The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is beloved by millions in part because of its fantastical nature, but also because the books allow Harry to face very adult decisions that allow him to grow. In the sixth novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry has to work with his mentor, Albus Dumbledore to piece together Lord Voldemort’s past. A majority of their decision making can be connected to the utility theory. Using the utility theory, Dumbledore makes life-changing decisions that helps Harry fulfill his quest to destroy Lord Voldemort.

The utility theory connects the decision making process to monetary values; which of these results will give me the most money in return? In real life, not every decision is based on economic factors. The utility theory states that people will pick whichever event will benefit most in the long run. In some cases, people will choose an event that is not the highest value. This could be because the losses of the decision outweigh the gains of the outcome; if one has to choose a lottery ticket that guarantees them $20, they are more likely to deny a lotto ticket that has a fifty percent chance of them losing $20 but gaining $40.

During the events of Half-Blood Prince, Harry and Dumbledore must find a horcrux, which is a fragment of Voldemort’s soul. In order to get the horcrux, one must drink a poisonous potion from a chalice until the horcrux is visible enough for them to grab it. For this obstacle, Dumbledore chooses to drink the poison. He reasons that Harry is the most valuable asset in their quest, and he must be protected. As a result, Dumbledore becomes very ill and can barely walk. However, Harry does attain the horcrux. When Harry and Dumbledore travel back to Hogwarts, Dumbledore is tragically murdered by Severus Snape, which is a part of an even bigger plot to save the world; Dumbledore had to choose between death and turning Harry over to Voldemort.

With the utility theory in mind, Dumbledore calculated that Harry’s safety outweighed his own safety. Even though he got really sick from the poison from the chalice, Dumbledore reasoned that it was worth being poisoned to keep Harry safe enough to get a hold of the horcrux. When it came down to a face-off, Dumbledore reasoned that being a martyr for the greater good outweighed giving Harry up to Voldemort’s followers.

Although the Harry Potter series is a book written for children, there are a lot of grown-up themes in the books. Decision making can be very difficult for anyone, let alone a teenage wizard. The choices made by those in Harry’s world define who they are as people. Their choices can be analyzed further by using the utility theory.

Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code is filled with riddles and secret messages for Robert Langdon and his team to solve. These riddles are mostly given by Leonardo Da Vinci (hence the title), as Langdon finds artifacts to solve the mystery of the Holy Grail. Although this book has been proven by many to be inspired by fabricated events, I am still able to connect certain aspects of the book to this class. Using the theory of problem-solving by Newell and Simon, Langdon was able to figure out a puzzle formulated by Da Vinci hundreds of years ago.

According to Newell and Simon, there are many different states when it comes to problem-solving. The first state is called the initial state, and this represents the problem itself; the initial state gives the conditions of the event, what makes the event a problem (Goldstein, 2011). When one is solving a problem, they change the state of the event to what is called intermediate states, which are the steps in between the problem and the solution (2011). As we know, sometimes there are many different ways to solve a problem. Newell and Simon called this idea the problem space, which is the initial state, the goal state, and all possible intermediate states (2011). On the journey to solving the problem, there are multiple subgoals, which represent each intermediate state toward the eventual goal state (2011). When the problem is finally solved, the goal state is reached (2011).

In The Da Vinci Code, Langdon comes across what Brown named a “cryptex,” which is described as a cylindrical device lined with twistable knobs (much like a numerical bike lock) that holds a secret message written on papyrus (Nickell, 2007). However, one must be very careful when opening a cryptex because if the wrong message is twisted onto the device, a small glass phial filled with vinegar will break inside it, and therefore ruin the message (2007). Langdon knows that in order to find the Holy Grail, he must solve the cryptex. Langdon and his team visit Westminster Abbey because they believe a clue to solving the cryptex would be near Sir Isaac Newton’s tomb. Based on a poem he received earlier, Langdon figured that the orb that was referenced in the poem referred to Newton’s apple. Sure enough, as Langdon entered the word “APPLE” into the cryptex, it opened, revealing a map to the Holy Grail.

With Newell and Simon’s theory in mind, the unsolved cryptex would be the initial state of the problem. Any twists and turns in the cryptex would be different intermediate states of the problem. As Langdon tries to solve the riddle from the poem he received, he is creating more intermediate states mentally. Therefore, the problem space is not only the cryptex itself, but also the ideas and thought processes in Langdon’s head. Finally, as Langdon enters the word APPLE into the cryptex, and as it opens, this is the goal state of the problem.

An illustrated example of Newell and Simon’s theory is shown in The Da Vinci Code. Langdon’s steps toward solving the cryptex are coordinated with each of the states in their theory.

References:

Goldstein, E. B. (2011). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience. Wadsworth, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Nickell, J. (2007 May/June). Deciphering Da Vinci’s Real Codes. Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, Vol. 31 (3). Retrieved from http://www.csicop.org/si/show/deciphering_da_vincis_real_codes/

Memories of the events in our lives shape our relationships with loved ones. Our recollection of facts determine our intelligence. Episodic memories and semantic memories are truly what make us human. To some, our intelligence is a mark of social status, or a reflection of our education. This holds true in the film Slumdog Millionaire. In Slumdog Millionaire, a homeless orphan named Jamal uses his episodic memory to justify the recollection of facts from his semantic memory in order to win Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Both semantic and episodic memories are examples of long-term memories. In order for us to transfer information from our short-term memories to long-term memories, we have to mentally code the items. The most effective way to code STM into LTM is by elaborative rehearsal, which is to connect the new item with another item we already know (Goldstein, 2011). For example, if I am introduced to a new employee at work whose name is Linda, I am more likely to remember her name if I connect this information to the fact that I have an Aunt Linda. A similar event also happens when we code episodic memories to semantic memories. When we learn something new, the very event of learning a new fact if considered an episodic memory (Goldstein, 2011). However, when we code this information into semantic memory, we are likely to forget how or where we learned the fact. At that point, we only remember the fact itself, unless the event in which learning took place was extremely memorable.

In Slumdog Millionaire, Jamal is a young man determined to win Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He grew up extremely poor, his home the slums of Mumbai. He would never be able to afford an education, let alone acquire the knowledge needed to win twenty million rupees on a trivia gameshow. Jamal is tortured and questioned by police, who suspect he’s cheating. However, Jamal has a reason for knowing the answers to each question he had been asked. For example, Jamal was asked “The song ‘Darshan Do Ghanshyam’ was written by which famous Indian poet?” (moviesmiscellany.com, 2011). Jamal remembered that when he was living in an orphanage, he witnessed the headmaster blind a little boy after he sang “Darshan Do Ghanshyam.” The headmaster explained that although the little boy had such a nice singing voice, he’d make more money from begging if he were a blind singer. Thus, Jamal was able to remember that it was Surdas who originally wrote the song.

Throughout Slumdog Millionaire, Jamal connects the memories of his life to the facts he knows to win Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The memory he has of the boy being blinded is an episodic memory. However, from that memory, Jamal is also able to recall a semantic memory: the fact that Surdas wrote “Darshan Do Ghanshyam.” This illustrates the idea that our semantic memories are first remembered, or coded, as episodic memories. Jamal also is able to connect facts to personal events in his life, which is an example of elaborative rehearsal.

Jamal’s knowledge of trivia questions in Slumdog Millionaire perfectly illustrate the idea that semantic memories are very much connected to episodic memories. Perhaps he wasn’t from the wealthiest family, but Jamal was still able to answer questions that those with even the highest education would have trouble with. Jamal’s ability to connect his episodic memories to his sematic memories shows that he’s able to win a difficult gameshow, and illustrate how the average person codes STM to LTM.

References:

Goldstein, E. B. (2011). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience. Wadsworth, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Simon. (2011, Jan. 23). Questions and Answers From Slumdog Millionaire. [Web log]. Retrieved from: http://moviemiscellany.com/2011/01/questions-and-answers-from-slumdog-millionaire/

Although our course has just started, I am learning so much already. Of the topics we have learned, I feel as though I can connect the most to the perception chapter. In particular, I feel that the most relatable concept has been bottom-up processing. Ever since I read about bottom-up processing, I have noticed that this happens to me quite often. The fact that bottom-up processing happens at any time, in any location is what makes the phenomenon most exciting.

Bottom-up processing begins with the most basic of our senses, whether it be sight, smell, or taste. For example, when we see an object, the rod and cone receptors allow us to see the object’s depth and color with our eyes. Our brains’ occipital lobe will then process this visual information into something we can analyze. This is where bottom-up processing can come into play. Sometimes we do not know what an object is right away. That’s why sometimes a plastic bag on the side of the road looks like road kill at first glance; with bottom-up processing, we experience the stimulus first, then analyze it later. However, bottom-up processing is not just associated with sight. Bottom-up processing is also be used to analyze tastes.

A show that utilizes bottom-up processing is, surprisingly, Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay. A popular (and personal favorite) challenge for the chefs on the show is the blind taste challenge. Ramsay’s thought is that chefs need to have a great taste palate in order to make the best food. Two chefs will wear blindfolds and noise-cancelling headphones (so their teams can’t shout the answers to them) while Ramsay feeds them different foods. The chefs will have to use only their sense of taste to tell Ramsay what food they are eating. Sometimes the chefs are particularly good at this challenge. However, it’s shocking how terribly some of the chefs perform during this challenge; of the five foods, some chefs are lucky to guess even one food correctly (I remember specifically, a chef thought a piece of salmon was chicken).

The blind taste challenge is an example of bottom-up processing because it is based on being exposed to a stimulus, then analyzing it later. When the chefs eat the food, there is no outside interference, which is due to the blindfolds and headphones. The chefs’ taste receptors are the only receptors working during the challenge. The gustatory cortex analyzes the taste of the food, and the chefs are then asked which food it is they are tasting. Using bottom-up processing, the chefs are able to taste the food, then determine which food they are eating, using their memory.

Bottom-up processing is used in even the most popular places. Whenever we are exposed to unfamiliar stimuli, we use bottom-up processing to analyze the stimuli. Whenever you enter a kitchen, and someone asks, “Have a bite of this, what does it taste like to you?” you will then use bottom-up processing to determine what that food tastes like.

References:

De Araujo, I. E., & Simon, S. A. (2009). The gustatory cortex and multisensory integration. International Journal of Obesity (2005), 33(Suppl 2), S34–S43. doi:10.1038/ijo.2009.70

Ford, E. C. (2015). Lesson 3: Perception. Personal Collection of Dr. E. Christina Ford, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.