4,904 reputation
1874
bio website cs.mcgill.ca/~akazna
location Montreal, Canada
age 23
visits member for 1 year, 4 months
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From the School of Computer Science and Department of Psychology at McGill University, I marvel at the world through algorithmic lenses. My specific interests are in quantum computing, evolutionary game theory, modern evolutionary synthesis, and theoretical cognitive science. Previously I was at the Institute for Quantum Computing and Department of Combinatorics & Optimization at the University of Waterloo and a visitor to the Centre for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore.


Oct
14
comment What makes people easily subscribe to pseudoscientific theories?
@JavierRodriguezLaguna prediction is definitely a big plus (why many prefer physics over psychology, say) but it is not mandatory. A good story (although also not necessarily mandatory) is almost always desired, once again consider how many theorists where guided by mathematical elegance (good story in math terms) to arrive at new truths. Notable case-studied would be Einstein and (again) Dirac.
Oct
14
comment What makes people easily subscribe to pseudoscientific theories?
@JavierRodriguezLaguna I think you have a very naive view of how science proceeds. Physics is very exceptional compared to most of science in being able to generate predictions, and even when it does it is mostly by accident. Almost every theorist that sets out to work in physics has as their goal to explain something, only after they develop their theory do they realize that as a side-effect it made some new predictions. If you want a case-study, consider either Maxwell on light or Dirac's work on anti-particles. We remember predictions because they are romantic, but that is not the practice.
Oct
14
comment Theories of the human mind and/or intelligence
@pinouchon no problem. I didn't mean to discourage you, I just have to type such comments often (there is a lot of tag misuse) and thus my comments are sometimes brash. I hope you stick around and use this site to aid your explorations, I suggest some tips on using CogSci.SE for learning here.
Oct
14
comment Theories of the human mind and/or intelligence
please read the tag-wikis before using tags, neither theory-of-the-mind (which is the question of how we come to believe that others have minds) nor theoretical-neuroscience (that deals with mathematical or computational questions in neuroscience) apply.
Oct
9
comment Applications of computational learning theory in the cognitive sciences
thanks, but this has very little to do with CoLT, and the first part of your answer is already taken care of by this answer in the links I provide in the question.
Oct
9
comment Is there any fMRI evidence for different “states of mind”?
theory-of-the-mind is the social activity of recognizing or coming to learn that other individuals posses minds distinct from your own, you were looking for the tag philosophy-of-mind. Please take the time to read tag-wikis when you are unsure.
Oct
6
comment Does Cognitive Tunneling apply to daydreaming as well?
cognitive capture/tunneling is inherently about being too focused on instrumentation instead of the environment they are suppose to correspond to. How is daydreaming related to external instruments? As far as I can tell the paper you cite and the concept of cognitive tunneling is completely disconnected from the rest of your question. Thus, it is not at all clear to me what you are asking. Are you just asking what causes inattention? Or how day-dreaming fits into cognitive-science?
Oct
2
comment 'Model-free' learning in humans
@CHCH is referring to this article which for me is also first result. As this is not your first question, I am disappointed by the lack of initial research. It is also not clear to me what you are trying to ask here. Although you make some fun points, I am not sure if this is a question and am voting to close as NARQ.
Sep
16
comment Why do people donate money to others engaging in activities for charity?
I am worried that this question is off-topic, but I am not sure enough to cast a close vote. Can you provide some initial research to make this question more clearly on topic for a scientific site?
Sep
16
comment How do songs trigger memories associated with previous experiences of listening to the song?
"is there any research done on this?" is an extremely vague question. I like your motivation in the post, but can you ask a more specific question? One that is informed by your initial research.
Sep
16
comment Is there a correlation between EQ (EI) and IQ?
I downvoted your question because it showed absolutely no initial research effort. I was also going to vote to close, but decided not to since you are a new user. In general, if you want good answers then you need to put effort into your questions.
Sep
14
comment Is there a range in time on which the mind detects correlation between events?
@Alpha if you want further details then you should ask a follow up question based on waldog's answer! I would definitely like to read it.
Sep
14
comment What is a validated single-item measure of mood?
@JasonMcPherson has Gael answer provided sufficient detail? If so, would you consider accepting it? Otherwise, what information is it lacking? Maybe a follow up question is warranted?
Sep
14
comment What research gives insight into the terms “low status” and “high status”?
would you be able to expand on this answer to summarize the basic findings of these papers? Or their topics further than just title?
Sep
14
comment What is the current “accepted” science behind dream interpretation?
@Rahul has Andy's answer provided sufficient detail to satisfy your question? If so, will you consider accepting it? Or do you want something further in an answer? If you are interested in Jung, consider these: 1, 2, 3, 4 maybe they will stir new follow up questions for you.
Sep
14
comment Difference between “Social Roles” and “Social Groups”
has Jeromy's answer provided sufficient information? If so, would you consider accepting it? Otherwise, what further information would you want? Or do you have follow up questions to build on this one?
Sep
14
comment Why do we prefer visually aligned objects?
Has this question been sufficiently answered, or are you looking for further thoughts? If it is the former then will you consider accepting one of the answers?
Sep
14
comment Is there a reduction of “Brain Fog” with fewer hours of sleep?
@Bradford is there anything Chuck's answer is missing? Or would you consider accepting it? Alternatively, what more are you looking for in an answer or do you have any follow up questions you want to ask separately?
Sep
14
comment Is there a range in time on which the mind detects correlation between events?
@Alpha has waldog answered your question in sufficient detail? If so, will you consider accepting his answer? If not, what more are you looking for in the answer?
Sep
13
comment When faced with a choice and trying to make a quick decision, are 2 options better than 3 or more options?
If you are comfortable with mathematical models of decision making then the models in this question will help you. As you noted in your question, what is more likely to matter is not the number of choices as much as the similarity of the choices (usually choosing between similar options takes longer than when one is clearly better). The number of choices doesn't necessarily have anything to do with how similar options are. In most real-life settings you're usually more likely to find similar options when given more choices and this would slow you.