Pinker The Blank Slate Falls

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Pinker -- The Blank Slate Falls
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Previously

• Discussion included a separation of mind and body
• Such that the body is a blank slate and can be
  written, even by the mind
• This was true even of the behaviorists
• Did not consider studying the brain worthwhile

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Now

• Starting in the 20th century
• Unification of life/mind and physical attributes
• Last decade was called the Decade of the Brain
• As the mind and mental function have been
  studied, it is clear the Blank Slate is an
  incoherent doctrine

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Blank Slate Problems

• 1. Mental world can be put into physical terms
  (working of the brain)
• Combined with concepts of information flow
• Argued - behavior and mental reasons are not same
  as physical events and causes
• That is, no connection seen between physical
  events and things like intention, creativity,
  etc.
• Example, phrenology

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Mental Computation

• However, we now know that beliefs and thoughts
  are due to information computation
• This resides in the patterns of activity and
  structure of brain
• Similar to computer
• Computational theory of mind
• AI -- Deep Blue plays chess and beats world
  champion

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Computation

• Information comes in through senses
• Computations are done in brain
• Output is behavior
• Get feedback via discrepancy of goal and actual

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Blank Slate Problems

• 2. We cannot be a blank slate because blank
  slates do not do anything
• Yet, information is recognized, learned, and
  associated with previous information

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Blank Slates Dont Do Anything

• Something must be innate
• If only the mechanisms that support learning
• In terms of the computer
• They do not automatically recognize speech, for
  example
• But, need the right software first

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Current Debate

• East - All concepts innate
• Baillargeon, Spelke, etc.
• West - Learning based on innate mechanisms
• Bates, McClelland, Haith, Cohen
• However, neither side believe in blank slate

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Blank Slate Problems

• 3. Infinite behavior can be generate by finite
  mental programs
• Blank slate argued that behavior could not be
  innate because of infinite behavioral acts
• They all could not be in genes
• However, even a few rules can lead to infinite
  forms
• Example, language

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Blank Slate Problems

• 4. Universal Mental Mechanisms
• Language order
• Emotion
• Taboos

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Blank Slate Problems

• 5. Mind is complex
• It is modular
• It has interacting parts
• Blank slate has no way to account for this

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Neuroscience

• Types of evidence of connection between brain,
  mind, and behavior
• Surgeon stimulation
• Eye movements - stimulation
• Lesions
• Brain folds are not random, but have regular
  structure
• So, no blank slate
• No ghost -- Brain firing
• No noble savage -- Lesion frontal lobe, become
  aggressive

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Behavioral Genetics

• Reaction Range
• Twin Studies
• Blank slate cannot be blank
• Different genes make one less or more smart, more
  or less aggressive, more or less mellow

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Behavioral Genetics

• Genes are not noble
• Aspects of personality that are genetic and
  stable are negative ones
• Identical twins are more alike than fraternal
  twins on traits such as irritability, fear in the
  visual cliff, etc.

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Evolutionary Psychology

• Vision/Eye
• Brain structures
• Depth Perception
• Rats, monkeys, and human infants perform
  similarly on visual cliff

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Evolutionary Psychology

• Social
• Monogamous vs polygamous
• Gentle vs aggressive
• Noble group finishes last
• Cooperative or selfish
• Natural selection chooses what best for genes
• However, not just driven by genes
• May covet neighbor but we do not act

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Blank Slate Defence

• 1. Once thought we had 100,000 genes
• Now know we have only 34,000
• Does this mean that environment is more important?

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Blank Slate Defence

• 2. Been shown that neural networks can be
  trained to generalize to new items
• However, no matter how hard we try, neural nets
  cannot do complex problems
• We do not just associate but use logic

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Blank Slate Defence

• 3. Neural Plasticity
• Environment forms final product
• Example, cat vision
• Not surprising
• Learning affects brain
• Same way for everybody
• Development - genes cannot anticipate every
  possibility, so need learning

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Blank Slate Defence

• 3. Neural Plasticity
• However, in visual system, only 1/3 affected by
  learning
• The rest?

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Questions

• How and why do negative traits continue to be
  passed on through evolution?
• Personality has little or no effects on the
  child's culture
• then why do some cultures seem to be more shy,
  and others more extroverted?
• Lateralization of hemispheres
• Have same abilities but specialize -- evidence
  for same abilities?
• Specialization occur through evolution or
  learning?
• Is it possible to measure brain activity in
  infants?