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They tested the “brain drain” hypothesis that claims the brain has a limited capacity of cognitive resources, and the mere presence of a potential distractor ca

by EGreg 6y ago

They tested the “brain drain” hypothesis that claims the brain has a limited capacity of cognitive resources, and the mere presence of a potential distractor can occupy some of those resources which undercut cognitive performance. Sounds like something straight out of Conan Doyle https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/lessons-from-sherlock-holmes-cultivate-what-you-know-to-optimize-how-you-decide/ https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/lessons-from... "You see," he explained, "I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has difficulty laying his hands upon it. Now the skillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones." "But the Solar System!" [Dr. Watson] protested. "What of the deuce is it to me?" he interrupted impatiently: "you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work." I believe that this, rather than neuroplasticity, is the main explanation for why children and teens are able to acquire language far easier than adults. The latter have far more to worry about and no one spoon feeds them words all the time.

temp0826 6y ago
>> "you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work." I really like this for a different reason. It’s one of the reasons I can appreciate flat-earthers (or other discordian-ish reality tunnels) from a slightly more philosophical standpoint: it really doesn’t matter
- bckr 6y ago
  I upvoted you but, also, it kind of does matter. How you orient yourself toward science and empirical experience says a lot about whether you're going to fall for some BS misinformation campaign, fail to vaccinate yourself and your children, etc...
  - Chris2048 6y ago
    > How you orient yourself toward science and empirical experience few pro-vaxxers have a detailed understanding of biology or science, nor empirical evidence wrt vaccination, or the education to interpret it. The difference is not one of understanding, but trust, and the capacity to believe in "conspiracy". The problem is, sometimes conspiracies do exist (prism) and science is becoming increasingly politicised. That said, flat-earthers are categorically different, b/c it has nothing to do with science: a round earth can be demonstrated fairly easily in laymen terms, and the scale of the conspiracy to confound a round-earth map is also disproportionate.
- wccrawford 6y ago
  That quote has always bothered me. He uses incredibly small details to deduce incredible things, but thinks the solar system will never have any influence upon his casework. I can imagine scenarios where people thought the wrong things because of what the sun was doing, how far the sun was from the earth at the time, etc etc. It does matter, just not often... Much like the rest of what he uses to deduce things. It's like saying he doesn't care what clerks do in their jobs, but then deducing that someone's a clerk by their hands. He's have to know what they do for that, even if it doesn't otherwise affect him. That said, I agree with you... Mostly. I don't really care what someone believes, but there are some beliefs that tell me people aren't critical thinkers and will just believe things they're told... And then stick to it no matter what. I definitely treat those people differently for my own protection. If flat-earth was the only thing that person believed that was weird, I'd likely just laugh and overlook it. But so far, I've never found that to be the case. They go in for a lot more.
  - EGreg 6y ago
Chris2048 6y ago
This says "brain", but seems to be talking about attention. Not everything works like that; I find the less I depend on memory, the worse my memory gets, the more I use my memory, the better my recall is in general - hence not using memory doesn't "free" it up at all; and this applies not just to explicit (intentional/conscious) recall, but spontaneous remembering ("Oh, I just remembered/realised something") too.
waihtis 6y ago
This phenomenom is at times called the green lumber fallacy: https://fs.blog/2016/11/green-lumber-fallacy/ https://fs.blog/2016/11/green-lumber-fallacy/
jodrellblank 6y ago
Is it skillful or foolish to call to mind a quote from a story said by a fictional character, instead of something which helps you in doing your work? Reply with something from Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality: "Professor Quirrell's expression became more serious. "Mr. Potter, one of the requisites for becoming a powerful wizard is an excellent memory. The key to a puzzle is often something you read twenty years ago in an old scroll, or a peculiar ring you saw on the finger of a man you met only once. I mention this to explain how I managed to remember this item, and the placard attached to it, after meeting you a good deal later. You see, Mr. Potter, over the course of my life, I have viewed a number of private collections held by individuals who are, perhaps, not quite deserving of all that they have -" https://www.hpmor.com/chapter/26 https://www.hpmor.com/chapter/26

by EGreg 6y ago

temp0826 6y ago

>> "you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work." I really like this for a different reason. It’s one of the reasons I can appreciate flat-earthers (or other discordian-ish reality tunnels) from a slightly more philosophical standpoint: it really doesn’t matter

bckr 6y ago
I upvoted you but, also, it kind of does matter. How you orient yourself toward science and empirical experience says a lot about whether you're going to fall for some BS misinformation campaign, fail to vaccinate yourself and your children, etc...
- Chris2048 6y ago
  > How you orient yourself toward science and empirical experience few pro-vaxxers have a detailed understanding of biology or science, nor empirical evidence wrt vaccination, or the education to interpret it. The difference is not one of understanding, but trust, and the capacity to believe in "conspiracy". The problem is, sometimes conspiracies do exist (prism) and science is becoming increasingly politicised. That said, flat-earthers are categorically different, b/c it has nothing to do with science: a round earth can be demonstrated fairly easily in laymen terms, and the scale of the conspiracy to confound a round-earth map is also disproportionate.
wccrawford 6y ago
That quote has always bothered me. He uses incredibly small details to deduce incredible things, but thinks the solar system will never have any influence upon his casework. I can imagine scenarios where people thought the wrong things because of what the sun was doing, how far the sun was from the earth at the time, etc etc. It does matter, just not often... Much like the rest of what he uses to deduce things. It's like saying he doesn't care what clerks do in their jobs, but then deducing that someone's a clerk by their hands. He's have to know what they do for that, even if it doesn't otherwise affect him. That said, I agree with you... Mostly. I don't really care what someone believes, but there are some beliefs that tell me people aren't critical thinkers and will just believe things they're told... And then stick to it no matter what. I definitely treat those people differently for my own protection. If flat-earth was the only thing that person believed that was weird, I'd likely just laugh and overlook it. But so far, I've never found that to be the case. They go in for a lot more.
- EGreg 6y ago

Chris2048 6y ago

This says "brain", but seems to be talking about attention. Not everything works like that; I find the less I depend on memory, the worse my memory gets, the more I use my memory, the better my recall is in general - hence not using memory doesn't "free" it up at all; and this applies not just to explicit (intentional/conscious) recall, but spontaneous remembering ("Oh, I just remembered/realised something") too.

waihtis 6y ago

This phenomenom is at times called the green lumber fallacy: https://fs.blog/2016/11/green-lumber-fallacy/ https://fs.blog/2016/11/green-lumber-fallacy/

jodrellblank 6y ago

Is it skillful or foolish to call to mind a quote from a story said by a fictional character, instead of something which helps you in doing your work? Reply with something from Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality: "Professor Quirrell's expression became more serious. "Mr. Potter, one of the requisites for becoming a powerful wizard is an excellent memory. The key to a puzzle is often something you read twenty years ago in an old scroll, or a peculiar ring you saw on the finger of a man you met only once. I mention this to explain how I managed to remember this item, and the placard attached to it, after meeting you a good deal later. You see, Mr. Potter, over the course of my life, I have viewed a number of private collections held by individuals who are, perhaps, not quite deserving of all that they have -" https://www.hpmor.com/chapter/26 https://www.hpmor.com/chapter/26