Physics – Mathematical Physics
Scientific paper
2008-05-25
Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 53, 314-348, 2009.
Physics
Mathematical Physics
58 pages, 1 figure. Reworked version after review process
Scientific paper
10.1016/j.jmp.2009.04.005
The broader scope of our investigations is the search for the way in which concepts and their combinations carry and influence meaning and what this implies for human thought. More specifically, we examine the use of the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics as a modeling instrument and propose a general mathematical modeling scheme for the combinations of concepts. We point out that quantum mechanical principles, such as superposition and interference, are at the origin of specific effects in cognition related to concept combinations, such as the guppy effect and the overextension and underextension of membership weights of items. We work out a concrete quantum mechanical model for a large set of experimental data of membership weights with overextension and underextension of items with respect to the conjunction and disjunction of pairs of concepts, and show that no classical model is possible for these data. We put forward an explanation by linking the presence of quantum aspects that model concept combinations to the basic process of concept formation. We investigate the implications of our quantum modeling scheme for the structure of human thought, and show the presence of a two-layer structure consisting of a classical logical layer and a quantum conceptual layer. We consider connections between our findings and phenomena such as the disjunction effect and the conjunction fallacy in decision theory, violations of the sure thing principle, and the Allais and Elsberg paradoxes in economics.
No associations
LandOfFree
Quantum Structure in Cognition does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Quantum Structure in Cognition, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Quantum Structure in Cognition will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-320700