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Contextuality and context-sensitivity in probabilistic models of cognition
1School of Information Systems, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
Cognitive Psychology
|December 8, 2022
Summary
Cognitive phenomena can be context-sensitive or contextual. Contextuality in cognition suggests properties may be indeterminate before observation, impacting probabilistic models and differing from causal context-sensitivity.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Quantum Cognition
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- Cognitive functions like perception and memory are known to be context-sensitive.
- Quantum cognition research suggests cognitive phenomena can exhibit contextuality, challenging traditional assumptions.
- Contextuality implies that cognitive properties may not have definite values independent of observation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define contextuality in cognitive phenomena and its implications for probabilistic models.
- To differentiate contextuality from context-sensitivity.
- To explore the relationship between indeterminacy, incompatibility, and contextuality in cognitive properties.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis based on George Boole's "conditions of possible experience".
- Conceptual and formal contrast between contextuality and context-sensitivity.
- Empirical characterization using two crowdsourced experiments on facial trait judgments.
Main Results:
- A probabilistic model of cognition assumes realism (properties have definite values).
- Quantum cognition posits properties can be indeterminate prior to observation.
- Indeterminacy is sufficient for incompatibility, which is necessary for contextuality.
Conclusions:
- If a cognitive phenomenon is contextual, it may be indeterminate.
- Context-sensitivity has a causal basis, while contextuality is acausal.
- Findings have significant implications for probabilistic modeling in cognitive psychology.
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