Cognitive Stupidity

James Welles

doi:10.31579/2692-9422/008

Abstract

The brain of an infant may be the blank tablet envisaged by Locke,[1] but as it is shaped by both experience and language it develops into the mind of an adult. As the character of the maturing individual becomes defined, the mind shapes experiences decreasingly according to immediate stimuli themselves and increasingly according to linguistic interpretations of and emotional reactions to perceptions. Thus, the environment does not dictate human behavior but provides a context for its expression.

Highlights

The basis for interpreting environmental stimuli is the schema—thecognitive program (Ger: Weltanschauung) which acts as a template for perceptual experience and provides expectations and explanations about objects and their relations to and interactions with each other [2] .It is populated by or constructed of memes, [3] which are subjected to selection pressure by the psycho-cultural environment and are not necessarily as true as they are gratifying and popular
Just as a reigning intellectual paradigm defines each of our modern sciences [4], aschema defines the mental life of an individualby providing an intellectual frame of reference for information, ideas and behavior
While providing basic notions about principles of nature and theories about how the world works, the schema both fosters and inhibits further learning. It is good at promoting learningof refinement, whereby established expectations are confirmed and reinforcedandresponses made more subtle

Summary

Introduction

The basis for interpreting environmental stimuli is the schema—thecognitive program (Ger: Weltanschauung) which acts as a template for perceptual experience and provides expectations and explanations about objects and their relations to and interactions with each other [2] .It is populated by or constructed of memes, [3] which are subjected to selection pressure by the psycho-cultural environment and are not necessarily as true as they are gratifying and popular. Just as a reigning intellectual paradigm defines each of our modern sciences (e.g., atoms in chemistry) [4], aschema defines the mental life of an individualby providing an intellectual frame of reference for information, ideas and behavior.

Results

Conclusion