Concepts
The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 4,828 atoms across 8 types
Humans acquire new behavioral patterns through observational
Humans acquire new behavioral patterns through observational learning when they attend to, retain, can reproduce, and are motivated to imitate observed behaviors.
Behavior occurs when three elements converge simultaneously
Motivation, Ability, and a Prompt.
Humans escalate commitment to failing courses of action…
Humans escalate commitment to failing courses of action when they bear personal responsibility for the initial decision.
Humans discount future rewards hyperbolically rather…
Humans discount future rewards hyperbolically rather than exponentially.
The human brain treats the future self as neurologically…
The human brain treats the future self as neurologically distinct from the current self.
People disproportionately stick with default options even…
People disproportionately stick with default options even when alternatives are objectively equivalent or superior.
People care not just about outcomes but about the comparison
People care not just about outcomes but about the comparison between what they got and what they would have gotten had they chosen differently.
The strength of association between a stimulus and response…
The strength of association between a stimulus and response decreases as the temporal gap between them increases.
Dopamine neurons encode prediction error rather…
Dopamine neurons encode prediction error rather than pleasure itself
The human mind is not adapted to interpreting how multi-loop
The human mind is not adapted to interpreting how multi-loop nonlinear feedback systems behave.
Double-loop learning requires questioning the framework…
Double-loop learning requires questioning the framework itself, not just correcting actions within it.
Learning occurs when outcomes differ from predictions…
Learning occurs when outcomes differ from predictions, producing a teaching signal proportional to the prediction error.
The mind operates as multiple semi-autonomous processes…
The mind operates as multiple semi-autonomous processes (agents) rather than a single unified decision-making entity.
The brain maintains distinct memory systems for declarative…
The brain maintains distinct memory systems for declarative knowledge (conscious, hippocampus-mediated) and procedural knowledge (unconscious, basal ganglia-mediated).
Satisfying the psychological needs of autonomy, competence…
Satisfying the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness drives intrinsic motivation.
Action possibilities exist in the relationship between…
Action possibilities exist in the relationship between an agent and their environment, not in objects or perceptions alone.
Behavior follows the path of least resistance due…
Behavior follows the path of least resistance due to the human nervous system operating as an efficiency-seeking machine under energy constraints.
Automation degrades the very human skills needed to handle…
Automation degrades the very human skills needed to handle cases automation cannot address.
Every moment spent exploring is a moment not spent…
Every moment spent exploring is a moment not spent exploiting, and vice versa.
As response speed increases, accuracy decreases along…
As response speed increases, accuracy decreases along a predictable curve in biological information processing systems.
No external entity has more right to direct your thinking…
No external entity has more right to direct your thinking than you do.
Most people do not experience themselves as the authority…
Most people do not experience themselves as the authority over their own decisions when a competing authority is present.
Autonomy is the felt sense of being the author of your own…
Autonomy is the felt sense of being the author of your own actions, not freedom from structure.
You necessarily trust your own cognitive faculties…
You necessarily trust your own cognitive faculties as a starting point — there is no external vantage from which to validate your own mind without using that same mind.