Inspired by the discovery that machines could perform some of the functions of the human brain, cognitive scientists rejected the strictures of radical behaviorism and tried to shine a light inside the black box of the mind itself. One of the most important things they discovered is that our brains process information in incredibly selective ways: We only pay attention to a small fraction of what is going on out there, we only ruminate consciously about an even smaller fraction, and we upload a still smaller portion into our long-term memory stores. Which information we select and which we throw out can have big downstream consequences. … to give a … Continue reading Douglas T. Kenrick