235 | Andy Clark on the Extended and Predictive Mind
May 1, 2023
01:21:35
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Quick takeaways
The mind is not confined to the brain and includes external tools and resources that contribute to our memory and cognition.
The brain is an active prediction machine, constantly making predictions about the world and shaping our reality based on those predictions.
Our brains naturally exhibit artificial curiosity and seek out surprises and new information to minimize prediction errors.
Deep dives
The Extended Mind Hypothesis and Predictive Brain
The podcast explores the concept of the extended mind, which suggests that the mind is not just confined to the brain but includes external tools and resources that we use to think. This view is supported by the idea that the brain is constantly making predictions about the world and shaping our reality based on those predictions. It is argued that the brain is not just a passive receptor of information, but an active prediction machine. The role of perception-action loops and the importance of minimizing prediction errors are highlighted in understanding how the brain works.
Impact on Perception and Attention
The predictive brain's reliance on minimizing prediction errors can have implications for our perception and attention. It is suggested that our brains tend to see what we expect to see and believe what we expect to believe, which can result in biases and inaccuracies in our perception. Additionally, our attention is driven by our predictions and expectations, which can lead us to miss surprising or unexpected events. This can have consequences for various areas, including stage magic and perception of outliers.
Artificial Curiosity and the Value of Surprise
The concept of artificial curiosity is discussed, which suggests that prediction-driven systems seek to minimize prediction errors by actively seeking out surprises and new information. It is argued that our brains naturally exhibit artificial curiosity and that we curate environments, such as art, literature, music, and even roller coasters, that provide a balance between predictability and surprise. The discussion also touches on the role of surprises in our experiences and the idea that surprises can update our predictive models and improve our understanding of the world.
Perception and Action: Getting Rid of Prediction Errors
Perception and action are two ways of getting rid of prediction errors. The brain can either find a better prediction or change the world to fit the prediction. These two processes involve the same basic neuronal operations, with the wiring of motor cortex resembling sensory cortex. In perception, the brain predicts a sensory flow and retrieves an old model of the world to fit the flow. In action, the brain tries to change the sensory input to match its prediction. Proprioceptive predictions play a special role in motor control, acting as motor commands. The brain predicts that the body is slightly different than it actually is, and the motor movements correct for the prediction errors.
Prediction Errors, Perception, and Hallucinations
The brain's predictive processing model explains why we are susceptible to illusions and hallucinations. Perception is essentially a controlled hallucination, where the brain constructs our experiences based on expectations and sensory information. Illusions occur when our predictions override the actual sensory evidence, leading to false perceptions. The brain's constant prediction updates and corrections create the sense of time passage and the perception of flow. Additionally, the brain's predictive modeling can influence our experiences of happiness and pleasure by dampening the response to well-predicted sensory inputs. However, attention and novelty can counteract this effect and enhance our experiences.
What is the mind, and what does it try to do? An overly simplified materialist view might be that the mind emerges from physical processes in the brain. But you can be a materialist and still recognize that there is more to the mind than just the brain: the rest of our bodies play a role, and arguably we should count physical artifacts that contribute to our memory and cognition as part of "the mind." Or so argues today's guest, philosopher/cognitive scientist Andy Clark. As to what the mind does, it tries to predict what happens next. This simple idea provides a powerful lens through which to interpret all the different things our minds do, including the idea that "perception is controlled hallucination."
Andy Clark received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Sussex. He is currently Professor of Cognitive Philosophy at Sussex. He was Director of the Philosophy/Neuroscience/Psychology Program at Washington University in St Louis, and Director of the Cogntive Science Program at Indiana University. His new book is The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality.
