The psychology of questions

[bigjobs]

g'day,

 

looking for some information on the psychology of questions.

 

my belief is that the human brain cannot not answer a question if it hears or sees the question.

 

eg: what does 2 plus 2 equal? (provided you read that question, you also answered it. that process is difficult to stop)

 

anyway, looking for some info / research into this sort of thing.

 

thanks in advance.

[insane_alien]

well, it can't answer the question if it does not know the answer or didn't understand the question. we will strive to answer the question but it may be that it is impossible.

[bigjobs]

^^ see i reckon that as long as your brain understands / comprehends that its a question then an answer will be sought. yes, one must understand the concept of what a question is, and the language it is asked in (i don't speak japanese so would not know if i was being asked a question in Japanese so my brain would not look for an answer)

 

i think it's worth remembering that 'i don't know the answer to that' is still an answer to the question. even 'i don't understand that question' could be a considered an answer to some degree i think. even an incorrect answer is an answer.

 

i am not making the assumption that the correct answer will be the one your brain comes up with, just that an answer will come.

[Ophiolite]

It might be helpful if you substituted response/respond for answer.

[bigjobs]

same thing to me.

[pioneer]

The difference between questions and answers is a question will create a potential in the mind/brain, while answers will lower that potential. As an analogy, a question brings a ball to the top of an energy hill. The potential energy gets the brain going trying to lower this potential. The ball then begins to roll down the hill as we contemplate an answer. The correct path or answer will lower the potential the most. We may sense a feeling of release or satisfaction. Other paths that are not fully correct will retain some potential energy or get caught in a gully part way down the hill. There is still an uneasy feeling. These can raise new questions to lift the ball out of the hole for another run down the energy hill.

 

When they get all the way down the hill these became part of long term memory. The next time, the ball will roll down this trench right to the bottom of the hill. The short term memory appears to be the question and answer energy hill due to lack of stability.

 

But long term memory does not always imply lowest energy. For example, the earth was flat and the final answer to a question for many centuries. This was socially accepted as the lowest energy state to that question, although in reality it was only part way down the reality hill. At that point certain brains will sense this is just a gully illusion allowing thinking to evolve.

[iNow]

WTF are you talking about, pioneer? None of that is accurate, and you seem to be just making it up as you go.

 

Here's an idea. Try sticking to evidence instead of speculation. If you do, you'll be wrong far less often.

[CreigUSA]

Asking or being asked a question creates a brain state (in my parlance a holographic interference pattern). Anything which resonates (has a holographic pattern similarity) to that pattern will tend to emerge. Energy conservation makes it easier for similar patterns to coexist in the brain. If an exact memory match cannot be established, the brain rhythms (interference pattern) will seek to arrive at a pattern which matches as closely as possible. From the perspective of the individual asking the question, that is either the answer (or best guess-- the holographic interference pattern which best fits the ongoing rhythm pattern).

[bigjobs]

is there any research into the psychology of questions that people are aware of. i have found one book which looks as though it's out of print.

 

any journal articles etc that people know of?

[john5746]

any journal articles etc that people know of?

 

I have no answer for that question.

[bigjobs]

^^LOL yeah you do, you just typed it! that's my point. you still answered the question with the answer 'i have no answer for that question'

 

see it's still an answer ... ha ha ha .

[pioneer]

WTF are you talking about, pioneer? None of that is accurate, and you seem to be just making it up as you go.

 

Here's an idea. Try sticking to evidence instead of speculation. If you do, you'll be wrong far less often.

 

This is common sense to anyone who is self aware of their own brains. Testing or questions creates stress or a state of tension. The answer releases the tension. Like any chemical reaction, even memory needs an activation state before other thought reactions/interactions can occur. It appears you have learned from those who are not self aware enough to percieve the answer to this question.

 

All I did was add activation energy to your brain and got you excited. Hopefully you don't return to obsolete.

[iNow]

I didn't realize we were posting in the speculations forum.

 

Let's see some citations which support your assertions.

 

 

</me: Yeah, good luck getting some real science out of pioneer who never supports his conjectures. You should know better by now.>

[Trurl]

I’m no psychologist. But aren’t you saying we are always thinking, so when we see a question we think. But if we understand the question our thinking gives us an answer? Isn’t a better question: “How does the question make us think through patterns of thought and our knowledge?” or “What stimulus produces what answer (or type of answer) to the problems?” I agree with the others that it sounds impossible.

[bigjobs]

^^ yep, i can see what you're saying. i think we are saying the same thing.