Differential Familiarity

Differential Familiarity

THEODORE ARTHUR PINNOCK

AKA

ARTHUR CHARLES DAWKINS LEE

Blk 4 Lot 10 Phase 4

Carmona Estates

Carmona

4116 Cavite PHILIPPINES

Phone: 415.513.0859

Fax: (619) 858-3338

http://theodorearthurpinnockjd.blogspot.com

tpinnock62@gmail.com

August 10, 2015

Abstract

This short paper introduces differential familiarity as a method of reducing cognitive dissonance Ableist feel towards people with capabilities (people with a condition that is different than the majority).

A Small Mountain

I live on a small mountain. There are steep paved roads and sidewalks everywhere. On this beautiful mountain there are four developments: a residential community[1], a commercial shopping center, a horse racing track[2] and a casino.[3] This mountain is located in Carmona, Cavite Philippines. [4]

The residential and commercial areas are built on the mountain slopes. The racetrack and casino are built on the bottom of the slopeless mountain. I regularly wheel around the steep slopes alone. I do business with the racetrack. I rarely go to the casino, and when I do, I go with my wife.

On August 8, 2015, I wanted to be safely alone. Emphasis on "safely." I am from the United States. I am use to going alone. However, foreigners living in any different country must be diligent as to safety.

I wore a shirt and tie then headed towards the casino. On my way down the first slope a resident security guard asked if I wanted cooperative assistance.[5] (In the Jewish and Christian belief systems, Adam was alone with animals. Eve was created to give Adam reciprocal mutual cooperative assistance. Humans are born helpless. This helpless limit is overcome by cooperative assistance. Using the same Judo-Christian SSCD backdrop, Satan helped Eve with her desire to be curious. This is superior inferior assistance. Slavery and the prefix "Dis" derived their origins from the superior inferior assistance model of humanity.) I consented.

We went down three slopes. Before going down the fourth and last slope, he asked where was I going. I told him the casino. He radioed in something about Sir Pinnock (me) then and assisted me down the slope. I pushed myself to the racetrack. The head guard greeted me. I stay there for a while then went to the casino entrance and the guard refused to let me in.

Note, the residential area is not accessible to persons using wheelchairs. The casino is completely accessible. So why was I discriminated against at the accessible facility? - Differential Familiarity.

Differential familiarity reduces cognitive dissonance, which refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors.[6] Differential familiarity or reduction[7] is when a different external stimulus enters the brain, it is initially responded with fear and apprehension, but after repeatedly perceiving the stimulus the subconscious brain becomes more familiar with the stimulus. The subconscious mind likes familiarity and comparative familiarly (cognitive fluency[8]). Comparative familiarity is when the different stimulus to stored information in a person’s brain, an external brain or external source.

Differential familiarity explains the variance in the behavior of the security guards. The resident guards regularly see a Black guy in a wheelchair push up and down steep slope without assistance. The racetrack security knew this Black guy from prior business dealings. So both were familiar with my differently handsome features and capabilities.

However, the casino guard never saw a good-looking Black man in a wheelchair. Fear possessed his brain. He called his boss. The boss stated I needed a companion. I pretended to be violently angry. I found controlled anger is far more effective than rational reasoning. I also texted my worker to translate. Four people told me I needed a companion. I said I would sue everyone. They agreed to let me in. I was not done making their subconscious minds familiar with me. I demanded 100,000 pesos or free drinks. They gave me free drinks!

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[1] http://www.canyonranch.com.ph/

[2] http://manilajockey.com/

[3] http://manilajockey.com/casino/main

[4] http://carmonagov.net/home/

[5] In law this requires a bargain in which there is a manifestation of mutual assent to the exchange and a consideration. http://www.cs.xu.edu/~osborn/main/lawSchool/contractsHtml/bottomScreens/Briefs/Restatement%2017.%20Requirement%20of%20A%20Bargain.htm

[6] In psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values. Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance focuses on how humans strive for internal consistency. An individual who experiences inconsistency (dissonance) tends to become psychologically uncomfortable, and is motivated to try to reduce this dissonance—as well as actively avoid situations and information likely to increase it. Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. California: Stanford University Press. Festinger, L. (1962). "Cognitive dissonance". Scientific American 207 (4): 93–107. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1062-93.

[7] Reducing: Cognitive dissonance theory is founded on the assumption that individuals seek consistency between their expectations and their reality. Because of this, people engage in a process called dissonance reduction to bring their cognitions and actions in line with one another. This creation of uniformity allows for a lessening of psychological tension and distress. According to Festinger, dissonance reduction can be achieved in four ways. In an example case where a person has adopted the attitude that they will no longer eat high fat food, but eats a high-fat doughnut, the four methods of reduction are:

1.     Change behavior or cognition ("I will not eat any more of this doughnut")

2.     Justify behavior or cognition by changing the conflicting cognition ("I'm allowed to cheat every once in a while")

3.     Justify behavior or cognition by adding new cognitions ("I'll spend 30 extra minutes at the gym to work this off")

4.     Ignore or deny any information that conflicts with existing beliefs ("This doughnut is not high in fat")

 Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. California: Stanford University Press.

[8] Cognitive Fluency: Even though it may be at a subconscious level, people are affected by how easy or difficult it is to think about something. Not surprisingly, it turns out that people prefer things that are easy to think about rather than things that are difficult to think about. This feeling of ease or difficulty is known as cognitive fluency. Cognitive fluency refers to the subjective experience of the ease or difficulty of completing a mental task. It refers not to the mental process itself, but rather the feeling people associate with the process. Fluency is important because of its power and influence over how we think about things and exerts its power in primarily two ways: its subtlety and its pervasiveness. Fluency guides our thinking in situations where we have no idea that it is at work, and it affects us in any situation where we weigh information. The full force of its power comes from the fact that we often misattribute the sensation of ease or difficulty in thinking about something to the thing itself.

- See more at: http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2011/07/how-cognitive-fluency-affects-decision-making.php#sthash.0vX3KlYB.dpuf