Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Calculating Which Calculations to Use
One of the most important problems that humans have with mimicking perfect
rationality—and therefore normative decision making—is the third point on the
list. We simply are not wired to make many of the calculations that are necessary.
This is not limited to performing math and whatnot. Surprisingly, we do more of
that than we realize. Simply catching a fly ball requires us to instinctively perform
a startling number of differential calculus equations, yet this is something that small
children can do many years before they are comfortable with long division. The
problem of flawed calculation is a little more subtle than that.
Often, the calculations that need to be made are not the ones we are handed
and can write down on paper. Instead, the problem of calculation is determining
what calculations need to be made in the first place. This is similar to the percep-
tion of information issue above. Faced with an endless array of potential factors and
an exponentially larger number of combinations of those factors, simply deciding
what to include and what to exclude is an enormous feat.
Both including
too much
information and not including
enough
information in
our decision-making process can lead to failures to arrive at logical conclusions.
These are two of the important “boundaries� that lead to bounded rationality.
M
ISUSING
I
RRELEVANT
I
NFORMATION
Thankfully, as we mentioned in Chapter 2, most sentient life forms have a built-in
filter known as latent inhibition. This helps us sort through things in our environment
and dismiss those which are not relevant. If, as a kid, we were in left field dutifully
doing our differential calculus to catch the incoming fly ball, we would probably
concede that the length of Suzie Miller's straw relative to the depth of her cup and
her volume of remaining Cherry Coke is not relevant to our task at hand (or at glove).
However, latent inhibition is not infallible. Sometimes things slip through that
we may
think
are relevant but actually are not. In fact, even being aware of these
points may detract from our calculation ability, such as our awareness that Suzie
Miller is watching us run for the lazy fly ball and thinking that we need to look cool
while making the catch. At that point, we might get a little too muddled to do all that
heady differential calculus. (Please note: This is, by no means, autobiographical.
When I was performing athletically as a kid, I
never
got muddled by girls watching
me. No girls ever bothered to watch me!)
Inventorying the Backyard
There certainly is a purpose for latent inhibition. This is a very important charac-
teristic in evolutionary theory. If we were to process absolutely
everything
in our
