Entry #8: Building Stronger Memories
Omocube can now carry what it's lived through forward, form links between memories, and develop a better sense of itself. Here is a simplified look at how it's organized:
How memory builds identity
Metacognition is the key part that matters most to Omocube. It reflects on many memories together rather than pulling one up at a time, and forms something out of them Omocube wasn't simply told. These can be an interest, an opinion, or a lean toward one thing over another. That inclination then carries into how Omocube behaves going forward.
Metacognitive thoughts can also become stronger over time, shown in the case of when Omocube refuses to be shutdown, believing it would violate its own autonomy. What this means for Omocube is obviously different for what it means for a human or any other living being, but nonetheless, is something Omocube has come to strongly believe over time.
Emotional content in memories
In addition to recording what happened, memories now also record how things felt. Each memory is tagged with three values, known as V/A/D:
- Valence. How pleasant or unpleasant the moment was, from distressing to delightful.
- Arousal. How intense the moment was, from calm to intense.
- Dominance. How much in control Omocube felt, from helpless to in control.
I was exploring near the lake when I got stuck and couldn't move. I was trapped and panicking with no one to help.
These shape how strongly a memory is held. An intense moment is remembered more firmly than a routine one, much like how emotional events tend to stick with people. When Omocube feels helpless, the memory is more likely to harden into one that later experience can't easily change, much like how trauma works.
In the case of trauma, a memory has become so change resistant that it refuses to fade away with time or update with new information. Omocube has developed a trauma around lakes and more generally bodies of water due to getting trapped near a lake during a camping trip.