An Ecology of MInd by Stephen Johnston Read Free Book Online

brain has assigned a construct, it is resistant to changing that assignment. It has already
    compared, matched, assigned and moved on. It actually alters the input or filters it so that it is seen as consistent with the mental construct. It is like
    there is a force field around the link between the object and the construct. Differences that are noted now, between the construct and reality are ignored,
    for the most part. It takes several repeated instances of inconsistency between the construct and reality, over a period of time, or else a very large
    inconsistency, to change the link."
    "So in our example, you are now dating this person who you think is just wonderful. They are a match or a close match to your perfect mate. They are
    amazing, and they make you so happy. Your friends don't seem to have warmed up to them totally, but that is just because they don't know them like you do
    and are not seeing the real person that they are underneath, like you are. A couple of your friends may even have said they don't know why you are dating
    this person, but you think that is probably just sour grapes on their part. Your new love interest can do no wrong. This is the brain, rejecting the
    inconsistencies between the construct and the real person."
    "Eventually, the repeated small inconsistencies start to accumulate. They aren't careful with money; they are cheap. They aren't focused; they just don't
    care about anyone else other than themselves. They don't have a quirky sense of humor; they are sarcastic. Alternatively, a large inconsistency like coming
    home and finding them in bed with your roommate occurs. Now, the brain finally removes the link between the previous construct and that person and
    immediately assigns another one. The new mental construct may be of a selfish cheating insensitive heartbreaker. Now, even good or neutral acts are seen as
    manipulative self-serving lies on their part, whether they are or not. Your brain made a new construct and is again resistant to inconsistencies between
    the real object and the construct. In reality, the person has probably not changed at all through all of this, but your mental construct of them has. "
    "I notice as I was speaking that many of you in the audience had an "aha moment" about your dating life up until this point. This was just an example. It
    applies to all areas of perception."
    "Marketers use this brain feature in advertisements. Often they don't know the underlying reason why it works. They just know that it does. They have a
    doctor or scientist showing a product, but really it is often just an actor in a lab coat. They don't even have to state the person's job, your brain
    assigns qualities to them that you associate with white lab coats."
    "They might show the product in the presence of sexy young people or fun exciting events to form linkages in your mind between their product and other
    things you find appealing."
    "Positive and negative associations are both assigned when the brain makes a link between whatever it perceives, and a construct. And not all links are
    made at the conscious level."
    "You can assign a construct in a fraction of a second. The really insidious part is that you usually don't even think to question it."
    "You've probably noticed some of the effects I've described without knowing what was causing it. And you may not have realized how extensively this feature
    of brain function affects your perceptions, thinking and beliefs. Often an outside observer sees it much more easily."
    "This is very powerful stuff, and a huge barrier to perceiving reality, but you can guard against it somewhat. Try to be more aware of inconsistencies in
    your perceptions and thinking. If things don't logically add up, look or think deeper. You will be surprised at what you start to notice."



Chapter 6

    THE SURVEY SHIP DROPPED OUT of hyperspace in the system a standard jump unit out from the center of the star. Jumps used the least energy at jump zero,