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Cognitive Mechanisms of Belief Change

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Abstract

This chapter presents the core of the belief change model, or the engine of belief. It is here where the heavy lifting gets done at the confluence of the mind and contextual forces. Conversion to a new suite of beliefs works in a multifaceted way; a dynamic event where the cognitive transition is mediated by structural and contextual forces, along with the baggage of previous experiences mixed with existing concepts. The engine of conversion revolves around a series of seven mechanisms, which collectively operationalise the engine into defined practices, behaviours, and thinking patterns. From inputs that land in the mind, computation spits outs inferences automatically, some of which we act upon immediately, while others allow us the opportunity to reflect before making a decision to act. As a result, we experience strong leanings towards certain kinds of thinking. In addition, all of our senses deliver information pertinent to belief change because they deliver embodied expressions of emotional states, which after repeated exposures, act to stimulate the very emotions they signify. Not only are emotional experiences during belief-related activities relevant, but so too are their role in linking action, thought, and feeling through ingrained pathways that play out like inexorable tracks once the belief stimulus is activated. The model also suggests that rituals play a pivotal role not just in the transmission of belief concepts but also in the process of attuning cognition for ongoing receptivity to deeper, more elaborate concepts.

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  1. RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Aaron C. T. Smith

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Smith, A.C.T. (2016). Computation. In: Cognitive Mechanisms of Belief Change. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57895-2_3

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