#system 1

[justadandak]

What a delight to explore the Classic Mac OS System 1 Patterns all in one place, available to play with and download in many permutations for free (thanks to Paul Adam Smith).

[pixelsproject]

System 1: Sprite Sketches by Susan Kare

Kare’s icons for the Macintosh System 1, Apple’s first computer-operating system, changed the communication interface between humans and machines, making it easier and friendlier in tone. To design them, Kare used the decidedly analog method of pencil and pen on graph paper, each square representing a single pixel.

Her icons are perfect translations of various word-processing and operating functions—a pair of scissors for cutting text and a trash bin for deleting files. These pictograms were designed to be a language intelligible to users in any country—a fully intuitive graphic user interface (GUI) whose influence remains evident in today’s devices.

Pirouette: Turning Points in Design, MOMA

[neuroscience-corner]

Systems of thinking

There are 2 systems that are responsible for our thinking processes. System 1 is a near-instantaneous, quick process that happens automatically and is based on intuition and previous knowledge. System 2, on the other hand, is slower and requires a mental effort in order to produce the answer. 

What are cognitive biases? 

While system 1 is very efficient, its intuitive nature makes it prone to errors. It is often based on assumptions (often called heuristics) that do not match the complexity of the real world. Heuristics are mental shortcuts that generate a probable answer that would fit the overall picture, but they are rarely accurate. The patterns that are formed due to heuristics are referred to as cognitive biases. A cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that occurs when information is being processed and interpreted. Some cognitive biases are independent of heuristics. 

[mochiotomedumplings]

this is my understanding of the autism and adhd spectrum so far, with neurotypical on one hand and neuronontypical on the other hand:

autism spectrum has 2 aspects, the social interaction part and the repetitive/narrow focus part.

part 1 is a spectrum going from Being able to intuitively navigate social situations with great ease to Seeing human as just another object in the room.

part 2 goes from Being able to easily switch between different contexts of actions and thoughts to Being unable to change context without external influence.

i haven’t read enough on adhd so for now i will think of it as having 2 parts based on what i remember of the main types of symptoms, the inattention part and the impulsiveness part.

the inattention part has quite some overlap with the context switching in the autism spectrum that i can’t help feeling it might be one single large spectrum at play here, going from constantly switching context (out of control) to absolutely cannot switch at all (out of control). the neurotypical range (some control) would fall in the middle of this spectrum.

part 1 of the adhd spectrum goes from Being able to easily direct and maintain attention on an activity or topic to Having no conscious control over attention and mental focus.

part 2 goes from Being able to consciously control actions and thoughts with ease to Doing whatever the unconscious brain picks up and suggests.

the impulsiveness part becomes a bit clearer when considering how system 2 in TFAS works. in fact most of adhd seems to relate to system 2’s ability to regulate and control system 1, while most of autism is on system 1. it fits in nicely… but maybe a bit too nicely.

[geistesgegenwart]

[geistesgegenwart]

[geistesgegenwart]