Quiz 2 Control - The Foundation Of How The Mind Works Flashcards
Basal Ganglia
Stores procedural knowledge - how to do something ie math
Single celled organisms
Detector on cell membrane initiates action
Patellar Reflex
Does not use brain - comes from spinal cord
Habit System
Habitual actions without thinking about it
Built through repetition/learned/conditioning
40% of what we do is habit
Some are instinct
Reflexive and automatic actions
Some actions can be done automatically without cognitive control ie walking/chewing
Other habits are well learned ie tying shoes - it’s easier to multi task doing these
Cognitive Control - front brain - deliberate
3 main faculties - Attention - Working Memory - Goal Management
Willpower overrides tendency
Goals
Suppresses Older Brain areas
Weakness of will
Rationalization
Cognitive control and willpower
Many frontal brain areas have inhibitory connections to other areas
Related to will power
Doing something for reward later even though not fun now
People with more willpower are happier, healthier, live longer, make more money, have better relationships, get better grades
More important to grades than intelligence
Developmental - marshmallow test
Cognitive Control
Peaks in early 20’s
Older people have harder time ignoring distractions
Also impaired by sleep deprivation, stress, age, intoxication
Less ability to pass the marshmallow test
Reward system
Do things that make you feel good now, not do things that make you feel bad
Helps form habits that make you feel good - optimize good feelings
Reward - Wanting (Compulsive)
Wanting/compulsion/motivation system/dopamine system
Not always pleasurable ie over indulging or addictive behaviours
Different from cortical wanting which is goal driven ie immediate urge to eat vs goal to graduate
Wanting - pick a scab - doesn’t feel good
Reward - Liking
Liking pleasure - opioid system (and some others)
Compare the compulsion to check your phone vs the expectation of talking to someone - wanting vs liking
Mind wandering system
Brain switches from cortical area to default mode network aka mind wandering system - think about things irrelevant to your current environment such as longer term goals
Also anxious thoughts
Activation trade off with cognitive system
Analogy - If body is a car
Habits system - disinterested parent driving same route
Cognitive system - the other parent in the passenger seat telling driver where they should go
Reward system - kid screaming for ice cream in back seat
Mind wandering system - car radio playing ad for weight loss program
Concentration
Concentration will give a competitive advantage
Urge to check phone most people will respond to phone notifications - if avoided will give advantage
Information Foraging
We are hungry for information
Explore
Boredom/anxiety drive us to new sources
Exploit
We forage until we find something else ie keep changing apps on iPhone facebook/instagram/tiktok
Distraction Cycle
Boredom drives task switching
Get easily bored - rapid unpredictable rewards - task switching
Mind optimizes something - that something is non productive
Hacking your habits
Habits don’t get broken - they get replaced
Habits are triggered by perceived situation
H - Humans you are around
A - Activity
B - Bearings (location)
I - Internal states (hunger)
T - Time of day
It easier to change habits when your life changes because triggers change
Use willpower until habits set
Improving cognitive control in the moment
Turn off notifications - power off your phone
Meditation
Exercise - cognitive improves willpower ie tennis (engages cognitive system) vs running
Knowledge of how mind worlds
Sleep
Installing the right values
Practicing willpower use ie use left hand to brush teeth
Self forgiveness
The six second rule - action within 6 seconds of thought
The right ambitions
Ambitious people have better education, more prestige, make more money
Extrinsic Ambition (money, looking good, fame) dimished happiness
Intrinsic ambition (community, health, self acceptance) increased happiness
Not living up to your standards can lead to misery
Improving Habits
Triggered by:
H - Humans
A - Activity
B - Bearings (location)
I - Internal States (hunger)
T - Time of day
Change Habit
Change habit by altering exposure to trigger
Better - replace with new habit for same trigger
Assess why - lead to developing best habit to replace ie grumpy - tired - take walk or nap
Start Good Habit
More effective when there is a life change
Works better with cue - I will exercise every morning before lunch - run
Break into smaller segments - put running shoes on
Have a community - run club
Improving the reward system
Works better than punishment
Punishment doesn’t work if you are the one punishing yourself - doesn’t last
Reward works better - save something you love for when you do/have done thing you want to do more of
Temptation bundling - only watch tv on treadmill
Make it harder to do tempting thing - put candy away in container vs keep things handy you want to do more of
Changing environment is easier than using will power
