Quantum Interference and Superposition in Cognition: Development of a Theory for the Disjunction of Concepts

TL;DR

This paper develops a quantum-inspired theoretical framework to model how concepts combine, explaining phenomena like overextension and underextension in human cognition through quantum interference and superposition effects.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quantum-based model for concept disjunctions, accurately fitting experimental data and providing a new perspective on cognitive phenomena.

Findings

Quantum interference explains overextension and underextension effects.

The model accurately fits experimental membership weight data.

Quantum superposition captures the contextual effects in concept combination.

Abstract

We elaborate a theory for the modeling of concepts using the mathematical structure of quantum mechanics. Concepts are represented by vectors in the complex Hilbert space of quantum mechanics and membership weights of items are modeled by quantum weights calculated following the quantum rules. We apply this theory to model the disjunction of concepts and show that experimental data of membership weights of items with respect to the disjunction of concepts can be modeled accurately. It is the quantum effects of interference and superposition, combined with an effect of context, that are at the origin of the effects of overextension and underextension observed as deviations from a classical use of the disjunction. We put forward a graphical explanation of the effects of overextension and underextension by interpreting the quantum model applied to the modeling of the disjunction of concepts.