Vladimir A. Lefebvre (1995) The Anthropic Principle in Psychology and Human Choice
. Psycoloquy: 6(29) Human Choice (1)
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Psycoloquy 6(29): The Anthropic Principle in Psychology and Human Choice
THE ANTHROPIC PRINCIPLE IN PSYCHOLOGY AND HUMAN CHOICE
Vladimir A. Lefebvre
School of Social Sciences
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, California
VALEFEBV@UCI.EDU
Abstract
We introduce a model of a subject facing a choice of an
alternative out of a set. The model ties together three aspects of
human activity: behavioral, mental, and neural-computational.
Parameters of this model cannot be estimated experimentally. Thus,
a problem arises of determining them by means of theoretical
considerations. Similar problems appeared in cosmology as well:
the values of the fundamental constants necessary for constructing
models of the Universe cannot be determined empirically. One
possible solution is to use the "anthropic principle," that is, an
abstract statement which allows narrowing the number of
combinations of values. We show that a similar methodological
gambit can be used in psychology. We formulate an abstract
statement and find the parameters of the model with its help. Here
we establish the relation of this model to other theories of choice
and to experimental psychology. Then we demonstrate that our model
is formally isomorphic to the process of gradual minimization of
work lost by a heat engine system. The existence of such an
isomorphism supports a hypothesis that mental phenomena are related
to macro-characteristics of an ensemble of neuron states.
KEYWORDS: choice; computation; decision theory; ethical cognition;
mathematical psychology; model building; parameter estimation;
probability; rationality.
Keywords
choice; computation; decision theory; ethical cognition;
mathematical psychology; model building; parameter estimation;
probability; rationality.
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