Even if you're familiar with the ideas that are presented on this blog, it can be surprising just how strong the forces of habit and rote cognition and behavior can be. One of the schools of cognitive psychology that addresses biases describes "system 1" and "system 2" thinking, where "system 1" is everyday automatic processing, deciding by intuition, relying on heuristics, and totally filled with biases, and "system 2" is thoughtful and careful consideration, logical and methodical. But this seems inadequate, because we can slip into automatic cognitive patterns even when we are consciously trying to be careful.
This is only a guess, but it seems the first step towards overcoming rote behavior is to recognize it when it happens. I can think of two possibilities, though both have flaws:
The first is to develop the habit of constantly questioning your immediately preceding actions or words. If you do this enough, perhaps it will start to come easily, as this habit will itself become a rote behavior. So if you then catch yourself saying, to use the above example, "I have no idea what you're talking about"---and yes, I admit to having used the phrase insincerely---take the immediate step of correcting yourself. "Wait, that's not true, you're right, I do know. Ya got me." (That assumes, of course, that in hindsight you'll wish you'd been truthful.)
Second, keeping in mind that self-discipline is indeed a limited resource, wait until you're in a more relaxed setting and then review in your mind the instances where you've acted out of thoughtless habit and later regretted it. Recall the situation as vividly as possible, and think to yourself how you would have acted if you had kept an open mind and avoided the cliched response. Then visualize yourself harnessing that mindset the next time you need to react quickly.
I doubt it's possible to eliminate rote behavior completely, but maybe if you do these things, you'll reduce its control over some of your actions.
Of course, part of the problem is that predicting the situations where you'll lapse into rote behavior can't be done. And my guess is that new, unpredictable and therefore uncomfortable settings are those where you're most likely to react without deliberation. Not sure how to overcome this...
If I always think as I always thought I will always get as I always got. Rote thinking is the prejudiced mind that is stuck in reaction.Remember this: I Love You and Accept You Even when I need to Understand You Better. Say that to the person in the mirror and then to an other you may need to know seperate from that ROTE/Prejudiced thinking.
I wonder if you would make public your FICS handle to the readers of this blog! Some of us might enjoy playing a few blitz games with you. I also wonder how many other blog authors and readers play chess on FICS.
I've always thought that the majority of the time, we're all on autopilot, not really thinking, just following developed subroutines. It is rare for moments of 'sentience' to occur more than once a week(forgive the terminology, this was my thinking five years ago).
I've gone to great lengths to reprogram the subroutines, with a decent ammount of success, through rote practice of modifying behaviours patterns. Do you think the same could be done for biases? Maybe not always being rational, but creating bulwarks against common irrationalities? And would that be sufficient?
I did say "I have no idea what you're talking about" (with a wtf somewhere added in it) with full honesty just a few days ago. I still have no idea wtf it was about. I made a few guesses of what it was about, but none of them made any sense, so that's what I just said.
How much of rationality -- of being a good Bayesian Ninja or whatever -- isn't about intelligence, or knowing how to think, but about having the self-control and discipline to exercise those capacities? And what does it mean for our attempts to become more rational if, as a lot of recent psychological research has been suggesting, our self-control generally is a limited resource?
It means we'll be forced to acknowledge that there are a few more low-hanging apples in the cognitive enhancement tree aside from caffeine (e.g., ritalin, modafinil), and the only thing currently restricting their availability to those with abnormal cognitive deficiencies is a social taboo against drug use by "healthy" people.
I now realize that the problem with the "have you used the phrase sincerely" question is going to be sampling bias, since obviously those who use it only insincerely won't comment.
How much of rationality [...] isn't about intelligence, or knowing how to think, but about having the self-control and discipline to exercise those capacities?
[...]
How can we overcome rote cognition, if it sticks around even when we're trying our best to be mentally alert and careful?
I think practise is important. I think it's a skill-based capability - you get better at invoking that capability through accumulated effort. You can't do it well straight away, and you certainly can't do it well by simply trying really hard when you go to perform it. Crucially, this means that you can't only try and do it when you feel like you've got an important problem to solve or important situation to deal with. You've got to be trying to do it all the time, through the important and the trivial.
This is only a guess, but it seems the first step towards overcoming rote behavior is to recognize it when it happens. I can think of two possibilities, though both have flaws:
The first is to develop the habit of constantly questioning your immediately preceding actions or words. If you do this enough, perhaps it will start to come easily, as this habit will itself become a rote behavior. So if you then catch yourself saying, to use the above example, "I have no idea what you're talking about"---and yes, I admit to having used the phrase insincerely---take the immediate step of correcting yourself. "Wait, that's not true, you're right, I do know. Ya got me." (That assumes, of course, that in hindsight you'll wish you'd been truthful.)
Second, keeping in mind that self-discipline is indeed a limited resource, wait until you're in a more relaxed setting and then review in your mind the instances where you've acted out of thoughtless habit and later regretted it. Recall the situation as vividly as possible, and think to yourself how you would have acted if you had kept an open mind and avoided the cliched response. Then visualize yourself harnessing that mindset the next time you need to react quickly.
I doubt it's possible to eliminate rote behavior completely, but maybe if you do these things, you'll reduce its control over some of your actions.
Of course, part of the problem is that predicting the situations where you'll lapse into rote behavior can't be done. And my guess is that new, unpredictable and therefore uncomfortable settings are those where you're most likely to react without deliberation. Not sure how to overcome this...
But then you all would get to see my humiliating rating, and all my cred as a rationalist would go out the window!
If I always think as I always thought I will always get as I always got. Rote thinking is the prejudiced mind that is stuck in reaction.Remember this: I Love You and Accept You Even when I need to Understand You Better. Say that to the person in the mirror and then to an other you may need to know seperate from that ROTE/Prejudiced thinking.
Paul,
I wonder if you would make public your FICS handle to the readers of this blog! Some of us might enjoy playing a few blitz games with you. I also wonder how many other blog authors and readers play chess on FICS.
I've always thought that the majority of the time, we're all on autopilot, not really thinking, just following developed subroutines. It is rare for moments of 'sentience' to occur more than once a week(forgive the terminology, this was my thinking five years ago).
I've gone to great lengths to reprogram the subroutines, with a decent ammount of success, through rote practice of modifying behaviours patterns. Do you think the same could be done for biases? Maybe not always being rational, but creating bulwarks against common irrationalities? And would that be sufficient?
I did say "I have no idea what you're talking about" (with a wtf somewhere added in it) with full honesty just a few days ago. I still have no idea wtf it was about. I made a few guesses of what it was about, but none of them made any sense, so that's what I just said.
How much of rationality -- of being a good Bayesian Ninja or whatever -- isn't about intelligence, or knowing how to think, but about having the self-control and discipline to exercise those capacities? And what does it mean for our attempts to become more rational if, as a lot of recent psychological research has been suggesting, our self-control generally is a limited resource?
It means we'll be forced to acknowledge that there are a few more low-hanging apples in the cognitive enhancement tree aside from caffeine (e.g., ritalin, modafinil), and the only thing currently restricting their availability to those with abnormal cognitive deficiencies is a social taboo against drug use by "healthy" people.
It doesn't surprise when you realize the relative size and computing horsepower of systems 1 and 2.
Put it this way: system 1 is everything you have in common with a chimp, and most of what you have extra.
I now realize that the problem with the "have you used the phrase sincerely" question is going to be sampling bias, since obviously those who use it only insincerely won't comment.
I have also used that phrase sincerely.
How much of rationality [...] isn't about intelligence, or knowing how to think, but about having the self-control and discipline to exercise those capacities?
[...]
How can we overcome rote cognition, if it sticks around even when we're trying our best to be mentally alert and careful?
I think practise is important. I think it's a skill-based capability - you get better at invoking that capability through accumulated effort. You can't do it well straight away, and you certainly can't do it well by simply trying really hard when you go to perform it. Crucially, this means that you can't only try and do it when you feel like you've got an important problem to solve or important situation to deal with. You've got to be trying to do it all the time, through the important and the trivial.
How can we overcome rote cognition, if it sticks around even when we're trying our best to be mentally alert and careful?
Bayesian Wannabe: "Roshi, I long to master the skills of the beisutsukai, but I fear my self-control is a limited resource."
Master: "You rack disicprine!" strikes wannabe with a keisaku
Uh, that should be suspension of disbelief. Jeez.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
I have used that phrase in complete honesty.