On Wed, 7 Jul 2004, Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
> I believe (albeit cannot prove it) that cognitive predispositions are
> the hardware rather then software - i.e. are predetermined by the
> chemical and neurological setup of a person's brain, rather than
> learned. That does not mean they are necessarily genetic - perhaps
> pre-natal and early childhood environment has something to do with it.
> Mind that cognitive predisposition affects not just the choice of
> political ideology (a relative minor affair but how we organize our
> perceptions in general.
This assumption about the rigidity of cognitive predispositions is contradicted by a number of longitudinal studies on personality. Yes, various personality tendencies tend to be positively correlated over time, but there is far more flexibility in cognitive predispositions than Woj suggests (most people show significant differences in their personalities from childhood to adulthood; you cannot accurately predict personality trait scores in an older adult by simply looking at their scores in late childhood or adolescence). I agree that we are not simply the products of reinforcement contingencies; however, our cognitive predispositions and personality traits are far more flexible than Woj assumes.
We learn, we change: to me, that's the most amazing thing about us, and despite all war and death and misery in the world, our capacity to change is what gives me hope. (At least on my better days.)
Miles