The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 2,888 atoms across 3 types and 2 molecules
The amygdala evaluates emotional significance of stimuli before conscious awareness, and humans systematically use these pre-conscious emotional evaluations as heuristic substitutes for complex cognitive judgments, producing systematic distortions in probability and severity assessments.
Emotional states systematically distort perception and judgment in specific, predictable directions (fear increases perceived uncertainty and threat while decreasing control; anger does the opposite), serving as necessary somatic markers that guide attention and activate state-dependent memory networks rather than mere sources of error.