Exploring Cognitive Paradoxes in Video Games: A Quantum Mechanical Perspective

TL;DR

This paper proposes a quantum-mechanical model to explain complex human cognitive behaviors in decision-making and perception, demonstrating its effectiveness through experiments with video games and optical illusions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quantum-based framework that unifies decision anomalies and perceptual reversals, advancing understanding of cognition beyond classical models.

Findings

Quantum model outperforms traditional decision theories in game experiments

Model successfully explains bistable perceptions like the Necker cube

Links quantum tunnelling physics to perceptual reversals in cognition

Abstract

This paper introduces a quantum-mechanical model that bridges the realms of cognition and quantum mechanics, offering a novel perspective on decision-making under risk and perceptual reversals. By integrating quantum theories addressing decision-theoretic anomalies with examples from immersive video games like "Deal or No Deal", we seek to elucidate complex human cognitive behaviours. Study 1 showcases the proposed quantum model's superiority over traditional decision-making approaches using the "Deal or No Deal" video game experiment. In Study 2, we apply our model to bistable perceptions, taking the Necker cube from the Necker game as a primary example. While previous works have hinted at connections between quantum mechanics and cognition, Study 3 provides a more tangible link, likening the physics that underpins quantum tunnelling to an eye blink's role in perceptual reversals. Conclusively, our model displays a promising ability to interpret diverse optical illusions and psychological phenomena, marking a significant stride in understanding human decision making.