Searching The Dendritic Arbor

Here to augment my theory of personality classes is a rough-handed take on a few major search algorithms, as implemented by the brain. Applies to decision making, pattern recognition, problem solving, or idle musing.




Class A - The Pragmatist
Meticulously reviews all of the most basic options/choices/solutions at his or her disposal before deciding to pursue any one idea further. Rules out the possibility of barking up the wrong tree for an extended period of time, and instead decides to weigh the options before committing to a deeper train of thought. Generally slow and steady, caching many thoughts at once. Contemplative.

Class B - The Eager Beaver
Prefers to drive directly towards the silver bullet solution, complicating or evolving their current strategy at each point of re-assessment until a dead-end is reached, at which point he or she will attempt slight but successively more drastic modifications to the tail of an exhaustive train of logic before backing up, giving up, or beginning a new approach entirely. Impulsive. Gets the conversation rolling.

Class C - The Skeptic
Always weighing the value of further complicating a potential solution path against the likelihood that the solution can be found much closer and with much less effort. He or she will not do any more analysis in a current state than what they believe to be the bare minimum to move towards a meaningful and complete solution. Prefers to begin a new train of thought once persisting in the current train becomes sufficiently laborious, returning only when the new train grows more tedious still. Owns a lot of Belle and Sebastian records.

Class D - The Empiricist
Works as fast as the Beaver, but refuses to sacrifice the thoroughness of the Pragmatist. This uncompromising approach often necessitates checking and rechecking the continuity of the solution path along the way: the most obvious course is charted, then abandoned, re-charted and advanced to a deeper degree, then abandoned, and so forth. Although he or she may discover a simple, elegant, verifiable solution while the Beaver is still tumbling down a bottomless rabbit hole, it can take a painstakingly long time to aggregate a technically complicated, intricate, or nuanced solution. Patient, and tenacious. While you all went out to lunch, the Empiricist nuked a pepperoni hot-pocket and never broke stride.