ABSTRACT
Assuming that the mind is meant to help us cope with our environment, it could be stated that its major task is that of hypothesis testing. Along this line of thought, many functions of the mind may be described as instances of hypothesis testing. Visual perception, then, is continuously testing hypotheses about the visible world by means of looking. Learning a language, for instance, consists of uttering sounds and eventually tentative sentences, and testing whether they are “correct” by observing a listener's reaction. Problem solving can be seen as trying out hypothetical solutions by observing their effect in the world. Many higher mental processes are obvious variations of hypothesis testing. In sum, hypothesis testing comprises comparing internal thoughts to external facts in order to interact with the world.
