[2Yin-A] Poster 3

[2Yin-A-17] Purification Comprehension HypothesisA Comparison of von Neumann and Shannon entropies

〇MIHO FUYAMA¹ (1. Ritsumeikan University)

Keywords:

Text Comprehension,Quantum Cognition,Purification,von Neumann Entropy

In the process of reading, readers sometimes construct an understanding of a text that is linguistically inexpressible yet internally coherent. As a hypothesis concerning this construction process—one that transcends language, involves indeterminacy, and maintains consistency—the author has previously proposed the Purification Comprehension Hypothesis. This hypothesis conceptualizes comprehension as a purification process, in which an initial mixed state of understanding evolves into a pure state with quantum-like correlations by forming a global system through its relations with other parts of the text and the reader’s prior knowledge. The framework is formulated within algebraic probability theory (quantum probability theory).The present study discusses the implications of this hypothesis as a cognitive model and proposes possible methods for empirical examination. Purification can be regarded as a process of von Neumann entropy minimization, which fundamentally differs from the process of Shannon entropy minimization. This distinction yields broader implications for models that employ Shannon entropy as a criterion for minimization. Finally, by considering entanglement entropy, we discuss the implications of the model and its empirical testability.