willpower draft

content_blog/status/conspiracy_theory_of_willpower.mkd

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+---
+title: The Conspiracy Theory of Willpower
+date: 2012-08-24
+techne: :wip
+episteme: :speculation
+---
+
+(13時31分03秒) Owen Richardson: it's not a matter of running out of fuel
+(13時31分16秒) Owen Richardson: because they can go farther if you raise the value of getting there
+(13時31分49秒) 私: Another thing is that framing affects how draining a task is. Again, that seems more about what you're willing to invest in certain social interactions (as in, you're only worth 10min of my effort), than running out of willpower.
+(13時31分57秒) Owen Richardson: glucose (or whatever) isn't being burned up
+(13時32分48秒) Owen Richardson: but... hold on, I almost feel like I've got this down in terms of simple behaviorism
+(13時33分59秒) Owen Richardson: there isn't a finite supply of "fuel", cuz people go farther if you motivate them by taking away excuses...
+(13時34分10秒) Owen Richardson: raise the value of getting there
+(13時35分21秒) Owen Richardson: you could say there's a throttle... to maintain as low a payoff/effort level as possible?
+(13時36分21秒) Owen Richardson: but
+(13時36分25秒) Owen Richardson: you could just say
+(13時36分51秒) Owen Richardson: okay, here're the people who you told "you can't eat these cookies; have the radishes instead"
+(13時36分57秒) Owen Richardson: they controlled themselves
+(13時37分00秒) 私: I'm not sure "effort" is the right way of framing it. More like "time investment, according to social importance".
+(13時37分04秒) Owen Richardson: they got squat for it
+(13時37分29秒) 私: Right, you screwed them over, they won't cooperate as much in the next task.
+(13時37分36秒) Owen Richardson: the learned that controlling yourself doesn't pay
+(13時37分50秒) Owen Richardson: simple operant conditioning
+(13時38分26秒) Owen Richardson:  "time investment, according to social importance"?
+(13時38分50秒) Owen Richardson: I bet they'd still do it even if no one saw
+(13時38分57秒) Owen Richardson: self image
+(13時39分13秒) Owen Richardson: but I wouldn't be surprised if a bit less, I guess...
+(13時39分26秒) Owen Richardson: but yeah
+(13時40分04秒) Owen Richardson: what else can we do with plain ol operant conditioning as a model?
+(13時40分28秒) 私: So what? They still know you put the radish there. Whoever is running the experiment is still an ass. :)
+(13時41分53秒) Owen Richardson: "still do it" meaning as the "it", putting in extra effort if made to believe they could choose to regenerate will power
+(13時42分17秒) Owen Richardson: fuck eating the radishes if no one's watching XD
+(13時42分27秒) 私: :D
+(13時43分10秒) Owen Richardson: actually, personally, I'd probably eat all the cookies AND all the radishes
+(13時43分17秒) 私: That should be testable, though. "Here are two dishes, choose one, no one's watching, we'd prefer if you don't eat the cookies".
+(13時43分53秒) 私: vs. "you're supposed to eat the radish, but hey, I smuggled in some cookies, your choice, no one will know".
+(13時44分35秒) Owen Richardson: I don't know what you expect to learn from that :P
+(13時45分30秒) 私: As in, the less adverserial you make the experiment, the less depletion of willpower you should see.
+(13時45分42秒) 私: Even if you do exactly the same thing and believe the same things.
+(13時46分15秒) Owen Richardson: it seems like a test of how much people will be influenced by very weak suggestions that they should pick radishes over cookies?
+(13時46分39秒) Owen Richardson: even when told "your choice, no one will know"
+(13時47分07秒) Owen Richardson: "but you SHOULD, in some vague way, for some reason, eat the radishes"
+(13時47分41秒) Owen Richardson: and then you puzzlefuck them
+(13時47分45秒) Owen Richardson: what's the point?
+(13時48分18秒) 私: What I mean is, willpower experiments have controlled how difficult tasks are, and what subjects believe. They haven't controlled how much they ally themselves with the experimenters.
+(13時48分49秒) 私: As in, mysteriously becoming tired has nothing to do with the task at hand, but how much you are willing to associate with the experimenters.
+(13時49分11秒) Owen Richardson: ...social... obligations' effect on "willpower", you mean?
+(13時49分42秒) Owen Richardson: I forget how and why the radish cookie thing was presented
+(13時49分44秒) 私: Let's call it the Conspiracy Theory of Willpower. :)
+(13時49分57秒) Owen Richardson: but I thought it was tricksie
+(13時50分17秒) Owen Richardson: like they were told it was a nutrition test or something
+(13時50分47秒) Owen Richardson: and then whisked off the the impossible puzzles as a completely different experiment with different researchers
+(13時51分14秒) Owen Richardson: "yeah, turns out the radish cookie guys couldn't make it. WHAT A SHAME."
+(13時51分28秒) Owen Richardson: that's the kind of shit they pull
+(13時51分52秒) 私: Hm. I'll have to check the papers.
+(13時52分01秒) Owen Richardson: but yeah
+(13時52分08秒) 私: I'll put it on my todo. :)
+(13時52分11秒) Owen Richardson: operant conditioning
+(13時52分51秒) 私: (Besides, there doesn't have to be just one explanation.)
+(13時53分02秒) 私: Conditioning is definitely a thing.