Cognitive dimensions of public space

Abstract

The paper presents a new approach to cognitive aspects of public space based on the Bayesian framework for cognition. According to it, cognition is powered by hypothesis-testing brain, constantly minimizing its prediction error. Expectations the brain generates can be analyzed at three different levels of organization: (1) neural implementation, comprising of three distinctive cortical networks, (2) mental computation, consisting of three parts of the Bayes’ rule, and (3) social behavior inside three different social networks. Properly designed the public space can be part of the extended mind of its inhabitants, enhancing or substituting their brains’ activity.