ActInf GuestStream 109.1 ~ Hemming: "Free Energy, Attentional Narrowing, and Cognitive Rigidity"

"Free Energy, Attentional Narrowing, and Cognitive Rigidity: A Hierarchical Predictive Processing Approach"
Alexander Hemming

Predictive processing precision weighting is not always exact in its application, this models into how the study of social psychology generally point out when societal influences create inefficient, abnormal or problematic effects. In order to connect predictive processing theory to these phenomena we need to understand how precision weighting can be non-domain specific and how attention can reach outside of a person’s tendency to focus from the common elements within predictive processing.

This means, that we need to understand how stress can cause attentional narrowing as a product of predictive processing, and how this can facilitate a dominant response, reduced acceptance of alternative perspectives and promote cognitive rigidity. In doing so, we address the process of error minimisation, especially in how heuristics allow for specific rules that can reduce the free energy requirement of error minimisation and combine the research from affective neuroscience, predictive processing and cognitive rigidity to give a unifying scope of the internal processes that can promote.

Suggestions are made towards the future research directions surrounding choice paralysis, paranoia, emotional absolutism, ideological extremism, critical thinking capability, an alternative explanation for reactive approach motivation, conventionalism and an explanation for reduced integrative complexity in belief patterns.

The presentation is delivered by Alexander Hemming.

Collaborators on the project are Dr. Dylan Grove and Dr. Kirstin Wagner

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