Mental Structure Jerry Fodor's four accounts of mental structure subvert behaviorism by revealing a modular mind. The first account of mental structure in Fodor's theory is Neocartesian, and relates to the mind as being related to the structure of knowledge. The second account of mental structure relates to functional architecture and horizontal faculties. The third refers to functional architecture and vertical faculties, and the fourth with associationism. All of these models of mental structure and function can be illuminating, but the one that seems to be substantiated most readily by research in cognitive science and neuroscience is the architecture of verticality. Vertical faculties refer to mental faculties arrayed in such a way suggesting a hierarchy. The hierarchy is not a judgmental one, in which those faculties deemed "higher" are more advanced. Rather, the hierarchy refers to a structural or procedural order in which some functions are broader or more like umbrella faculties. This is why Fodor has remained committed to a view of modularity that permits more nebulous features of mind. Recent research into what might otherwise be esoteric aspects of cognitive and social psychology, such as Direct Social Perception Hypothesis, relate best to an account of mental structure rooted in functional architecture and vertical faculties (Lavelle,...
Broader mental functions such as social cognition become an overarching structure, like the frame of a building. Modular structures within this frame allow for the various forms, features, and mechanisms of perceiving other people's psychological states. For example, intuition felt on a physiological level like gut instincts would be subservient processes to the overarching realm of what could be construed as telepathy. Likewise, reading body language and other communication faculties would also be serving the same function.
There are several discussion points around these aspects. Proposal and Methodology of this Paper will dedicate my paper to the problems with the concept of modularity. First I will give a definition of massive modularity, explain something about domain-specific and domain-general hypotheses, and give Fodor's view of modularity. Then I will show that some domain-specific modules can be found in lower level processing. In the next paragraphs I will outline
Our senses during the conscious are rarely honed, but our subconscious states, from millenia of evolutionary change, are able to detect subtleties that have freed up our conscious minds for more analytical growth. Many people view this as subtrefuge -- our subconscious secrets living in a world that lacks expression. Instead, Jung believes that all things may be viewed as paired opposites (yin and yang). So love/hate, good/evil, male/female,
As a conclusion, the authors suggest a functional architecture of cognitive emotional control. The review ends with suggestions for future study, including a consideration of cultural differences and their effect on the individual's ability to control emotion in a cognitive way. Since the study is a review, the research methodology involves an overview of recent studies in the field of cognitive emotional control. The researchers appear to have made thorough
The psychotherapist's role is then to enhance the already existing tools to help those who need it develop their intelligence and problem-solving abilities in order to promote the healing process. Question 2 1: Both the cognitive and affective domains are important considerations within psychotherapy. Indeed, the two often function within a causal relationship to each other. In the Communicative Theory of emotion, as expounded by Brett et al. (2003), for example, emotions
If you fail to reproduce my findings, it is not due to some fault in your apparatus or in the control of your stimulus, but it is due to the fact that your introspection is untrained." (1878-1958) IV. Functionalism Structuralism resulted in a reaction that became known as Functionalism which was influenced greatly by the work of William James and the theory of Charles Darwin. Functionalism had as its emphasis intelligence
Cognitive Psychology The term Psychology can be described as the science of behavior as well as mental processes. The immediate goal for it is to understand individuals as well as groups by researching specific cases and established general principle. Cognitive psychology can be said to be sub-discipline of psychology discovering internal mental processes. It is the study of how people remember thinks, solve problem and speak. Previous psychological approaches is different
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