Ecology of mind

Learning context  (quality of avocados increases from left to right)

At Trader Joes  [ (others)  (haas) ]
At Scolaris [ (haas)  (mex)  (others) ] 

Context dependent learning is better suited to learning in natural settings than artificial ones. Learning the quality of different avocados by sampling from selections at different store-locations improves decision making in the wild where choices come up one after another. Context dependent learning is less suited to decision making in a warehouse where choices are presented all at once in a single location. It's the difference between seeing [(haas) (mex) (others) ] in one location as opposed to seeing them appear one at a time in different locations:  

[ (haas) ]        where you’ve learned that mex generally beats haas

[ (mex) ]               but in some instances other varieties are better

[ ( others) ]            ..so it pays to keep looking.

Economists say that humans deviate from optimal choice when making context-dependent choices. On Wall Street or in a classroom, context information can be misleading. Economists call this the “more-is-less effect”. I’d say they lack ecological perspective. There’s a reason humans are sensitive to context. Psychologists are finding out that it has adaptive value in nature that you don’t see in a classroom or trading floor. It helps people make ‘optimal choices’ about which trail to take and what foods to eat in the wild. In an experiment using a species of birds called starlings, researchers at Oxford found that even though context learning may hinder performance in simultaneous prey choices; it improves performance in sequential prey encounters where subjects could reject opportunities in order to search the background. Because sequential prey encounters are more likely in nature, storing and using contextual information has greater ecological value than economists give it credit for.

Freidin et al. Science 18 November 2011 [link]

The development of appetite

It’s well known that the ability to perceive the sounds of language is tuned in childhood as a result of the interaction between exposure and early development. Infants start out with equipotential for languages. However, by the end of the first year ..neural-pathways responsible for discerning the sounds of their native language get established. Turns out that appetite for particular foods are formed this way a well, perhaps even earlier inside the womb. Infants start out indifferent to tastes, however “..later exposure changes the way taste signals are carried to the brain.” Recent studies show how exposure to a diet of crackers, cereal and bread during early development results in a lifelong preference for starchy-salt rich food [link].

Inference making

“Your job as a reader is to use your imagination and analytical skills where the author has left off.”

Intentional fallacy: it’s not what an author means to say that’s important ..it’s how the reader interprets what they say. What they intended is subject to interpretation, which isn’t necessarily going to turn out the same. But if we’re the readers, our interpretation is what matters. Communication is mostly an interpretive process. We add our perspective and ingenuity to whatever we hear or read. Attempts by the writer to narrow it down are futile ..or sterile [link]. In Harry Potter, some may see Dumbledore as gay; others might view him as quirky and without a particular sexual identity. I'm reminded of the ghost in “Hamlet” and how little we really know about him. Is he the spirit of his murdered father asking to be avenged ..? Is he a hellish apparition sent to make Hamlet commit murder ..? Or, is he just a figment of Hamlet's imagination ..? And who really gives a shit now what Shakespeare meant ..?

Immateriality

“Each person is capable of perceiving infinitely more. The universe is funneled through the reducing valve of the brain and nervous system ..what comes out at the other end is a measly trickle.”

From ‘The Doors of Perception’ by Aldous Huxley 

Only 20% of available ‘matter’ - at home or in the universe - is observable by the senses. This includes the composition of our bodies as well as all it’s surroundings. The remaining 80% is not even visible using the most sophisticated instruments of science. It’s a mystery supplied by indirection and the divinity of inference. What does this mean ..? Ordinary reality represents only a fraction of the energy that exists in the universe. The forces at work in my life are largely invisible. Perhaps the limits to what I can see are not so much physical as they are mental, like Huxley said.

Neuropharmacology of ketamines

Glutamic acid is the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system. When released, it binds with the NMDA-receptor site to produce long-term potentiation (LTP).

LTP improves synaptic transmission by increasing the cell’s sensitivity to incoming signals, which allows for neuro-plasticity, learning and memory. 

NMDA (N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid) is a synthetic amino acid, which acts as an agonist at the NMDA-receptor site .. mimicking the action of glutamic acid (excitatory). 

Ketamine is an NMDA-receptor antagonist. It blocks the action of glutamic acid and acts as an analgesic at low doses. At high doses, ketamine produces a disassociative state, characterized by a sense of detachment from the physical body (depersonalization) and the external world (derealization). Users may experience what is called the “K-hole”, a period of dissociation and intense hallucinations where they experience other worlds or celestial-like dimensions ..while being completely unaware of their individual identities or the external world. Users have reported flying .. connecting to other users and objects in the cosmos ..and sharing hallucinations and thoughts with adjacent users. They feel as though their perceptions are located so deep inside the mind that the real world seems distant (hence the use of a “hole” to describe the experience).

Memory: Users do not remember the experience after regaining consciousness, in the same way that a person may forget a dream. Owing to the role of the NMDA receptor in long-term potentiation, this may be due to disturbances in memory formation. The ‘re-integration” process is slow, and the user gradually becomes aware of surroundings. At first, users may not remember their own names, or even know that they are human, or what that means. They may not be aware they have a body at all.  Ketamine is also used with local anesthetics for its amnesia action. It effectively wipes out memory for the trauma associated with severe injury and surgery.