Isn't this similar to dropout in machine learning neural networks? [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilution_(neural_networks)
Dropout is random, rather than learned. But I can see how it could have a similar effect to forgetting.
New theory proposes ‘forgetting’ is a form of learning
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Re: New theory proposes ‘forgetting’ is a form of learning
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
An old mentor of mine once said some thing I found very profound: “Learning is like eating; you can choose what you consume. But knowing is like digesting; it will happen regardless, and in its own time. You only have control over eating, so eat well and frequently” There’s really a little leap of faith any time we want to learn something, because we don’t actually control how or when it fits into our brain or body,…
I frequently find myself contributing to conversations with knowledge that I don't recall specifically learning. Once in a while, I think "Wow, how did I come up with something that insightful? When did I ever learn that?" It seems there's a background activity in the mind that is actually synthesizing a wide variety of inputs from our environment. As in what I read, movies I watch, meetings I sit in on, Tweets that…
> Once in a while, I think "Wow, how did I come up with something that insightful? When did I ever learn that?"
... and then I look it up and usually realize I was way off :)
Re: New theory proposes ‘forgetting’ is a form of learning
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
An old mentor of mine once said some thing I found very profound: “Learning is like eating; you can choose what you consume. But knowing is like digesting; it will happen regardless, and in its own time. You only have control over eating, so eat well and frequently” There’s really a little leap of faith any time we want to learn something, because we don’t actually control how or when it fits into our brain or body,…
I frequently find myself contributing to conversations with knowledge that I don't recall specifically learning. Once in a while, I think "Wow, how did I come up with something that insightful? When did I ever learn that?" It seems there's a background activity in the mind that is actually synthesizing a wide variety of inputs from our environment. As in what I read, movies I watch, meetings I sit in on, Tweets that…
innsæi
means "intuition" in ancient icelandic
Re: New theory proposes ‘forgetting’ is a form of learning
#24Is this really anew theory?
that's what i was thinking too. we've known this from neuroscience for a while. i at least remember learning this from at least 5 or more years ago. the general idea being that forgetting is an evolutionary advantage to help consume less conscious memory/processing. but there's always the chance that i'm misinterpreting this particular finding.
edit: was going to add another comment, but i've forgotten it now. something about how this is related to what neuroplasticity is. the brain getting rid of connections that aren't being used
Re: New theory proposes ‘forgetting’ is a form of learning
#25And people with PTSD and anxiety have problem with sorting what to forget. It may be just that troubled mind cannot forget because it thinks that this one bad thing is important, even when in grand scheme of things it isn’t. Maybe that is why psychedelics help people with ptsd, it rewires the importance of memories. Just my drunken 2c.
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Re: New theory proposes ‘forgetting’ is a form of learning
#26I wonder if this is related to the effect of being better at something after not doing it for a while. When it comes to a lot of things I do repetitively, I notice that there comes a point where either my skill doesn't improve or I actually get worse at what I'm doing. Then I'll take a day or more off, and when I come back suddenly I'm a total boss. The brain probably needs rest time to throw out the bad input and th…
I would say this has to do with sleeping. You've realigned everything and the signals come clearer the next time around.
Re: New theory proposes ‘forgetting’ is a form of learning
#27Is this really anew theory?
The irony if this was a forgotten theory.
Re: New theory proposes ‘forgetting’ is a form of learning
#28My ex is a linguist, and she used to tell me about the “learning by forgetting” theory of the “phonological inventory” — which is a fancy way of saying “the sounds you can distinguish and produce.” The idea was that children were born able to distinguish all possible sounds, and over time forget the ones they are not exposed to. Interestingly she was a syntactician by training and would tell me that there are many people who believe this is true for syntax too: that children are born with all possible grammars, and “forget” the parts that they’re not exposed to. So if a language expresses parameter X but the child hears ~X, the child “forgets” about X and learns ~X by forgetting. This kind of supposes that a grammar is a set of discrete rules. But I’m not an expert in any of this, for details you’ll need to track down a real linguist.
Re: New theory proposes ‘forgetting’ is a form of learning
#29I wonder if this is related to the effect of being better at something after not doing it for a while. When it comes to a lot of things I do repetitively, I notice that there comes a point where either my skill doesn't improve or I actually get worse at what I'm doing. Then I'll take a day or more off, and when I come back suddenly I'm a total boss. The brain probably needs rest time to throw out the bad input and th…
I would say this has to do with sleeping. You've realigned everything and the signals come clearer the next time around.
I wonder at what stage that takes place. This seems to happen regardless of what takes place in dreams, though I know that dreams take place only in certain stages.
Re: New theory proposes ‘forgetting’ is a form of learning
#30My ex is a linguist, and she used to tell me about the “learning by forgetting” theory of the “phonological inventory” — which is a fancy way of saying “the sounds you can distinguish and produce.” The idea was that children were born able to distinguish all possible sounds, and over time forget the ones they are not exposed to. Interestingly she was a syntactician by training and would tell me that there are many pe…
Interesting. Is there a correspondence between when a child loses their superhuman ability to learn new languages, and when a child achieves proficiency in the grammar and phonology of their native language?