Node data structure

[Robin Food]

*This article is about the brain, but hey, the brain is a computer!*

Node data structure (Lemme prime you a little bit: this is about the brain.)

1. Conceptual data

Example:

[Number space]

4

[Object space]

leg

animal

[Attribute space]

cute

soft

[Action space]

move

eat

I think by now, most people can start to imagine a specific object using the ideas above. In my case, it's a cat. But how does it work?

The theory is that when an idea fires it causes connected ideas to fire. The level of activation is somewhat lingering and cumulative.

Process of identifying objects:

[4-legged] fires, ( node 4 and leg can be connected to a single node that is 4-legged )

[animal] fires,

[cute] fires,

resulting in high level activation in [cat].

Cat and table connect, eventually, to the the speech muscle memories of cat and table respectively. Theoretically, if these muscle memories also connect to a speech activation unit individually, when both cat and the speech activation unit activate, the word ‘cat’ is uttered.

2. Visual data

Visual data can probably be connected to conceptual data in the node fashion. But how visual data is construed using node elements needs to be worked out.

Simplified raw image data? ---> different shapes of trees

Geometry data? ---> 3D: trunk + branch + leaves

2D: trunk + top

3. Acoustic data

Needs to be figured out.

4. Lingual data

The word 'fire' is connected to a lot of meanings. But when someone reads the sentence "When an idea fires it causes connected ideas to fire", the idea activate is eventually fired following a network of connection. If someone, who doesn't know about brain cells, walks by a wall with such a sentence written on it, it can be very confusing. Activation lingers, but can be reset when something else draws attention.

Theoretically all the meanings of the word node 'fire' can be divided by whether it's a verb or noun, and be connected to verb or noun respectively, by this the signal can be directed to the correct direction.

5. Negation

Negation mechanism? Negation is very interesting. Theoretically, negation can be done by suppressing the node by means of chemistry. If connected ideas are left activated, something else may come out.

From meaningless homogeneity to meaningful structures

1 cell/cell group = 1 idea. The relative location in the network defines the meaning of a node. The idea cat must be strongly connected to animal, the visual representation of cat, the audio representation of cat sounds and the muscle memory of saying the word 'cat'. Probably also loosely connected to soft, move, cute, etc, as well as some inactive connections, which can become new nodes if necessary. Animal itself is probably also connected to move.

Brain cells in small children have a lot more connection, but it's meaningless to be all connecting. Trimming and connecting means learning. From the structure arises meanings. The structure is where meanings come from.

As long as it works

However the connection is made, whatever the chemistry, as long as it works.

Just a theory

Above is just a theory, needs to be tested.

 

[Acme]

A Genius Explains

 

Daniel Tammet is talking. As he talks, he studies my shirt and counts the stitches. Ever since the age of three, when he suffered an epileptic fit, Tammet has been obsessed with counting. Now he is 26, and a mathematical genius who can figure out cube roots quicker than a calculator and recall pi to 22,514 decimal places. He also happens to be autistic, which is why he can't drive a car, wire a plug, or tell right from left. He lives with extraordinary ability and disability.

Tammet is calculating 377 multiplied by 795. Actually, he isn't "calculating": there is nothing conscious about what he is doing. He arrives at the answer instantly. Since his epileptic fit, he has been able to see numbers as shapes, colours and textures. The number two, for instance, is a motion, and five is a clap of thunder. "When I multiply numbers together, I see two shapes. The image starts to change and evolve, and a third shape emerges. That's the answer. It's mental imagery. It's like maths without having to think."

...

Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre (ARC) at Cambridge University, is interested in what Mänti might teach us about savant ability. "I know of other savants who also speak a lot of languages," says Baron-Cohen. "But it's rare for them to be able to reflect on how they do it - let alone create a language of their own." The ARC team has started scanning Tammet's brain to find out if there are modules (for number, for example, or for colour, or for texture) that are connected in a way that is different from most of us. "It's too early to tell, but we hope it might throw some light on why we don't all have savant abilities."

...

Edit: I think I meant this response for your other thread,

Arithmetic - the node way

 

Either way, Tammet's talent is apparently structurally based, albeit in damage to the 'normal' brain structure. Without understanding the damage, notwithstanding understanding 'normal' structure, it seems unlikely one could emulate it either in a brain or a machine. One never knows I suppose, as accident is as accident does.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Acme

[Robin Food]

Thanks for pointing out those cases, very interesting, maybe there are structures that are build-in, instead of being learned. But why should those be inhibited by default? To make us salty?

 

In many of those cases, super memory is observed. I don't know about others, but when I do mental arithmetic, the biggest obstacle is to remember the result of the previous steps, which are put waiting. The longer the number is, the harder to remember. Memorizing results is hard, but from "3*8" to "24" is always in a flash, and the procedures are not that hard. That's probably why large number arithmetics on a piece of paper is always faster. If damage to one region free up cells connected to them for memory use, that might explain the super speed, rem is faster then HD, afterall. The more regions interconnect with each other, the more cells can potentially free up. This can also suggests that memory functions are performed by cells along side those for computing.

 

If super power is a developmental possibility, more survival-friendly abilities may have being favored by evolution, and hence our being normal.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Robin Food

[Sensei]

In many of those cases, super memory is observed. I don't know about others, but when I do mental arithmetic, the biggest obstacle is to remember the result of the previous steps, which are put waiting. The longer the number is, the harder to remember. Memorizing results is hard, but from "3*8" to "24" is always in a flash, and the procedures are not that hard

 

Did you try using computer or mobile applications which help learning short term/working memory?

f.e.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.trueart.www.chimpmemorytest

 

[Robin Food]

 

Did you try using computer or mobile applications which help learning short term/working memory?

f.e.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.trueart.www.chimpmemorytest

 

 

I played similar games before, I sux at those. I know short term memory can be improved a bit if work on it, I just don't bother.

Edited January 4, 2017 by Robin Food

[Sensei]

 

I played similar games before, I sux at those. I know short term memory can be improved a bit if work on it, I just don't bother.

 

Then why do you complain that you can't remember, if you do it at your own request.. ?

It's kinda like complaining "I can't raise dumbbells!"..

No surprise you cannot, if you were not training..

 

You can't win chess without training (a lot) too..

 

The thing is, that brain while repeating training over and over again, is making new connections between neurons. And performance will be improved.

[Robin Food]

 

Then why do you complain that you can't remember, if you do it at your own request.. ?

It's kinda like complaining "I can't raise dumbbells!"..

No surprise you cannot, if you were not training..

 

You can't win chess without training (a lot) too..

 

The thing is, that brain while repeating training over and over again, is making new connections between neurons. And performance will be improved.

 

 

Did you interpret "hence our being normal" as complaining? Or is it somewhere else?

Edited January 4, 2017 by Robin Food

[Sensei]

Why do you interpret ability to remember just a few numbers as "normal"? Maybe it's not normal.. ?

Well, these chimps didn't learn in any school, and still can do it:

[Robin Food]

Why do you interpret ability to remember just a few numbers as "normal"? Maybe it's not normal.. ?

Well, these chimps didn't learn in any school, and still can do it:

 

Well, that use of 'normal' was a bit sarcastic.

 

I was making a proposition that the speed and accuracy of mental arithmetics is limited mainly by the function of working memory. And if a very large working memory is developmentally possible, evolution may have been selecting something else. In a farming society, there weren't much arithmetics to be done, and one can always take out a pen and a piece of paper in case a long calculation needs to be done. Because evolution prefers it this way, human 'normally' don't have large working memory. It is actually good considering what may have been sacrificed for it.

 

I realized that you might be trying to help, but I don't really mind slow mental arithmetics.

 

Also, according to the chimp video, humans, even when trained for it, still, on average, got beaten by chimps on working memory games. This kind of suggest that human trade off working memory for something else, even when brain size is 3 times bigger. Chimps can learn to play memory games, but can they learn arithmetics?

 

Perhaps some of the functions needed of arithmetics is hardwired. We still sit in classes to learn it though.

Edited January 5, 2017 by Robin Food

[Kelly_c]

Why do you interpret ability to remember just a few numbers as "normal"? Maybe it's not normal.. ?

Well, these chimps didn't learn in any school, and still can do it:

Very informative video. Thanks for sharing it here!