parallels with computer based memory in Chapter 8 that might lead one down that particular bunny trail.

Cognition is the term applied to the acquisition and interpretation of knowledge. Not just the reception of and reflexive reaction to various physical stimuli, but the integration and correlation of various sensory inputs to derive an understanding of the cause of the physical stimuli and the synthesis of a response appropriate to this comprehensive understanding. In considering Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in the previous chapter, one might in general view that the deficiency needs primarily drive reflexive responses to stimuli, while the growth needs drive cognitive responses.

It is the cognitive systems of the brain that truly set modern man apart from his hominid precursors. The cognitive ability to think about the world observed through the sensory system in an abstract way, and then to influence or control the motor system’s response through this abstract thought, offers humans the capability to not just be reactive to the world, but proactive as well.

Structures and mechanisms made available by the brain and the complementary nervous systems facilitate the cognitive processes of the mind. Many areas of the brain are pre-ordained from the time of their construction to fulfill certain functions in the cognitive process.

In the early 1990’s, a research team at the University of Parma in Parma, Italy, headed by Giocomo Rizzolatti, discovered a class of neurons and neuron structures that would appear to provide a hard, physical basis for the brain’s ability to deal with contextual situations of complex stimuli along with the induced actions or reactions taken in response. While the exact sequence of events leading to their discovery may actually be more mundane, the urban legend tale of the discovery of mirror neurons is illustrative of one of those serendipitous occurrences of research. In an experiment designed to observe the behavior of a primate during various acts of stimulation, for example the stimulation of certain areas of a monkey’s brain while eating an ice cream cone, it was subsequently discovered that these subject areas of the brain of the test animal also exhibited the same stimulation when observing a lab technician eating an ice cream cone. The conjecture was that specific neurons or more likely collections of neurons forming specific neural networks within the brain are trained to represent a specific activity context. These neurons or neuron collectives then present an expression and understanding of the stimuli and the expected response actions when this activity, associated with this context, is observed in oneself or other individuals. In essence, our sensori-motor experiences build a contextual representation of activity in such a way as to allow us to internalize our understanding of the actions and reactions within the context of that activity when we perceive it in ourselves or in other individuals.

Subsequent studies by the University of Parma team, and by other researchers, such as discussed in the November, 2006, Scientific American article Mirrors in the Mind by Giacomo Rizzolatti, Leonardo Fogassi and Vittorio Gallese, have shown that mirror neuron comprehension extends to emotional as well as physical responses when stimulated by various, sometimes subtle sensory input. They observed that seeing a look of disgust on another’s face as they smell a distasteful odor evoked a similar feeling of disgust within us. As suggested in the article, a man, upon seeing a fleeting smile on the face of his lady friend as she picks a flower, enables him to quickly surmise that the flower will be given to him. The very powerful result from this particular wiring in our brains allows us to quickly, almost effortlessly, establish a context for sensory stimuli based on our individual experiences, and from that context determine a likely and appropriate response when we observe activities within this context in others, and, naturally, vice-versa. To link this back to the central theme of this book, this would appear to be a biophysical mechanism through which our minds can quickly establish trust in the interpretation of an interaction onset and the

Book available at Midori Press (regular)
Book available at Midori Press (signed)
Book available at Amazon (regular)