This article talks about how a researcher in the computer science field gave a computer a form of "simulated schizophrenia" by adjusting its learning algorithms to the point where it did not forget details fast enough, so as such it seemingly made absurd associations between different subject material that the computer was given. This is relevant to the study of schizophrenia and related disorders in that there is a leading theory among academia that schizophrenics in general have a working memory that is able to include more items for longer periods of time, which in turn could explain why loose associations form in the brain of the schizophrenic.
Now, it should be said that one should be critical of this study. One must take into account that computers do not yet process information in the way that humans do, as well as the fact that these results have yet to be replicated in further scientific research.
But what really intrigues me about this is that from the layman's point of view, this does seem to be true from just looking at the appearance of things. I personally have a very good memory, and due to this I am able to make connections that others cannot. It was not uncommon in the classroom setting for me to bring up a related fact that was not being currently discussed, and for the teacher to deny the fact and basically say that it was unrelated. Maybe it wasn't that my mind was faulty, but rather enhanced due to being able to focus on both a fact from an unrelated past and what I was currently engaged with, whereas normal people seem to only focus on one thing at a time due to their limited working memory. It is something to think about.
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