JosephHowerton

CSC587CognitiveScienceFinalExam

IntroductiontothePaper:

Ijustreadthistodaythat“Cognitivescienceisthescientificstudyofthehumanmindandhumanintelligence.”ImightsaythatCognitiveScienceputverysimplyexploresthewaythebrainfunctionsinordertoexplaincomplexcognitioninthehumanmind.Ibelievethatbothofthesessertionsareoverlysimplisticandundercutwhatisatthecoreoftheascientificresearchincognitivescience.It’simportanttorememberthattherootsofcognitivescienceextendintotheexplorationandstudyingofdamagedbrains.Butaskingourselvesthequestionsofwhatexactlyisthemindandhowdoesitfunction,andttemptingtodeterminethecomplexprocessingpowerthatisthebrainasaasortofsupercomputerisindeedaworthwhileendeavor.Thescientificresearchseekstodiscovertheworkbeingdoneinthebrainbythedifferentkindsofneuronsandneuraltransmittersthatworktogethertoperformtheelaboratesystemofprocessingandfunctioningofthehumanbraininresponsestospecificstimuli.Ibelievethescientificresearchisengagedinseekingoutphenomenoninthefunctioningofthebraininordertoanalyzethephysicalprocessingatworkinbrainesponsesaswellasthephysiologicalfunctioningandpsychologicalrexplanationsoftheresponses.AccordingtoWikipediathefieldofcognitivesciencedrawsfromdifferentdisciplinessuchas“neuroscience,psychology,philosophy,anthropology,linguisticsandartificialintelligence”thatcoalescetocreatethescienceofstudyinghowthebrainisorganizedandhowitprocessestheactivitiesofthemind.Thisinterdisciplinarynatureofcognitivesciencewasconfirmedinourstudiesasweattendedtothediscussionofeachofthesescienceswithinthelecturesandassignments.InthesameWikipediaentryitstatesthat“theterm"cognitive"in"cognitivescience"is"usedforanykindofentaloperationorstructurethatcanbestudiedinpreciseterms"LakoffandJohnson,1999).”m(

Itisindeedimperativeforanystudentofcognitivesciencetostudy,understand,andbewellversedineachofthedifferentdisciplinesinvolvedtograspthedepthandbreadthofthefactorsassociatedwithinthecorpusofthescientificresearch.CognitiveScienceattemptstoextendtheseultipledisciplinestoattendtotheinnerworkingsofthemindintimesofm

cognitivedysfunction,deficiency,andduress.ThefieldofCognitiveScienceitselfwasformedinitsbeginningstagesbyfocusingontheinjuredbrainandunderstandingthemyriadofdysfunctionsanddeficitsininformationprocessing,perceptionofinputandstimuli,andincognitionthatexistedbecauseofdamagetothebrain’sdifferenthemispheres,lobes,andregions.ItwaspositedbyaphilosopherofpsychologyJerryFodorthat“asinglephenomenonintheactivityofthebraincanbecharacterizedaseitherfunctionalorphysical,andtheognitiveprocessingofeventsinthebraincanbeviewedfrombothofcthoselevels.”Therearecognitiveabilitiesthatcanbestudiedwithintheregionsofthebrainthatincludethehigherlevelactivitiessuchasattention,memory,perception,judgment,decisionmaking,learning,language,andspeech.Bystudyingthevariousregionsofthebrainandtheirassociatedfunctionalapabilitiescognitivescientistscanbegintomapthecognitiveactivitiestocincreasedordecreasedneuralactivitiesinthatspecificregionofthebrain.Further,cognitivescientistsultimatelydeterminedeficienciesintheneuralpathwaysthatpromotehigherlevelfunctioningofthoseactivities.Muchofthisworkhasbeendoneinstudyinghumanswhohaveexperiencedsomesortofbraindamageandthathasbeentherootsofthescientificresearch.

Metaphor

Introduction:GeorgeLakoffandJohnSearlehaveconstructedtwodifferentcontenttheoriesonthetopicofMetaphor.AContentTheoryinthiscaseisbasicallytakingthelargertopicofMetaphorandbreakingitdownintoitssubcomponentstoafinelevelofgranularity.Theconceptofgranularityisadesigndecisionwheretheresearchscientistmakesadecisionofdepthorbreadthingranularity.Itmustbepointedoutthatesigninganddevelopingcontenttheorieswithelegantstructurearerealork.

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Weshapeourspeechtobeunderstandabletoothersandeveninourownthinkingweconnectwhatweknowtosomethingsimilartoanalogizetopicsforourdiscussions.ThereisabasisfortheexperienceofourliveswhereMetaphoremergesandseekstoexplainwhichincludefactorsoftime,space,causation,andpurpose.Metaphorcantaketheliteralinterpretationofanevent,experience,orthingandre‐frameitpoeticallyndfiguratively.Further,wecanusesomesortofsymbolsorothertypesaofrepresentationstotakeourmetaphorandmakeitcross‐cultural.IcouldsaythatI’mthankfultoReddyasheisdescribedbyLakoffasthefigureinourhistorywhotookawaythetruemeaningofmetaphorfromtheclassicaltheorists.Ifonlybecausehepositsthatmetaphorisaproductofthought(andnotlanguage),whichIbelieve(asstated)tobewhollytrue.Idothinkitcanbecharacterizedasalanguageconstructofsorts,buttheideabehindthemodeofexpressioniscreative.Metaphoremergesasweexperienceandperceivetheworldaroundus.Ittakesformandlifeaswebuildassociationsarounditandmakeconnectionstoitbydrawingonourastexperiences,andweareremindedofthesimilaritiesinseeminglypdisparateeventsinourlives.IcanhangmyhatonLakoff’sdescriptionofthecontributionsofReddy.Itisaboutconceptualizingtheworldthroughourexperiences,andthatisamatterofthought.Iagreewithhim.Icangetclosertoembracingasystemofthoughtandgeneralizationaroundthemeaningofmetaphor,ifnotsimplygeneralizingtheexperiencesinourlivestomakepatassociationsiththeexperiencesofothers.ButI’mtalkingasaphilosopherandnotasw

alinguisticanalyst.Thearticlethengoesontointroducethatcontemporaryresearchchallengestheassumptionthatmetaphorisstrictlyfigurativelanguageandcannotbeconstruedasaliteralinterpretationorexpression.I’mnotsureIcanfollowthislogicasIseecomparisonsofeventsorthingsasnotliteraldescriptionsofthatparticularthing.Ithinkwearespeakingfigurativelywhenwecompareonedistinctthinginreal‐timeandspace,toanotherfromapastexperienceorthing.I’mthinkingthatpoetrydescribesaliteralevent,inacreativeandanartisticway,andIstillthinkthatetaphordoesbecomeaconstruct,notofthelanguage,butofthexpressionoftheinterpretationofmeaning.me

Ithinktheideathatoureverydaylivesourgovernedbyasystemofmetaphorcanbechallengedinamyriadofways.It’sallopentointerpretation,andmaybethatiswhatLakoffassertsismetaphor.Ithinkaboutitintermsofpeople.Weareallpeoplethisistrue.Peoplearepeoplebeingpeople,butwedobehaveinmanydifferentways.Weconstruetheimportanceofthingsdifferently,andinterpretandexpressmeaninginmanydifferentways.Forsomepeople,athingisverycutanddry,andmaybetheyneedittobefortheirownsurvival.Forothers,everythingaroundthemissubjecttoanexperiencebytheindividual,andwhatwillmergeastheexpressionwillbedifferent.Weseetheworlddifferently,utwecantryeb oneachothers’lensesifwedare.Isthismetaphor?Conclusions:Thefactthathumansspeakandthinkinmetaphorshowsusthatweareadiversespeciesthatcanovercomechallengesandbarrierstocommunication.Communicatingintermsofmetaphoricalexplanationisahugepartoftheprocessinwhichweinteractwithotherhumanbeings.Wedrawcomparisonsandmakeassociationstoenhanceconnectionsandtofurtherour andtothsearchfortruthandmeaningtoourlives eworld.

Summary:WehavestudiedthecontenttheoriesofMetaphorasputforthbyGeorgeLakoffandJohnR.Searle.ItisunderstoodthatMetaphorisalanguageconstructinitselfandpossessstrongcommunicationabilitiesforhumanbeings.Onetakesinlifeandshapeswhattheyareviewinginordertoexpressamoment.ThesystemthatisMetaphorhelpsustogivemeaningtosomethingthatiscurrentlytooabstractforustoexpressorevenfurthermaintainspersonalmeaningtotheindividual.Ithelpsusinmakingcorrelationstoourexperiences,andmoreoverMetaphorcanhelpustoexpressconceptualuniversalsanduniversaltruths.

Categorization

IntroductionCategorizationrepresentsbuildingblocksofunderstandingofthingsintheworldaroundustoallowustomakesenseofourrealities.FromwhatIunderstandthehumanbrainisnaturallyabletocategorizepersons,places,andthingsintheworldbasedontheirperception,orbottomupprocessing,ofwhattheyhaveexperiencedandlearnedaboutthemthroughouttheirlives.Thesecategoriesinitiallytaketheformofexemplarswhichareexamplesoftheperson,place,situation,experience,orthingbeingperceivedbytheindividualwhichtheyarevisualizingandperceivingwith

certainattributes.Iftheattributesofanexemplarmatchupcloselytoacertaincategoryitbecomesaprototypeorwhatisalsocalleda“masterconcept”andbelongsinthecategory.Thiscategorizationprocessinhumanshappensinanaturalwaytogivemeaningtowhatweknow,andlsounconsciously,wejustdoitdrawingfromwhatwehaveexperiencedainourlivesandwhatmakessensetous.Accordingtotheresearchwewereintroducedtotherearealotofformsofrulesformembershiptocategories,suchasoptimalwhichmeansthattheyarenecessary,meaningthatallmembersofthatcategorymusthaveit.Andthentherearerulesthataresufficienttoanitemorexemplar,whichmeansthatifthisperson,placeorthingpossessesthecharacteristic,thenitdefinesmembershipwithinthatparticularcategory.Wethenareabletousetheseexamplestorepresentaprototypeoftheobjectweareprocessingwhetherperson,place,orthing.Andwhenwevisualizeanobjectintheworldthatmatchesupwithcertainattributesitbeginstofiturexpectationsofthatwhichweperceiveittobe.Thisexpectationo“mechanism”isanexampleoftopdownprocessing.Welearnedthatthereiswhatiscalledagradedstructuretohowweevaluateorprocessinputfromtheworldaroundus.Thisconceptbasicallyassertsthattherearethreevariablesthatdistinguishthe“representativeness”ofaprototypewhichincludethespeed,accuracy,andconfidenceofourperceptionoftheattributesofanyperson,place,or,hing.Andthisprocessingofinformationandinputhelpsustomaketmeaningfulconnectionstotheworldthatishappeningaroundus.Further,theresearchshowsthatthereexistsinprototypingaweightedeffectonthevaluepeopleplaceontheimportanceoftheseattributestheyarereceivingasinputandsubsequentlyprocessingwhatisaprototypeduringtheprocessofcategorization.Thegradingofaprototypeisdirectlyaffectedbythedistancebetweenthepersonreceivingtheinputandtheobjectthatisbeingperceived.Gradedstructureinitsmostbasicsenseeansthatanyinstanceoftheprototypewillbepossessagradientetweenitselfmb andthematchoftheprototype.Conclusions:Weashumanswhileengagedinaninteractivestateinanenvironmentareconstantlyprocessinginputreceivedintoourbrainsfromtheworldaroundus.Theresearchshowsusthatwenaturallytend

to“chunk”people,places,andthingsintowhatarecalledexemplars,prototypes,andcategories.

Summary:Tounderstandthephenomenonofcategorizationleadsustohowweashumansneedtohaveamodelthatconnectsonethingtoanotherthing.Thesethingsmightbepeople,places,orthingsandaretheobjectsthatexistintheworld.Muchresearchhasbeenaccomplishedtoestablishtheconstructsofcategorizationincludinghowweperceiveathingandseeitasanexemplartotheweightandgradingweareabletogiveittoestablishifitfitsintotheprototypeorcategoryofthatcertainthing.

EmotionReasoningandContentTheories

Introduction:WestudiedClarkElliott’scontenttheoryonEmotionReasoningandTheAffectiveReasonerwhichwasbornoutofAndrewOrtony’setalworkandsubsequentbookcalledTheCognitiveStructureofEmotions.Thesystemhasagentswithgoals,standards,andpreferenceswhicharecreatedthroughelicitingsituationsandsimulationevents.Thesesituationsthenleadtoresponsesintheagentwhicharethenconstruedwithinaconstrualprocessusingthegoals,standards,andpreferencesdatabases.

Iseeaneleganttheoryasbeingcomplete,irrefutable,andoneinwhichallargumentshavebeenaccountedfor,thusitsthoroughnessoreleganceisnotupfordebate.WiththatsaidI’mnotscholarofcontenttheoryorthereasoningofaffectiveemotionstodebatewhetherClarkElliott’sEmotionContentTheoryholdsuptothetestofbeingdefinedaselegant.Itseemslikeitisthough,andIthinkit’sfascinating.TheveryideaofacomputerrogramlikeTheAffectiveReasonersystemisabrilliantcontributiontopthefieldofArtificialIntelligenceandCognitiveScience.I’mverymuchintounderstandingthehumanemotions(inmyselfandothers)asIseeeveryaspectofourlivesbeinggovernedbyoneemotionortheother.Isuspectthecountertothatthoughtwouldbesomeonesaying,“I’mnotruledbymyemotions.”I’vehearditsaidbefore,yetthatstillisaprettyemotivestatementbeingmade.Ibelieveeventhesmallestfeelingofatisfactionordisappointmentisanemotionalresponseatplayintheuman.sh

Ithoughtthisresearchwasverywellwrittenandquiteaccessible.There’salotgoingoninthissystemandClarkElliottelucidatestheprocessofemotionreasoninginanapproachablewaythatopensupagoodunderstandingofthecognitiveprocessingatwork.Ibelievethatanylaypersoncanpickupthisresearch,flipthroughit,andstopattheEmotionCategories(Types)tableandgleanusableinsightfromit.Thebreakdownfthecompoundemotionsisenoughforanynovicecognitivescienceoresearchertoappreciatethisresearch.AtitscorethesystempossessesadatabaseofagentGoals,Standards,andPreferences(GSPs).Thisseemstobetheveryessenceofthereasonersystem,astheseelementsformthebasisofhumanemotiveexpression,i.e.attheheartofeveryexpressionofemotionliesoneormoreofthesethreeconceptsinaction.TheinterpretationoftheEmotionElicitingConditionccursintheconstrualprocessandshedslightintohowweashumansobringtotheforeouremotionalresponse,andstates.Byintroducingemotionreasoning,theconstrualprocess,andemotionelicitingconditionsinthismanner,ClarkElliottprovidesuswithabackdropthatraisesself‐awareness,andthus,EmotionalIntelligence(EI).ItismyopinionthatthisresearchisamajorachievementandanexcellentresourceforthecorpusofmultidisciplinaryknowledgewithinAI,CogSci,andspecifictopicsofinterestasEI.

Conclusions:TheAffectiveReasonerisacontenttheorythatseekstodefinethedistinguishingcharacteristicsofwhatmakesahumanbeingapersonality.SincehumanbeingsarerepletewithemotionsthesystemisguidedbythefundamentalsofArtificialIntelligenceandCognitiveScience.Inthesystem,“noeventhasmeaninguntilafterithasbeenfilteredthroughtheconcernsofthatagent.Theprimaryconcernsoftheagentincludethatofself,other,desire‐self,desireother,pleased,status,evaluation,responsibleagent,and“appealingness.”ThesearecalledEmotionElicitingConditionrelations.

Summary:Inthesystemthereareelicitingresponsesthatare“funneled”throughaconstrualprocesswhichappearstobetheheartandsoulofthereasoningsystem.Thisprocessmeanstoconstruetheresponsesinordertoascertainwithaccuracytheappropriateemotionthatisoccurringintheagent.Therearetwenty‐twospecificemotiontypesmodeledaroundtheworkofOrtonyetalthatareorganizedbygroup,specification,andcategorylabelandemotiontype.Thegoals,standards,andpreferences

databasesareusedtointerprettheagent’sresponsesandrepresenttheirconcernstructure.

McClelland,etal.

Introduction:ThemajorpaperbyMcClellendetalintroducesustoanewvocabularyandargotfromhisscientificresearchintoConnectionistModelsofLearningandMemory.Weareintroducedtowhatarecalledstructuredknowledgesystemswhichmirrortheensemblesofexperiencesfromourlivesandcategorizedintothreedifferenttypesofmemory;semantic,episodic,andencyclopedic.Further,theresearchersasktheuestionswheredidthebraingetusandwhatcanwedowithit?Andqultimately,couldwedesignalearningsystemandamemorystructure?Heexplorestheprocessofwhathecallsintheprocessofhumanmemorytheconceptof“storingthestory”i.e.thesequenceofeventsthisisalsocalledtheepisode.Theneo‐cortexisthe“mainstore”foractivationandchunkingofmemory.Anotherkeypointtobeconsideredbytheresearchispointedouttousthatlearningandmemoryoflearningaretwodifferentrocesses;andthattheconceptofinterleavedlearningisactuallythebestpwayforustolearnandstoreepisodesintomemoryashumans.Thisisessentiallyaprocessofgraduallearningwithsmallerlearningrates,andslowlearningcanbeessentialinincreasingourabilitytotransferthestoryorepisodefromthehippocampalregionofthebraintotheneo‐ortex.Thisprocessmayalsodecreaseorslowtherateofhippocampalcdecayinthatregionofthebrain.Thehippocampalsysteminhumansisessentialtoformingrapidassociationsorfromexperiencesandeventsoflearning.Thepaperstartsoutbytalkingabouttheeffectsofdamagetothehippocampalsystemwhichfunctionsaspartofthelimbicsystem)thatwillproduceaprofound(deficitinnewlearning.Theresearchersconductedexperimentswithratsbyproducinglesionsonthehippocampalsystemandfoundthatitcausedpronouncedimpairmentsinmemory,specificallyshorttermmemory.Ifounditofinterestthatitistheorizedthatthehippocampalsystemhastheabilitytoteachandinstructtheneocorticalsystemaboutthememoriesithasacquired.Thereisan

actualtransferofmemorythathappensbetweenthetwosystems.Thesemakethetwocomplementarylearningsystems.It’smyunderstandingthatthehippocampusservesasastorageareawithinthememorysystemofthebrain;henceitstoresourinitialmemoriesfrompastepisodes,events,andexperiences.Thesememories(inessence)thenmovetotheneo‐cortexregionofthebraininagradualmanner,soasnottodisrupttheknowledgethatisalreadystoredintheneo‐cortex.Thehippocampaldecayratecoupledwiththecorticallearningratewhichisslower,andthefactthattheneocorticalistheeventual“storagecenter”forallmeansthattherateof“transfer”isslow.

Conclusions:McClellendintroducesustointer‐leavedandsequentiallearningandhoweachapproachisabletoimpactthememoryinadifferentmannerorrateofconsolidation.Theresearchersstudiedbrainlesionsinratsinordertodeterminehowadamagedbrainreactstore‐introducedstimulioractivitiesintotheirexistingrealmofknowledge.Thedamagedorlesionbrainwillmostcertainlybemorepre‐disposedtotheinter‐leavedsystemoflearningandmemoryconsolidation.Buttheyfurthermakethecasethatinter‐leavedlearningisthebestcasescenariofortheentireprocessoflearning,temporarymemorystorage,andmemorytransfertothemainstorethatistheneo‐cortex.

Summary:Thebrainisasystemofconnectionistnetworksthatprovidethehumanbeingwiththeabilitiestoprocesssituationsandepisodesandstorethemtomemory.Theprimaryregionsthatmakeupthenetworkforlearningandmemoryexistinthehippocampalregion(temporarystorage)andtheneo‐cortex(permanentstorageandretrieval)wherebytheycanbedescribedasacomplementarylearningsystem.

Itisshownthatthereisactuallyatransferprocessbetweenthesestoredmemoriesandexperiencesthatoccursbetweenthetworegions.Thesetaketheformofthreeuniquetypesofmemorywhichincludesemanticknowledge,episodicorknowledgeofexperiences,andencyclopedic.Thetransferprocessingorthedurationoftheconsolidationintervalisconstantlyoccurringatagradualpaceinordertoensureamoreeffectiverateofmemoryconsolidation,andIbelievereducestherateofdecayinthehippocampalregionofthebrain.

FatheadismandtheNatureofScientificCriticism

Introduction:Thefoundationsofscientificresearchareguidedbyprocessandproceduralrequirementsintendedtoguidetheresearchertoempiricismandwhatareresultsthatcanberepeated.Theworkisquitetediousrepletewithmuchtrialanderrorinordertocometocertaintyandwell‐foundedconclusions,andoftenisonestepforward,twostepsback.Thisistosaythattheworkisincrementalanddoesn’tjustappearautomagically.”Therebytheworkproducedandoutputasfactmustbe“supportedbythesetenetsandactuallystanduptorigoroustesting.Oftentimestheresearchworkofscientistsisattackedinunfoundedwaysbyotherscientistsorcritics,whosecritiquesareunsupportedbytherigorsofscientificinquiry,analysis,andtestingprocedures.Thecriticsoftendon’tchallengetheirownassumptionsandopinionsrelyingontheirownreferencepointsinplaceofattemptsatindependentlyrepeatingtheexperimentaldesign.Further,theyoftencriticizetheoriginalexperimentaldesignindeferencetootherswithoutofferingasuitable,testedalternativeorevenexaminingwhytheexistingdesignwaschoseninthefirstplace.

Itmayjustbetruethatwerunawayfromwhatwedon’tunderstand.WhatwelearnedaboutFatheadismisthatoftentimesinintellectualcirclestherearegroupsofthoughtthattakeprecedenceovernewideas.Ithinkthisbecomesstaidthinkingandunderminestrueinnovativethinking.Thisiswhyit’sofcriticalimportanceinscientificresearchtosticktothefactsandtestwithrigortoobtainempiricaldataandresultswithinanytheoreticalframework.Thisisatenetoftheworkandifitexistswithadegreeofcertaintythatisconclusivethencriticismbecomeslessscientificandmuchmoregroundedinopinion.

Thisisnottosaythatscientificcriticismcannotbeginfromthepointofwhatwelearnedwas“discomfortwiththeresults”perse;butthisinitialdissatisfactionmustthenbemotivatedbyathoroughunderstandingofwhatwasresearchedandhowtheresultswereobtained.Theexperimentaldesignmaybeandshouldbescrutinized;butnotwithoutalternativesandfact‐basedassertionstosupportarefutationoftheoriginalresearchwithinthecriticalargumentofthecompetingcampofscientists.Andtheargumentmustbeabletorefutetheempiricaldatathatexistsbornoutofthescientificresearch.

Aswehavelearned,wecan’tjustwaveourhandsovertheresearchandexpectavalidtheoreticalframeworktoemergeoutofthinair.Truesciencetakesalotofworktoachievesothecriticmustalsoengageinasignificanteffortiftheyaretoengageinadebateovertheresultsofanotherscientist’sresearch,theories,andconclusions.Otherwise,thisisFatheadism.

Conclusions:WelearnedthatinComputerScience,agreementdoesn’tmatter.Thebitiseitheronoroff,thealgorithmworksoritdoesn’t,andthereisnotalotofgrayarea.Scientificresearchisdrivenbyresearch,experimentation,anddatacollection,analysis,withtheendgoalbeingoneofempiricism.Theseconstructsofsciencemustbeheldinthehighestregardbecausethebasisofthetheoreticalframeworkisgroundedinfact,orwhatcanbeconcludedashighlysignificantfindingsandconclusions.

WhatwelearnedaboutFatheadismisthatoftentimesinintellectualcirclestherearegroupsofthoughtthattakeprecedenceovernewideas.Ithinkthisbecomesstaidthinkingandunderminestrueinnovativethinking.Someoftheskepticaltacticswhencritiquingscientificresearchincludelabelingtheresearchastrivialityanddistortingthedescriptionsoftheresearch.Themainpointisthatonecannotholdanopinionwithoutthefactsoranunderstandingoftheproof.Aswehavelearnedavalidproofisstillaproof.

Summary:Thefoundationsofscientificresearchareguidedbyprocessandproceduralrequirementsintendedtoguidetheresearchertoempiricismandwhatareresultsthatcanberepeated.Oftentimestheresearchworkofscientistsisattackedinunfoundedwaysbyotherscientistsorcritics,whosecritiquesareunsupportedbytherigorsofscientificinquiry,analysis,andtestingprocedures.Thisiswhyit’sofcriticalimportanceinscientificresearchtosticktothefactsandtestwithrigortoobtainempiricaldataandresultswithinanytheoreticalframework.Ifacriticisseriouslyindoubtthentheyshouldattemptareplicationoftheconstructsoftheresearchbeingdebatedandseeiftheycanobtainrepeatableresultsontheirown

Perception

Introduction:Perceptioninthehumanbrainisascomplexofaprocessingactivityasareallofthecognitivefunctionsandprocessingmechanismsinthebrain.Theprocessofperceptionoccurswithintherealmofallofthe

humansensesinordertoascertainandunderstandwhatisoccurringbeforethemandaroundtheindividualexperiencingthevastarrayofimpulsesandstimulithatlifethrowsatthemthroughouttheexperienceofdailyliving.

Itcanbeassertedwithassurancethatperceptionistightlylinkedwithcategorizationastheprocessdrawsontheconstructsofcreatingrepresentations,exemplarsandprototypestomakeconclusionsabouttheactivitiestheyaresensingandexperiencing.Ibelievethatthereisalsoanaspectofexpectationtoperceptionasthebrainwillprocesswhatfallsintoacertaincategoryithasperceivedandthehumanmindwillinfertotheexperienceoneormoreexpectedoutcomes.Theconceptofresemblancewasintroducedtouswithregardtoperceptionaswecanperceiveasituationalcontextasonethathasresembledanotherexperienceandassistinleadingustosomesortofconclusionorresolutionofthesituationathand.

Whatwehavelearnedisthatwithinperceptionprocessingisthatweapplyknowledgethatwepossessaboutasituation,pastexperiences,people,places,andthingsaswetakeintheworldaroundus.Thisisalsoverysimilartocategorization.Theknowledgeweapplyintheseexperiencesiseitherlearnedfirsthandoritcanevenbeofaninnatenature.Weexperiencetheworldaroundusbasedontheworkingsenseswepossessandtuneintotheinnerworkingsofittounderstandwhatishappeningandwhatmayhappen.Thecognitiveeventofperceptionprocessingwillhappenautomaticallysothattheindividualcanultimatelymakechoicesaboutwhatishappening.Thusperceptionwillbeaccompaniedbycertainexpectationsorconclusionsofthepotentialoutcomeofthesituation.

Theexistenceofillusionsinperceptionprocessingappeartopossessatraitofafaultyknowledge‐basei.e.onethatismisinformedabouttherealitiesofasituation.Thisistosaythatanindividualmayconstructasituationoutofasituationtheyareexperiencingandbeingmisinformedorignorantaboutittheydrawwrongconclusions.Whattheyareseeingasrealityinthisinstanceisanillusionoftheirownmaking.Theseillusionscanalsobecreatedbyfillinginmissinginformation,whichwelearnediscalledobjectocclusion,aroundasituationandjustplaingettingtheactualdetailsorthefactswrong.

Conclusions:Perceptionislargelybasedonwhatwecanexperiencewithintheconsciousnessofourhumansenses.Theprocessiscloselyassociatedwiththeconceptofcategorizationinthatweconstructmodelsofwhatweareexperiencingbasedonourknowledgeofexemplarsandprototypes.Inourperceptionsweareattemptingtorepresentthingsasweareexperiencingthemtounderstandthesituationoccurringinreality.

Summary:Thecognitiveprocessingthattakesplacewhenahumanbrainperceivesasituation,aperson,placeorthingwithinanexperienceisbasedonseveralfactors.Theindividualmayhaveembeddedknowledgeaboutaneventandcandrawanaccurateconclusionbasedonthatpriorexperience.Theexpectationoftheoutcomemaybecorrectorflawed,anillusion,accordingtotheaccuracyofinformationtheypossessintheirknowledge‐base.Theindividualmayberequiredtoincorporateanyoftheirworkingsensestodefinetheeventorwhattheirrealityisexperiencingandfleshoutthespecificsofwhattheyknowaboutit.

TheVisual/SpatialNatureofThought

Introduction:Theconstructsofrepresentingwhatwecanseeandvisualizeintheworldaroundusincludethevisualaspectandaspatialaspect.Thisnaturalfunctionofourthoughtprocessesmaybethefirstfunctionthatwehaveintermsofotherfunctionslikeperceptionforinstance.Wesizeuptheworldasitcomingatus,aroundus,andasweareengagedinit.Wecannotgetarounditunlessofcourseweareblindbuttherewouldprobablyexistinthatindividualaheightenedsenseofthespatialconstructintheirthoughtprocess.

Welearnedthatvisual/spatialrepresentationistightlyintegratedwithallofoursensorysystems,aswellastheauditorysystem.Thissystemsapproachtounderstandingthenatureofthoughtguidesustotheconclusionthataresensesarethegatewaytotheverynatureofourperceptions,thought,andunderstanding.Withinthisprocessofreceivinginformation,stimulus,data,andinputareperceptionfiltersbecomecrucialtotheactivityoforganizingourthoughtsinrealistictermsofwhatweareexperiencing.

Throughoutourdailylivesandinteractionswiththeworldaroundusweareexperiencinga“staggering”amountofthissensorydatathatneedstobefilteredandperceived.Webegintounderstandwithclarityanddepth

thevisualandspatialnatureofthoughisindeedacomplexone,aswellasbeingfundamentaltoourbeingintheworld.

Conclusions:Wehavebeenshownthathumanbeingsfunctioninreal‐timeinordertosurvive.Weareconstantlybombardedbymultipleincomingstreamsofdata,information,input,andstimuli.Ourvisual/spatialcognitiveprocessfunctioningappearstobeattheepicenterofthoseexperiences.Wetakeeverythingintooursensesandfilterthroughitinordertocontinuetocarryoninanappropriateeffectivemanner.Therealintelligencenatureofourthoughtprocessthenorganizesthingsinarationalmannertokeepusmovingforward.It’simportanttonotethatthisprocesscanbeseverelyunderminedbymentalillnesshowever.

Summary:Thevisual/spatialconstructwithincognitivefunctioningsupportsasystemsapproachwheremultiplesystemsareinteractingtoperceivetheworldaroundus.Ourinstinctualnatureengagesourfiltersofperceptiontoreducetheamountofunnecessarynoisewithinthestreamsofdatatoallowustofunctioninaneffectivemanner.Wecanreducetheinputintocogentthoughtprocessesinamoremalleablewaytounderstandourexperiencesandtheworldatlargeasitishappeninginreal‐timeandspace.Iftheassertionistruethatthevisual/spatialembodiesatotalsensorysystemsapproachtogatheringtheinformationbeforeusthenittrulybecomesthegatewaytoallofthosesenses.

PhilosophicalArgumentsCogSciMustAddress

Introduction:Theworldsofcomputerscience,artificialintelligence,andcognitivescienceappeartobecollidingatasteadilyrapidpaceandtheissuesthatappeartobeethicalaregoingtobeupforachallengingphilosophicaldebateintheyearstocome.Wehavediscussedatlengththenotionofaddingcomputerchipstoneuronsinabraintoperformthediversecognitivefunctionsofthebrainandthemindatwork.Thequestionsaremanywhenitcomestothisthinkingandtheissueswillbemyriad.Whatisasentientbeing?Whatmakesushumanandwhataretherepercussionsoftranshumanism?Whataretheboundariesofartificialintelligencethatshouldnotbecrossed?Becausetherearefundamentalthicalissuesatstakewhenprototypingsentient,conscious,livingbeings,ewithbeingsthatareartificial.Thisisaninsanelycomplexargument/debatewithatonoflayersandnuances.ThisismyfirstcrackatwritingsomethingtowarditbutIhadto

jumpintothewater.Myfocushereisonhumans,asIseethecatexampleasakindofexperimentintheconceptofreplacingneuronswithcomputerhips,onebyoneuntilwehavearobot.IguessI’mjustcuttingtothechase.cI’mcertainlyopentoconstructivecriticismhere.Thebrainistheepicenterofthehumanexperienceandcentraltoone’sidentity.IbelievethatoncewestartinsertingcomputerchipswhereneuronsusedtoexistinthebrainthenwehavecrossedthelineintoArtificialIntelligence,underscoreArtificial.Ifoursensesandperceptionsandallthatmakesupourhumanconsciousnessisbeingcontrolledbyanelectronicprostheticthenwehavelostourhumanness,inordertocreateasortofsuperhuman.Itismybeliefthatonceyoureplaceoneneuronwithacomputerchip,thenyouhavechangedthefundamentaltructureofthatbrain,andthathumanbeinghasnowcrossedbeenturnedsintoacomputerizedbeing.IbelievethatTranshumanismisaslipperyslope.Onthefaceofit,itsoundsgreattobeabletomakealterationstoabrainthatisexperiencingadeficit,adisease,amentalillness,oratraumaofsomesort.Igetit,anditsoundsgreat.Ofcourse,thevalue‐addisgoingtobeespousedbythebestandthebrightestmindsaroundtheagenda.Butwhatarethedrawbacks?Whatarethey?Howarewegoingtofindthem?Therewillhavetobeconsiderablepracticalresearchperformedtoanswerthesequestions,hichwillrequireaheftynumberofhumanguineapigstoaccomplishthew

task.ThereareagreatmanyresourcesbeingappliedtoR&DinTranshumanism.Whyaren’ttheybeingappliedtobrainplasticity?Isuspectit’sbecauseTranshumanistsbelievethatthehumanbrain,willneverfunctionasprecise,processaswell,andwillneverbeasgood(ingeneral)asa“computerbrain.”Butwehaven’tevenscratchedthesurfacefhowourbrainfunctioningandprocessingcanbevastlyimprovedothroughnaturalmeansoftherapyandlearning.Whatmakesushumanisatthecoreofthisdebate.Transhumanistsareproposingtofundamentallyalterthehumanexperience.Canacomputerchiphelpustogetintouchwithouremotions,orcreatemeaningfulconnectionstotheworldaroundus?Whatisbeingproposedistochangethewaythathumanbeingsexperiencethatwhichislifearoundus,inordertomakeussupposedlymoreproductiveandeffectiveaspeople.

Isthispersonstillahuman?Theirhumannessisbeingfundamentallyalteredanditisshiftingintoacomputerizedbeing.Askyourselfthis,isacomputerhuman?Isarobotahuman?Onceyoubegintoalterthestructureandmakeupofthefundamentalpropertiesthatmakeushuman,Ibelievewe’vecrossedalineofdemarcation.We’reincompletelynewerritory.AndIdon’tbelieveweshouldbemessingwiththeneuraltstructuresofcatseither.

ada“Justbe.Afterall,wearehumanbeings,nothumandoings.”KobiYam

Conclusions:ThephilosophicalissuesthatwillemergeinCognitiveScienceandmaybemostspecificallyArtificialIntelligence(AI)willbemanyandvaried.Thisisacomplexdebatewithalotoflayersandnuancestoit.CognitiveScienceisaboutbuildingbrainsaswehavelearned.Muchoftheworkaroundbrainplasticityisaboutre‐buildingthebrain,redesigningthebrain,andre‐wiringthebrain.Ibelievethatweasapeoplemustholdontoourhumannesswithinthisendeavor,andthatraisesmanyethicalconsiderations.Wemustconsiderthesoftersciencestoaddressdysfunction .sanddeficitsinthebrainsfunctioningandprocessingabilities

Summary:ThescientificresearcharoundCognitiveSciencewillcontinuetoproducemanybenefitstoourunderstandingofhowourbrainsfunctionandhowhumanbeingcanlivemoreproductiveandeffectivelives.Idobelievewemustbecarefulinsettinglimitsaroundwhatisunderstoodandperceivedtobetrueprogressinthefield.Therewillbemanyscientiststhatwanttoincorporatecomputingtechnologiesi.e.microchipstoreplacedamagedneuronsinthebraintoassistinperformingdysfunctionalrocessingandcertainotherdeficitstoeffectiveprocessingofthepactivitiesofthebrain.Ifweareattemptingtopushthelimitsofwhatitmeanstobeproductiveasaspeciesbyalteringthegeneticmakeupofahumaninthisendeavorthenwearecrossingalineofnoreturn.Butaskingourselvesthequestionsofwhatexactlyisthemindandhowdoesitfunction,andattemptingtodeterminethecomplexprocessingpowerthatisthebrainasasortofsupercomputerisindeedaworthwhileendeavor.Ibelievethatatighterintegrationofthesoftersciencesofpsychologyandphilosophywillbeofgreatvalueinkeepingtheoverlyambitiousincheckinthedefinitionofwhatisindeedmeaningfulprogressforthehumanspeciesasawhole.

WhatWeCanLearnfromDamagedBrains

Introduction:Itisclearthatcognitivesciencehasitsrootsinstudyingbrainsdamagedbyatraumaticevent.WecallstrokeandotherAsphyxiatypesofbraininjuryAcquiredBrainInjury(ABI)buttheseexperiencesarejustastraumaticinanemotionalsense.IunderstandthedifferencesetweenexternaltraumatotheheadandTBIbutweshouldalsoplayclose

kdown.battentiononthecognitivedysfunctioncausedbyemotionalbreaWecanultimatelylearnhowthebrainscognitiveprocessesarefunctioningandpinpointanycognitivedysfunctionsanddeficitsthatabraininjuredindividualmightbeexperiencing.Wecanstudythelossofhehigher‐levelcognitiveprocessingactivitieslikeattention,memory,tperception,judgment,decisionmaking,learning,language,andspeech.IappreciatehowRamachandranopensthisseminalworkbycallingtheunderstandingofthehumanbrain,“thegreatestrevolutionofall.”Iwouldpushfurtherandconnectanotherofhisthoughtsintheresearchwhereheputsforththeimportanceofthelinkbetweenphysiologyandpsychologyasbeingoneofthemajorgoalsofcognitiveneuroscience.Tounderstandthisconnectionmoreclearlywouldsurelybeacauseforanemotionalevolutionofmankind,ifitisaccessibletothemassesandoutofthelab.Asestates,‘thisscientificinsightintothefunctioningofthebrainwillsurelyhbeacauseforadvancesinthehumanitiesaswell.’Hestatesthat“Bystudyingneurologicalsyndromeswecanacquireknowledgeaboutthefunctionsofanormalbrain.”Thismakessensetomeinthatweobserveodditiesofhumanbehaviorandstudythebraininanattempttomakesenseofthem.Itwouldfollowsuitthatwecouldultimatelyuncovertheidealfunctioningofthebrainbytracingobservedabnormalities.Ramachandranspeakstotheunderstandingwepossessaboutthefunctionsofthehumanbrainasbeingunderstoodbestfromanevolutionaryvantagepoint.Ifeelheistalkingaboutnaturalelectionwiththisstatementashestateslaterintheresearchthatoursbrainchemistryisestablishedinthewombasafetus,andinearlyinfancy.Hegoesontogiveusacursoryunderstandingofthephysiologyatworkindiscussingbrainneurons,andhowcontactswithotherneuronscreatesynapseswhichleadtoanexchangeofinformation.Theveryessenceofournervoussystemismadeupofthese100,000,000,000nervecellsor

neuronsthatmakeupitsstructuralandfunctionalunitslocatedintheheadandthebrain.Andeverythingabout“therichnessofourmentallife”leadsbacktohowtheseneuronsconnect,interact,andexchangenformation.Further,allofthesecombinationsandpermutationsarewhatiformeachandeverybrainstateweexperience.Ramachandrantalkstousabouttheneuralcircuitryofthebrain,andheintroducestheideasofbrainatlases,andbrainmapping,ashebringstotheforefourneurologicalsyndromes,prosopognosia(faceblindness),Capgras’syndrome,phantomlimbsyndrome,andsynesthesia.Theresearchisbuttressedbyadiscussionofthemappingofthebrainandtheknownneuralpathwaysofthebrain.Ramachandranpointsoutthat,medicalstudentslearnthattheconnectionsinthebrainare“hard‐wiredinthefetus,andonintoearlyinfancy.Andthisrevealshowwhenweobserve“abnormalities”inthefunctioningofothersthenscientistscanstudytheappingofthesensoryinputsofthebraintofindtheanomaliescausingm

thedisruptioninnormalcognitiveprocessingandfunction.Ibelieveheissaying(essentially)thatitisaprocessofnaturalselectionoveraprocessofnurturingthatcanexistinthebringingupofachild,andthatquitesimplytheseabnormalitieswillemergeregardlessoflifestylechoices,education,orotherexternalfactorsandconditions.We’rebornwithit.Hedoesn’tgetintothespecificsofhowtheneuralpathwaysandsensorymapsareformedanddevelopedinthewomb.However,laterintheresearchhedoesspeaktotheconceptofneuroplasticityofthebraininthecontextofaphenomenology;whereheisstatingthatthereistheexistenceintheanatomyofthebrainwheretherecanbeactualchangesi.e.improvementstoabrain’sneuralpathwaysandsensorymappings.ThisisnareathatisencouragingandIbelievewillbethefocusofmuchfutureaworkinthefieldofscientificresearch.Whilealloftheabnormalitiesandsyndromescitedintheresearchareinteresting,Ididfindthephantomlimbsyndrome,andThePenfieldHomunculus(Map)quiteacompellingtopic.Itrusttheassertionintheresearchisthatthemappingsofthesensoryinputsinthebrainoccurinembryonicstateinthewombwhenwearejustahumanfetus.Andwhenaersonlosesalimb,thebrains’sensorymapsbecomealtered,andthatisnobservedphenomenologyinthefieldofscience.pa

Thelimbiccenter,art,visionandtheemotionsOneofthethingsIfoundquiteinterestingintheresearchistheconnectionbetweenvisionandemotion.Andhowthereexistsconnectionsbetweenthevisualbraincentersandthelimbicsystemwhichistheemotionalcoreofthebrain.WhatIfoundmostofinterestisthatthelimbicsystemistheemotionalcoreofthebrain,andthatitallowsustogaugetheemotionalsignificanceofwhatweareseeing.Itis,hesays,thelimbicstructuresthatmediateemotionalarousal.”Anditistheamygdalaportionofthebrain’s“limbicstructurethatisthegatewaytothelimbicstructure.ExpressiveartstherapyhasbeenafocusofmineoverthelastninemonthswhileI’vebeeninsideaprogramworkingwiththebraininjurycommunity.Arttherapyanddancemovementtherapyisaboutmakingconnectionswiththeemotions,andhowitcanfreeanindividualfrombeing“stuck”inhiddenfearsandotherdebilitations.Iwasthinkingaboutitinthecontextof“unlearninglearnedparalysis”,andhowthatconceptcouldbeappliedpotentiallytotheemotionalstate.Specificallyfromapsychologicalperspective,andjuxtaposingittohowapersoncanbecome,frozeninlifeinfearandanxiety),flooded,andsaturatedwithfeelingsofbeingover‐(whelmed.Thiscanthusleadtoabreakdownintheindividual.I’mdoingmybesttoconnectthesephysiologicalaspectsbacktothepsychologicalaspectsthatgovernthebrain,themind,andthehumanexperience.Iattempttomaketheseconnectionscomebacktotheprocessofacquiringemotionalintelligenceandself‐awareness,andhowthereexistopportunitiesforcreatingself‐controlandthusencouragingmovement.Intheemotionalsensemovementisanymovementforwardtoagoal,awayfromthesymptomsanddeficitscausedbythelackofastrongemotionalskillset.Ibelievethiscanemergeintherehabilitativesettingorbraininjurysurvivors,aswellinthefieldofmentalhealthforpeopleufferingfromthingslikePostTraumaticStressDisorder.fsBrainneuroplasticityandmalleabilityAfterworkingwithbraininjurysurvivorsoverthelasttenmonths,itisalwaysencouragingtohearconfirmationof“thetremendousamountofplasticityandmalleabilityofthebraineveninadults.”Itdoesindeedprovideadelugeofhopeforsurvivorsinthetreatmentofthecognitivedeficitsassociatedwiththeirtraumaticoracquiredbraininjury.Iwouldliketoseethemappingofahumanbrainthathasbeencompromisedbyeitherofthesetraumaticevents,ascomparedtowhatwouldbeconsidered

anormalmapping.AsitwouldbeofextremevalueasIseeittotheadvancementofcognitivetherapy,andtherehabilitativeprocess.OnefinalnoteherearetwobooksthatIhavefound(forfurtherresearch)thatgetintohephysiologicalaspectsandthelinktothepsychologicalaspects.TtTheemotionalbrain:themysteriousunderpinningsofemotionallifeByJosephLeDouxTheemotionalbrain:physiology,neuroanatomy,psychology,andemotionBySimonov,P.V.

Conclusions:Studyingthedamagedbrainiswherethestudyofcognitivesciencehasitsroots.Thebenefitswecanascribetothisresearchforbrainsthatarenotdamagedareinnumerable.Maybemostimportantlywecanbegintodiagnosemoreofthatwhichcannotbeseenbutisdamagedinaseeminglyhealthy,fullyfunctioningbrain.I’mnotconvincedthatanybrainiseveractuallyinthisstateofbeinghowever.

Summary:Thereissomuchforustolearninbrainplasticityalonetoattendtothecognitivedysfunctionsanddeficitsthatexistinthedamagedbrain.Further,thereismuchresearchemergingthatbringstotheforeinnovativeapproachestoaddressingcognitivedysfunctionswithmorenaturalmeansthantosimplyapplytechnologytoit.Wecanexpandourunderstandingofthebrainanditsfunctionstocreatetherapiesandexercisesthatwillallowourneuralpathways,functioning,andabilitiestoexpandandgrowinanatural,organicfashion.

CognitiveScienceandtheFuture

Introduction:Asforthefutureofcognitivescience,IamproposingsomethingthatClarkElliotthasconfirmedisanunderstudiedtopicofresearchonthisday,brainplasticity.FrommyperspectivethisisthenearfutureofCognitiveScience,oratleastitshouldbeasfarasIcantell.Therearesophisticatedthinkingandlearningsystemsthathaveemergedandillbeattheepicenterofarevolutionofsortsinhowthingsgetdoneonw

thisplanet.Wehaveexploredtheconceptsandnotionsofre‐designingthebrain,re‐wiringthebrain,andeventheideaofbuildingnewbrains.Itwasactually

presentedtousthatbuildingbrainswasthegoalofcognitivescience.Ibelieveitwouldfollowsuitthenthatthisisatleastoneofthegoalsformanyscientistsregardingthefutureofcognitivescience.IbelievewecanxpectamorecompletemergingwithArtificialIntelligencewithinthe

s.emulti‐disciplinaryfieldofcognitivescienceinordertoachievetheseaimIvisualizeamoreintenseandcompleteintegrationofallofthesciencesthatrepresentcognitivescienceatthepresenttime.Thebrainsadaptiveabilitiesrepresentmuchopportunityforexplorationintohowsomeofthesoftersciencescanattempttoaddressbrainplasticityinthedamagedbrainsofindividuals.Thefieldofcognitivetherapyoffersmuchtobeexploredinlearningtoaddressthedysfunctionsanddeficitsofthebrainsneuralactivitiesinamoreorganicway.

Conclusions:Weareonthecuspofsomeseriouslysignificantadvancesandbreakthroughsinthefieldofcognitivescience.Thefieldsofcomputerscienceandartificialintelligencewillbetightlyjoinedwithinthisrevolutiontopushtheboundariesofthehumanexistenceaswecurrentlyknowit.Iwouldliketoseeaslowerprogressionintheefforttoapplycomputingcapabilitiestothehumanbraininorderforittobestudiedinmoredepthandbreadth.Itisinevitabilitythattechnologyisgoingtobeattheheartofthenextevolutionaryperiodwherepeoplewilleitheradaptordieoutsotospeak.Wehaveshiftedfromtheorganicandnaturaltoamoresynthetic,technologically‐basedlifestylewherepeoplewillbecomeknowledgeworkersorperish.Idon’tseeagreatdealofin‐betweeninthisregard.

Summary:Brainplasticityisunderstudiedonthisdayintimeandspace.TheseminalresearchthathasemergedinmappingthebrainsneuralactivitiestocognitivefunctioninghasbeenseminalandisbeingpushedtonewheightsbythelikesofV.S.Ramachandran,DeborahZelinsky,DonaleeMarkus,andMichaelMerzenich.Itwouldbehooveusasapeopletoapproachtheselessinvasivestrategiestoaddresscognitivedysfunctions,deficits,andcognitivebreakdowns,asopposedtopushingtheenvelopetoapplycomputeraidedneuron‐likechipstoperformtheadverselyaffectedareasofthebrain.

Love

Introduction:Loveismostcertainlyanemotionalstateofbeingandanaturalfunctionofthebrain.Ibelievethatloveisinnate,instinctual,and

somemayassertthatthebrainisdesignedtosupportit.Weloveforaneedtobelovedandappreciatedtoexpressandreceiveaffection,andtoexperienceromanticlove.Sexualdesireisahugeimpulseinthehumanexperiencedrivenbyattraction.Wejusthaveit.It’sinus.Ifit’snotthenweaybeexperiencingsomeotherphenomenon.Isimplybelievethatweon’twanttobealonenordoIbelievethatweshouldbe.md

Genesis 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

Whenitcomestoloveitappearsthatmenandwomendoindeedapproachitfrompointofviewofattraction.Someofthebasicfactswelearnedisthatwhenwearelookingtofindtheverybestmatespossible.Thisiskindofaprimal,animalisticnotionbutitisclearlyanobviousaspectofhumannature.Thereareobviouslymajordifferencesbetweensexualattractionandpureloveorromanticlovebutresearchhasshowthatthereareactuallyimilaritiesinthesetwoformsoflove.Stilltheyaredifferentanddistinctsfromeachother.henarebrainsareinlovetheyprocessandfunctioniddifferentways.hiWT

sisstraightfromthelecturebyClarkElliott.

Thesc rainsinloveareadditio

ienceofFunctionalMRIsshowusthatb

nallyprocessinginthreeareas.

Ventraltegmental–controlsdopamineNucleusaccumbens–seratonin,oxytocin

Caudatenuclei–patternsandmundanehabits

Conclusions:Loveisanaturalpartofthehumanexperience.Humansfallinloveformanyreasons.Companionshipisamajorreasonthatpeoplewanttolove.Thewaythathumanspicktheirpartnersislargelybasedonattraction,andthatattractionisnotalwayssexual.Awomanmightdesireamanforstabilityandsecurity,orforhisintellect,senseofhumor,orotherwise.Alotofithastodowithwhowillbeagoodfatherwhetherthatisbecauseofgoodgenesorbeingagoodprovider.

Summary:Lovechangesthechemistryinthebrain.Welovebecauseitfeelsfulfillingtous.Itisinnatetousashumansevenifwedon’tknowhowtoengageinit,wewantit.Wedesiretobeattachedandwantedbyanother.

Loneliness

Introduction:Lonelinessisaphysiologicalresponsetoanumberofdifferentfactorsandcanleadtodeeperemotionaltraumasuchasdepression.Infact,depressionitselfcanbeacauseoflonelinessasitmayalienateanindividualfrommakingconnectionsandexperiencingotherhumansinasocialmanner.Welearnedthatpeoplewhosufferfromchroniclonelinessmaylacksocialskillsandcouldendupexhibitingflawedcharactertraitssuchashostility,anditmayevenaffecttheirphysicalhealthandwellbeing.

Ibelievethatwearelivinginadayandagewherelonelinesscanbecomemoreprevalentthaneverbeforebecausethesocialstrataischangingsomuch.Wecanlookatsocialmediaandsaythatisjustanextensionoftheexistingsocialfabric,anditisinmanyways.Butasgenerationsgrowupwithmorefacetimeinfrontoftheircomputersandotherdevices,theirabilitiestoconnectinauthenticandmeaningfulwaysisdiminishing.Itwasshowntousthat“Americansocietyisveryisolating.”

Conclusions:Formanyreasonslonelypeoplesufferfromaninabilitytoconnectwithothers.Ibelievethatlonelinesscanstemfromanumberoffactorsincludingmentalillnessormaladjustmentbroughtonbyemotionalneglectduringtheperson’sformativeyears.Toliveinasocialworldrequiresanemotionallyintelligentindividualwithastrongsenseofself‐awareness.Thiscouldenablethelonelyindividualtobecomemoreengagedintheworldaroundthemandtakemorechanceswithcreatingrelationshipswithpeople.Iftheyfeelmoreconnectedtothemselvesthentheywillfeelmoreconnectedtotheworldaroundthemincludingthepeopleinit.Andtheemotionalbenefitsofbeingconnectedaretoogreattotakelightly.Unfortunatelyfartoomanypeoplesufferfromvariedinabilitiestomaketheseconnections,andtheshapingoftoday’ssocietyisonlygoingt loneliness.omakeitharderfortheindividualwhosuffersfrom

Summary:Weliveinasocialworld.Humanbeingscravesocialinteractionstoenhancethevaluetheyfindinthemselvesandthemeaningintheirlives.Muchofoursocialinteractionsandencountersarebasedonsocietalrankandsocialstatusandthatcanbeacauseofseriousconsternationinanindividual.NotfeelingvaluedorworthywillmostcertainlycontributetolonelinessbutIbelievethatthislackofastrongsenseofselfiscausedbyotheremotionaldeficitsintheindividual.This

couldbeaddressedbylearningmoreaboutsocialcognitionandtheconstructsofthesocialdynamic.

AmbiguityinLanguage

Theimprecisionoflanguageaswehavediscussedisafundamentalchallengetothecommunicationsofhumanbeings.Itisimperativethatweashumansconnectwitheachotheraccuratelyinordertointeractwitheachothereffectively.Ifthereissomethingthatissaidorwrittenanditisleftopentointerpretationthenthatisleftopentoambiguity.

Wemustlookattheroleofcontextinlanguageandmostespeciallytheexistenceofambiguityincommunicationbetweenhumanbeings.Thereareexplanationstoambiguityinasituationthatisoccurring,asymbolicgesturethatisunderstood,eveninasituationthatseemsveryvaguetothecasualobserver.

Conclusions:Therearehiddenordoublemeaningsinmuchofwhatwesay,write,anddo.Ambiguityexistsinavarietyofdifferentformsandmayservetomisrepresenttheauthororspeakerifthereceiverisnotwellversedinthesemanticsofthelanguage.

Summary:Thecontextofastatementorexpressionfromonepersontoanothermustbeunderstood.Ifthisfacetofthecommunicationmechanismisnotpresentthentherewillexistsomeformofambiguity.

Teachinga onsmindtocreatemeaningandconnecti

Introduction:Authenticityandmeaningareconceptsthatcannotbeunder‐estimatedasvitalaspectsofthehumanexperienceformakingmeaningfulconnectionswiththeworldaroundus.Ibelievethatitbeginswiththeinner‐personalrelationshipthatwehavebeenabletocreatewithinourselveswhichthenhelpustoextendaself‐awareidentityintotheworldinaproactivemanner.Andtherebythisnaturethatemergesnformsoursensesandabilitiestodevelop,nurture,andmaintainhealthyirelationshipswithotherhumanbeings.Childrenneedattentioninordertosucceedincultivatingahealthyidentity,self‐esteem,andsenseofself.Inordertoachievethishigherlevelofidentity,senseofself,andself‐awareness,Iwillassertastrong,stable,nurturingenvironmentisrequiredduringthedevelopmentaland

formativeyearsofachild’slife.Therearealotofnotionsofwhatconstitutesthatspanoftime.Ihaveheardfrom4‐8,MichaelMerzenichsaysthereisacriticalperiodfrom7‐13,andIwouldsayitbeginsinthewombandextendstotheageof18.Anditshouldbepointedoutthatoneftheprimarycausesofmentalillnessisemotionalneglect,mostoespeciallyduringthistimeofgrowthinaperson’slife.Ifchildrenaretaughtfromanearlyagehowtofindmeaningintheirlivesandhowtoexpressthemselvesthentheywillpossessagreaterchanceatsurvivingwhatisachaoticsocietyandworld.Theirchoiceswillbegovernedbyaninternalbarometer,somesaymoralcompassthatwillfacilitatehealthygrowthanddevelopmentthroughoutthestagesoftheirlives.WiththeuseofExpressiveArtsTherapieslikeDanceMovementTherapy(DMT),childrencanlearnhowtooccupytheworldaroundthemtocreatespaceandharmonywiththemselvesintheworld.Further,therelationalaspectsofDMTallowpeopletoengageandinteractwitheachotherincreativeways,expressthemselvesinagroupsetting,andfindmeaningtothechallengesofthislife.

Conclusions:Thehumanspeciesbymanyaccountsisasocialcreature,thuswearedrawntowarddevelopingandformingrelationshipswithotherhumanbeings.Astrongsenseofselfandidentity,self‐awarenessandself‐esteemshouldberootedinthisprocess.TheseskillsandcharactertraitsaredevelopedinearlychildhoodfromthemomentofconceptionIwouldpurportandrequireastrongfamilyunitinordertoblossom.Thiswillhaveatremendousimpactonourabilitytoloveourselvesandothers,realnurturinglove,andnottheloveweareconditionedbysocietytoseeaslove.Anditwillalsocertainlyhelpustositwithinourselves,inourownjuices,andjustbecomfortable.

Summary:Livingalifethathasmeaningisnoteasy.Anindividualfirstmustreceivethekindofsupportthatcomesfromanurturingenvironmentduringtheirdevelopmentalyears.Iwouldassertthatthisgivesapersonmoreeffectivenessintheirperceptionandfilteringoftheworldaroundthem.Whetheryou’reanartistoraconformist,thesetraitsofcharacterandadjustmentareimperativetolivingaconnectedlifewithourselves,withothers,andwiththeworld.Toliveinourparasympatheticmorenurturingnervoussysteminahealthywayandnotgetlonelyordepressedbutonthecontrarytofunctionasproductive,effective,welladjusted,adaptable,andhighlyfunctioninghumanbeings.

LogicalConclusionsofthePaper

Thehumanbrainisverymuchlikeasupercomputer.Itpossessesimmenseprocessingpowerandcapabilities.Itisconnectedtogetherwithbillionsofdifferentneuronsanddifferentneuraltransmittersthatperformthemyriadprocessingandfunctioningactivitiesofthehumanmind.Thecognitivefunctionsandprocessesofthebrainareconstantlyfunctioningtogetherandareverymuchinterlinkedandintertwinedwitheachotheraswellastheothersensorysystems.

It’simportanttorememberthattherootsofcognitivescienceextendintotheexplorationandstudyingofdamagedbrains.Butaskingourselvesthequestionsofwhatexactlyisthemindandhowdoesitfunction,andttemptingtodeterminethecomplexprocessingpowerthatisthebrainasaasortofsupercomputerisindeedaworthwhileendeavor.Therearecognitiveabilitiesthatcanbestudiedwithintheregionsofthebrainthatincludethehigherlevelactivitiessuchasattention,memory,perception,judgment,decisionmaking,learning,language,andspeech.Bystudyingthevariousregionsofthebrainandtheirassociatedfunctionalapabilitiescognitivescientistscanbegintomapthecognitiveactivitiestocincreasedordecreasedneuralactivitiesinthatspecificregionofthebrain.Further,cognitivescientistsultimatelydeterminedeficienciesintheneuralpathwaysthatpromotehigherlevelfunctioningofthoseactivities.Muchofthisworkhasbeendoneinstudyinghumanswhohaveexperiencedsomesortofbraindamageandthathasbeentherootsofthescientificresearch.

SummaryforthePaper

ThefieldofCognitiveScienceisrepresentedbyamulti‐disciplinaryapproachtosolvingissuesandproblemsofdysfunctioninthefunctioningofthebrain.CognitiveScienceisadisciplinethatmixescomputerscientistswithsofterscientistssuchaspsychologistsandphilosophers.Ibelievethiscankeepeveryonehonestandmaintainethicsandintegrity.

ThefieldofCognitiveScienceitselfwasformedinitsbeginningstagesbyfocusingontheinjuredbrainandunderstandingthemyriadofdysfunctionsanddeficitsininformationprocessing,perceptionofinputandstimuli,andincognitionthatexistedbecauseofdamagetothebrain’s

differenthemispheres,lobes,andregions.ItwaspositedbyaphilosopherofpsychologyJerryFodorthat“asinglephenomenonintheactivityofthebraincanbecharacterizedaseitherfunctionalorphysical,andthecognitiveprocessingofeventsinthebraincanbeviewedfrombothofthoselevels.”

Thescientificresearchseekstodiscovertheworkbeingdoneinthebrainbythedifferentkindsofneuronsandneuraltransmittersthatworktogethertoperformtheelaboratesystemofprocessingandfunctioningofthehumanbraininresponsestospecificstimuli.Ibelievethescientificresearchisengagedinseekingoutphenomenoninthefunctioningofthebraininordertoanalyzethephysicalprocessingatworkinbrainresponsesaswellasthephysiologicalfunctioningandpsychologicalxplanationsoftheresponses.e