[leemck]

Underlying the process of thinking is a flow of sensory data that comes into contact with memory. There is a matching process taking place. Laughter is an example of a mismatch between sensory input and memory. The mismatch triggers jerks in the motor control system. The matching process goes on for a while, giving rise to what has been described by Kahneman as fast thinking and slow thinking. A lot of the brain is incoming somatic sensory signals and outgoing motor control signals. Thinking with words and symbols is a tiny part of the brain's receptive and expressive ability. A baby pulls itself to stand and experiences an exhilarating thrill as the balance organs and muscle circuits fire away to hold her body upright. That is why opera singers stand up to sing, that is why the bailiff in a court says "All Rise". And we haven't even begun to do thinking in the academic sense.

[leemck]

I'll add this. I work with severely disabled kids as a classroom aide. I keep getting the impression that the difference in their thinking and mine is quite small. I am geting to be 73 years old and the medical fact is I am probably losing brain cells. But the illusion that I can think remains pretty complete. I see an increasing time delay in the process of summoning detail from old memories. I can also see an increasing fragility in the old memories.W With warmth, I can tell the student I work with "I'm getting a little slower now too.