Random notes on cognitive features

We're looking at cognitive patterns (emotions, social interactions, etc.) from a problem-solving, information-theoretic point of view.

Guilt

A negative assessment of one's solution to a specific situation in reality causes a feeling of guilt. The intensity of guilt is a function of our perception of the gravity of the situation, that involves social norms, emotional complexes, etc.

Guilt is associated with shame, which is a projection of the value of the assessment into the imagined judgmental function of other members of society.

A positive assessment causes a feeling of pride.

Children as natural problem solvers

In stereotypical situations, children are exposed the most to their parents' psychologies. The parents' character traits are imprinted on the child and become second nature (or even first). Throughout their lives, children are organically resolving (i.e., solving) behavioural traits that come from two separate entities, into one solution that is the child's behaviour. Most children probably don't resolve the 2 whole sets into one harmonious whole - and hence areas of tension (weaknesses) of the children - but there is a process of psychological evolution occurring, with existing solutions being re-enacted and possibly new solutions being found to new combinations.

The motion of thought

A common occurrence is losing one's train of thought. That means: losing "sight" of the next point (i.e., argument, logical proposition, etc.) that one was about to think and utter. A convenient way to reach that point again is to restart the thinking process from an earlier known point, hoping to re-apply the same thinking operations that will lead to the lost point eventually. In practice, we say "where was I ?", and if the interlocutor also cannot recall the very last argumentation, they jointly retrace the conversation.

Because of the redundant nature of most logical deductions (except the finer points), the lost points can usually be reached by different paths, and one often recalls the point even if the conversation has moved on. That's because at a later state, a link presents itself that leads to the lost point.

Furthermore, one hits upon the same "facts" (in a subjective sense) periodically and from different starting points. These facts can be considered as standing out from the ground state of cognition which contains all possible facts, or at least a larger set thereof.

The discovery of a new fact is the result of a search for a solution to the problem which states: "find a suitable logical consequence of the common body of known facts and theories that brings my argumentation closer to its desired goal, whether this be the proof of a point or the reaching of a common agreement". The logical consequence should be believable to all parties.