?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Fitness+as+Default%3A+the+evolutionary+basis+of+cognitive+complexity+reduction&rft.creator=Heylighen%2C+Francis&rft.subject=Cognitive+Psychology&rft.subject=Evolutionary+Psychology&rft.subject=Decision+Theory&rft.subject=Epistemology&rft.description=Given+that+knowledge+consists+of+finite+models+of+an+infinitely+complex+reality%2C+how+can+we+explain+that+it+is+still+most+of+the+time+reliable%3F+Survival+in+a+variable+environment+requires+an+internal+model+whose+complexity+(variety)+matches+the+complexity+of+the+environment+that+is+to+be+controlled.+The+reduction+of+the+infinite+complexity+of+the+sensed+environment+to+a+finite+map+requires+a+strong+mechanism+of+categorization.+A+measure+of+cognitive+complexity+(C)+is+defined%2C+which+quantifies+the+average+amount+of+trial-and-error+needed+to+find+the+adequate+category.+C+can+be+minimized+by+%22probability+ordering%22+of+the+possible+categories%2C+where+the+most+probable+alternatives+(%22defaults%22)+are+explored+first.+The+reduction+of+complexity+by+such+ordering+requires+a+low+statistical+entropy+for+the+cognized+environment.+This+entropy+is+automatically+kept+down+by+the+natural+selection+of+%22fit%22+configurations.+The+high+probability%2C+%22default%22+cognitive+categorizations+are+then+merely+mappings+of+environmentally+%22fit%22+configurations.&rft.publisher=World+Science%2C+Singapore&rft.contributor=Trappl%2C+Robert&rft.date=1994&rft.type=Book+Chapter&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpostscript&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F314%2F2%2FFitness_20as_20Default2.ps&rft.identifier=++Heylighen%2C+Francis++(1994)+Fitness+as+Default%3A+the+evolutionary+basis+of+cognitive+complexity+reduction.++%5BBook+Chapter%5D+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F314%2F