[From Rick Marken (930622.0830)]
I said:
I was trying to guess why you think there is information in
perception.
Bill Powers (930621.1600 MDT) replies:
If information is defined as log(R/r), where R is the range of
fluctuation of a signal and r is the least discernible change in
the signal, then there is information in the perception. It can
be calculated in bits per second. This measure does not represent
knowledge; it is not "about" something.
Yeah. That's the kind of information there is in perception. In fact,
there's all kinds of things like that crammed into perception. There
is not only Information (big i) in perception, but there is average,
median, variance, kurtosis, etc.
Martin and Allen are saying there is Information in the
perceptual signal. You are saying there is no information in the
perceptual signal. You are both right. You cannot get information
from Information.
Yes. This could have been solved long ago if Martin had just sent
back the value of log(R/r) associated with the perceptual signal I
sent. Then I would have seen the Information in that perception. It
would have been something like 2.643856 (assuming log2).
Tom Bourbon (930622.0817) --
This post should be required reading for everyone (like myself)
who was ever tempted to believe in "collective controlled
variables". Very clear. I think this "collective controlled
variables" topic is extremely important. The appearance of
a "common reference level" in cooperative control is extremely
seductive -- as seductive as the idea that there is information
(small i) in perception.
Best
Rick