FRAMES
OF COGNITION - 3
Each
perceivable context triggers some node/word in our semantic vocabulary. In this sense the daily usage of frames
inherently function the same as the cognitive, psychological and sociological
uses of frames.
What
happens if a simple frame that is perceived, cannot signify a node/word in our
semantic vocabulary? This happens in
three possibilities...
First the signification may reside
somewhere else outside the semantic memory.
It may be a feeling. In amygdala, feelings disappear when addressed. It
may be a combination of feelings learned, a wide span of fear vs. anger.
Second it may be a partial context
that may fit a signification when completed, either feeling or semantic.
Third it may be a completely new
context trigging/pointing to a new feeling or gradually a new semantic object.
“ ‘Emotion’ is a state of mind,”
Davachi says and continues. “These findings make clear that our cognition is
highly influenced by preceding experiences and, specifically, that emotional
brain states can persist for long periods of time. [1] ”
Sartre says
“Emotion is a specific manner of apprehending the world” and adds “Emotion is a
transformation of the world. [2] ”
Sartre
goes further than Devachi and links the situation that emotion exists in, with
the emotion. Joy is a feeling that is
created by specific situations. It is a
state of mind tightly connected to specific events in life. The specific events are placed in the
episodic memory.
Joy is triggered
by events that are similar to the past events that have created joy. Each person may have different experiences
related to joy. While roughly close,
each person may differ in what they feel as joy, as a result of this.
The joyous
events in the episodic memory are connected to a specific location in the
amygdala. Joy as word and abstract
concept is primarily created and located in the cerebrum/semantic memory. As all the feelings when joy is perceived
consciously, namely when you become conscious of it, it triggers semantic joy
and disappears as a feeling.
Vigilance
is a mixed feeling. We become vigil
against a possible bad situation for somebody or something. The
nodes in the semantic memory form the collections which trigg the vigilance frame. These nodes are instances that exist in the
semantic memory. If the nodes of a
frame’s collection do not exist as instantiations, but if they exist as a
polymorphic possibility, they may point out to a state of mind rather than a
specific node in the semantic memory.
Vigilance
is a state of mind. The collection of
vigilance frame has pointers of various sets of related dangers/risks that may
be inherited by polymorphic instances. But the reality of external input is not there
yet. As Sartre has stated “the emotional
subject and the object of emotion are united in an indissoluble synthesis. [2]
” So, the emotion can not exist fully. The connection of possible cases create a
mild sensitivity feeling of/to a general amygdala connection triggered by
these: vigilance, wakefulness, etc.
What
happens if a partial context that may fit some part of a signification when
completed? This may happen in complex
situations. For ex. Some event may be joyous but sad on the other
hand.
The evolution
of human being has developed special frames to handle extremely difficult
situations.
These are
called illusions. The brain tries to
handle the difficult situation itself with builtin abilities
With
special tendencies or processes. In fact
what we perceive as reality is the reality our brain creates using the
information it receives from the outer environment.
“Visual illusions occur due to properties
of the visual areas of the brain as they receive and process information. In
other words, your perception of an illusion has more to do with how your brain
works -- and less to do with the optics of your eye. [3] ”
“Psychologist Richard
Gregory classified optical illusions into
physical, physiological and cognitive, subdivided in turn into fictions,
ambiguities, paradoxes and distortions. These different effects involve
distinct mechanisms and various levels of neural processing. [4] ”
“Visual illusions are defined by
the dissociation between the physical reality and the subjective perception of
an object or event. When we experience a visual illusion, we may see something
that is not there or fail to see something that is there. Because of this
disconnect between perception and reality, visual illusions demonstrate the
ways in which the brain can fail to re-create the physical world. [5]
“
Illusions are not limited to the visual domain. Illusions may vary from social illusions to
economical, visual to bodily felt ones and even more. I will ponder on the concept of illusions on
my next article. I will also handle
cases that the percepted inputs are not complete.
REFERENCES:
[1] Emotional
Hangover? NYU Researchers Find that There is Dec 31, 2016 New York City
[2] Sartre, Sketch for a Theory of Emotions
[3] CARI NIERENBERG, Optical Illusions: When Your Brain Can't Believe Your
Eyes, ABC News Medical November 2008
[4] Why Optical Illusions Fool Our
Brain, Open Mind October 2020
[5] Susana
Martinez-Conde, Stephen L.
Macknik, The
Neuroscience of Illusion, How tricking the eye reveals the inner workings of
the brain, Scientific American