Cognitive module

Introduction
A cognitive module is, in theories of the modularity of mind and the closely-related society of mind theory, a specialised tool or sub-unit that can be used by other parts to resolve cognitive tasks. The question of their existence and nature is a major topic in cognitive science and evolutionary psychology. Some see cognitive modules as an independent part of the mind. Others see also new thought patterns achieved by experience as cognitive modules.

Other terms for similar concepts to what in this article is called Cognitive module are Cognitive description, Cognitive pattern and Psychological Mechanism. Such an mechanism, if created by evolution, is known as Evolved Psychological Mechanism.

Examples
Here are some examples of cognitive modules:


 * The modules controlling your hands when you ride a bike, to stop it crashing by minor left and right turns.


 * The modules which allows a basket-ball player to accurately push the ball into the basket.


 * The modules which recognizes hunger and tells you that you need food.


 * The modules which cause you to appreciate a beautiful flower, painting or person.


 * The modules which cause some humans to be jealous of their partners' friends.


 * The modules which computes the speeds of other vehicles and tells you if you have time to cross without crashing into other cars.


 * The modules which tell you to look both to the right and to the left before crossing a street.


 * The modules which cause parents to love and take care of their children.


 * The sex drive modules.


 * Modules that specifically discern the movements of animals.


 * The fight or flight reflex choice modules.

Evolutionary psychology view of cognitive modules
In the research field of Evolutionary psychology it is believed that some cognitive modules are inherited, some are created by learning, but the creation of new modules by learning is often guided by inherited modules.

For example, the ability to ride a car or throw a basket ball are certainly learned and not inherited modules, but they may make use of inherited modules to rapidly compute trajectories.

There is some disagreement between different social scientists on the importance to the capabilities of the human mind of inherited modules. Evolutionary psychologists claim that other social scientists do not accept that some modules are partially inherited, other social scientists claim that evolutionary psychologists are exaggerating the importance of inherited cognitive modules.

Memory and creative thought
A very important aspect of how humans think is the ability, when encountering a situation or problem, to find more or less similar, but not identical, experiences or cognitive modules. This can be compared to what happens if you sound a tone near a piano. The piano string corresponding to this particular tone will then vibrate. But also other strings, from nearby strings, will vibrate to a lesser extent.

Exactly how the human mind does this is not known, but it is believed that when you encounter a situation or problem, many different cognitive modules are activated at the same time, and the mind selects those which are most useful for understanding a new situation or solving a new problem.

Psychic disorders - cognitive modules run amuck
Many common psychic and personality disorders are caused by cognitive modules run amuck.

Insane jealousy: Jealousy is a basic human cognitive module, developed through evolution in order to safeguard a mate. These modules were developed, since people who safeguarded their mates were more successful in producing offspring, so that their adaptations are those that succeeds in future generations.

Jealousy includes strategies to check upon mates, to ensure that they are not meeting other partners. They may also resort to violence against competitors.

Jealousy is more often stronger in men than women, because a woman is always sure that she is the mother of her children, while a man can only be sure that he is the father of his children if he can ensure that his wife is faithful.

But in modern society, we look down upon men who try to control the life of their wife's too strictly. And violence caused by jealousy is not accepted in our culture.

Jealousy can also run amuck. For example, a common cause of unnecessary conflict in relations is that the man is jealous of the woman's previous sexual partners before she met him. All people are born with a jealousy cognitive module. But if this module is activated to a too strong degree, it becomes a Personality disorder.

An extreme psychic disorder related to jealousy is Stalking. A stalker is a person (usually a man) who behaves as if he had a relation to another person (usually a woman) even though the woman is not interested in him.

Paranoia Being suspicious of fellow human beings, wanting to check that they are not secretly plotting against us, is a basic human cognitive module, which to some extent is useful for survival. But in some people, this turns into unreasonable suspiciousness where there is in reality no plotting against you. Such behavior is by psychiatrists labeled as Paranoid Schizophrenia or in milder forms as Paranoid Personality Disorder.

These disorders thus occurs when the suspiciousness cognitive module is triggered too often and too strongly.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: In this, very common disorder, a person will repeat checking of for example that a door is locked, repeated washing, sometimes lasting for hours, in order to ensure cleanliness

Again, there is an adapted disorder in all humans to check that a door is looked, to wash to keep us clean. But when this cognitive module is triggered too often and often needlessly many times in succession, it becomes a disorder.

Transference: A cognitive module developed to solve a particular problem can sometimes crop up in other situations where it is not appropriate. You may be angry at your boss, but take out your anger on another man. Often, you are not aware of the transference, and in psychotherapy, the patient is made aware of this which makes it easier to modify the unsuitable behavior.

Sigmund Freud's theory of sublimation said that cognitive modules for some activities, such as sex, may incorrectly show up in disguise in cases where they are not suitable. Freud also introduced the idea of the unconscious, by which is meant cognitive modules, where a person is not aware of the initial cause of these modules, and may then use them inappropriately.

Schizophrenia is a psychic disorder where cognitive modules are triggered too often, overwhelming the brain with information. The unability to repress overwhelming information is a cause of Schizophrenia.

Treatment of cognitive module psychic disorders
Cognitive therapy is a psychotherapeutic method which helps people to understand better which cognitive modules cause them to do certain things, and to teach them alternative, more appropriate cognitive modules to use instead in the future.

Ethics and law
Most law-abiding people have cognitive modules which stop them from committing crimes. Criminals have different modules, causing criminal behavior. Thus, cognitive modules can be a cause of both ethical and unethical behavior.