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Pinker The Blank Slate Falls

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Such that the body is a blank slate and can be ... Unification of life/mind and physical attributes. Last decade was called the ... phrenology. Mental ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Pinker The Blank Slate Falls


1
Pinker -- The Blank Slate Falls
2
Previously
  • Discussion included a separation of mind and body
  • Such that the body is a blank slate and can be
    written, even by the mind
  • This was true even of the behaviorists
  • Did not consider studying the brain worthwhile

3
Now
  • Starting in the 20th century
  • Unification of life/mind and physical attributes
  • Last decade was called the Decade of the Brain
  • As the mind and mental function have been
    studied, it is clear the Blank Slate is an
    incoherent doctrine

4
Blank Slate Problems
  • 1. Mental world can be put into physical terms
    (working of the brain)
  • Combined with concepts of information flow
  • Argued - behavior and mental reasons are not same
    as physical events and causes
  • That is, no connection seen between physical
    events and things like intention, creativity,
    etc.
  • Example, phrenology

5
Mental Computation
  • However, we now know that beliefs and thoughts
    are due to information computation
  • This resides in the patterns of activity and
    structure of brain
  • Similar to computer
  • Computational theory of mind
  • AI -- Deep Blue plays chess and beats world
    champion

6
Computation
  • Information comes in through senses
  • Computations are done in brain
  • Output is behavior
  • Get feedback via discrepancy of goal and actual

7
Blank Slate Problems
  • 2. We cannot be a blank slate because blank
    slates do not do anything
  • Yet, information is recognized, learned, and
    associated with previous information

8
Blank Slates Dont Do Anything
  • Something must be innate
  • If only the mechanisms that support learning
  • In terms of the computer
  • They do not automatically recognize speech, for
    example
  • But, need the right software first

9
Current Debate
  • East - All concepts innate
  • Baillargeon, Spelke, etc.
  • West - Learning based on innate mechanisms
  • Bates, McClelland, Haith, Cohen
  • However, neither side believe in blank slate

10
Blank Slate Problems
  • 3. Infinite behavior can be generate by finite
    mental programs
  • Blank slate argued that behavior could not be
    innate because of infinite behavioral acts
  • They all could not be in genes
  • However, even a few rules can lead to infinite
    forms
  • Example, language

11
Blank Slate Problems
  • 4. Universal Mental Mechanisms
  • Language order
  • Emotion
  • Taboos

12
Blank Slate Problems
  • 5. Mind is complex
  • It is modular
  • It has interacting parts
  • Blank slate has no way to account for this

13
Neuroscience
  • Types of evidence of connection between brain,
    mind, and behavior
  • Surgeon stimulation
  • Eye movements - stimulation
  • Lesions
  • Brain folds are not random, but have regular
    structure
  • So, no blank slate
  • No ghost -- Brain firing
  • No noble savage -- Lesion frontal lobe, become
    aggressive

14
Behavioral Genetics
  • Reaction Range
  • Twin Studies
  • Blank slate cannot be blank
  • Different genes make one less or more smart, more
    or less aggressive, more or less mellow

15
Behavioral Genetics
  • Genes are not noble
  • Aspects of personality that are genetic and
    stable are negative ones
  • Identical twins are more alike than fraternal
    twins on traits such as irritability, fear in the
    visual cliff, etc.

16
Evolutionary Psychology
  • Vision/Eye
  • Brain structures
  • Depth Perception
  • Rats, monkeys, and human infants perform
    similarly on visual cliff

17
Evolutionary Psychology
  • Social
  • Monogamous vs polygamous
  • Gentle vs aggressive
  • Noble group finishes last
  • Cooperative or selfish
  • Natural selection chooses what best for genes
  • However, not just driven by genes
  • May covet neighbor but we do not act

18
Blank Slate Defence
  • 1. Once thought we had 100,000 genes
  • Now know we have only 34,000
  • Does this mean that environment is more important?

19
Blank Slate Defence
  • 2. Been shown that neural networks can be
    trained to generalize to new items
  • However, no matter how hard we try, neural nets
    cannot do complex problems
  • We do not just associate but use logic

20
Blank Slate Defence
  • 3. Neural Plasticity
  • Environment forms final product
  • Example, cat vision
  • Not surprising
  • Learning affects brain
  • Same way for everybody
  • Development - genes cannot anticipate every
    possibility, so need learning

21
Blank Slate Defence
  • 3. Neural Plasticity
  • However, in visual system, only 1/3 affected by
    learning
  • The rest?

22
Questions
  • How and why do negative traits continue to be
    passed on through evolution?
  • Personality has little or no effects on the
    child's culture
  • then why do some cultures seem to be more shy,
    and others more extroverted?
  • Lateralization of hemispheres
  • Have same abilities but specialize -- evidence
    for same abilities?
  • Specialization occur through evolution or
    learning?
  • Is it possible to measure brain activity in
    infants?
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