Image of the Forest
“(...) all intelligence is an abstraction of the present context. Therefore producing an abstraction is the essence of intelligence. But that abstraction is only a snapshot of the organism; it is not the organism itself. All models are wrong, because we build them to perform actions that are not feasible using the original.”
~The Oxford Handbook of Ethics of AI
Approach motivation refers to whether an organism will move toward a stimulus and is associated with greater relative left prefrontal cortical activity; withdrawal motivation refers to whether it will move away from it and is associated with greater relative right prefrontal cortical activity. These changes are detectable with wearable, miniature brain-sensing devices.
We hypothesise that more natural environments, characterised by optimal shape complexity, are associated with positive effects on restoration and healing, as evidenced by increased left frontal alpha asymmetry. Furthermore, these environments can be dynamically adjusted to enhance these states, promoting emotional and cognitive recovery.
By using Joie and the abstracted images of the forest arranged on a scale of increasing complexity (decreasing abstraction), we question the level of 'naturalness' needed to evoke approach motivation and associated cognitive benefits.