer when your enemies flourish.
• Assuming all premises are true, in their own
  reality without any other options available, this
  is best constructed as a deductive argument
  because the conclusion cannot be false based on
  the premises.