System Admin Max Points: 6.0 In the video on embodiment, it is asserted that mos
ID: 3449773 • Letter: S
Question
System Admin Max Points: 6.0 In the video on embodiment, it is asserted that most thought is unconscious. What individuals consciously see/hear/feel may be unconsciously optimized based on their existing schema before becoming conscious thought. That is, the brain is interpreting the experience rather than the individual understanding a stimulus holistically. What implications does this have for cognitive science, the creation of bias and points of view, and "neuroception"? How does this influence your dissertation research? Explain.
Explanation / Answer
Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.
(Answer) Based on the video and the statement in the question, it is implied that the conscious thought or logical thinking is not at all what they seem. It would seem that the there is no such thing as the conscious thought and everything an individual might think about or mull over is all a product of the unconscious mind that isn’t under control. The video suggests that conscious reasoning is futile as everything stems from the uncontrolled portion of the mind. Or that what we assume to be conscious reasoning is in fact influenced by the unconscious mind and is therefore not conscious at all.
However, to negate this notion, let us consider reflex actions. These actions make us immediately take our hand away from a hot stove or in complex situations; they evoke sudden reactions from us. These actions have not had the chance to be calculated by our unconscious mind. This means that the decision had been made immediately by our conscious mind to react in a certain way.
In such situations, an individual’s reactions can be predicted based on the principals, values and temperament they have. For instance, an animal lover would run to save a dog from being run over without having the time to think about it with the unconscious mind. A person with lesser courage might not attempt to save the dog. This is when our conscious mind or reflex actions kick in. This means that human behaviour will adapt to a certain situation and not really to the unconscious mind. Perhaps the unconscious mind might have chosen a different course of action with the dog that needed to be saved. Functionalism would work as an apt theory to be applied in this context.
Functionalism: Functionalism is a theory that suggests that the human mind has a certain purpose of the function. Human behaviour will adapt in accordance with that function. William James came up with this ideology in 1890 in order to use an empirical approach to study the human consciousness.
Related Questions
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.