Understanding the human psyche is akin to deciphering an ancient, cryptic manuscript. Our responses to external stimuli, whether subtle whispers or thunderous roars - reveal the intricate waltz between our biology, cognition, and environment. Let us embark on a journey through neural pathways, behavioural dispositions, and the enigma of logical reasoning.
The Cognitive Landscape: Drift-Diffusion and Reinforcement Learning
1.1 The Drift-Diffusion Model (DDM)
Traditionally, cognitive models like the BEAST and the drift-diffusion model (DDM) have grappled with the complexities of human decision-making. The DDM, characterised by its closed-form structure, elegantly captures the ebb and flow of logical reasoning. Imagine a mental river, its currents influenced by stimuli, stress, and feedback. The DDM navigates this river, tracing the subtle eddies of thought as they merge into decisive currents.
1.2 Deep Reinforcement Learning: Bridging the Gap
However, the DDM encounters turbulence when faced with dynamic environments. Enter deep reinforcement learning (DRL), a neural net donning scuba gear to plunge into the cognitive abyss. DRL integrates the DDM’s granular reasoning with the adaptability of machine learning. It simulates how stress, time pressure, and shifting contexts warp our logical compass. Picture an AI diver adjusting buoyancy as it swims through the murky waters of stimuli-induced cognitive fluctuations.
Logical Behaviourism: Dispositions and Manifestations
2.1 The Misunderstood Causality
Logical behaviourists, like philosophical detectives, scrutinise the causal connections between the mental and the physical. Their magnifying glass hovers over mental concepts - beliefs, desires, perceptions, each a piece of behaviour waiting to manifest. They argue that mental states denote behavioural dispositions, not hidden puppet strings pulling our actions. Thus, a disposition isn’t the cause; it’s the script for a behavioural scene.
2.2 Observable Conditions and Behaviors
Gilbert Ryle, the Sherlock Holmes of behaviourism, unveils the secret code. Mental states, those elusive enigmas, are complex dispositions. Their stimulating conditions and manifestations are observable, like footprints in fresh snow. When a belief stirs, it’s not a ghostly whisper; it’s a behavioural schema awakening. The mind’s theater plays out its scenes, and we, the audience, witness the drama.
The Symphony of Perception and Action
3.1 Schemas and Well-Established Habits
When stimuli strike, our perceptual orchestra tunes its instruments. Well-practiced skills and habits activate schemas, mental blueprints etched into our neural sheet music. The violinist perceives the note, and the bow glides across strings; the chef glimpses the spice, and the ladle swirls in the pot. These schemas orchestrate our responses, harmonising perception and action.
3.2 The Dance of Dynamic Stimuli
But what of dynamic stimuli? Imagine a tango, a dance of chaos and order. Time pressure, stress, novelty, they twirl us across the floor. The DDM waltzes, DRL pirouettes, and our logical reasoning cha-chas. The symphony crescendos as we adapt, recalibrate, and improvise. The world, our grand ballroom, swirls with stimuli, and we, logical dancers, follow the rhythm.
The Mosaic of Human Reasoning
Our world, a mosaic woven from countless logical threads, emerges from the loom of stimuli. Each decision, each belief, stitches a pattern. As we unravel the fabric, we glimpse the warp and weft, the neural firings, the behavioural dispositions, the dance of cognition. So, when you next contemplate life's intricate questions, remember you're not adrift; you're dancing through the stimulus-filled passageways of reason.
In this symphony of stimuli, logic, and humanity, we find both our compass and our dance partner.
References:
Xu, S., & Zhang, X. (2023). Modelling human logical reasoning process in dynamic environmental stress with cognitive agents. University of California San Diego, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
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