Though it may be assumed that cognitive development occurs as a person ages, there are areas where such development isn’t stressed. In fact, “childish” perceptions aren’t entirely eliminated even in adulthood.
A child may think that a tall glass of milk would have more liquid than a shorter, broader glass with an equivalent amount of milk. Adults would find this amusing, perhaps even silly. However, at restaurants, similar techniques are used to make food appear more substantial, giving customers a “good” feeling. Sure, adults would deny that they’re fooled, but it seems rather likely that this happens only after some disinterested analysis.
Hence, it may be thought that much of adult cognition is an overlapping of instinctive perceptions with experiential or conditioned responses to specific phenomena. After all, even people living in modern societies governed by science still have sneaking suspicions that there is luck at work here and there. Bad things may happen with apparently unusual frequency and no amount of conditioning can prevent the associations made when a lucky coin suddenly seems to make those bad things go away.
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