In cognitive science and psychology, cognition refers to an individual’s psychological ability to process and integrate information . Cognition therefore enables the individual to gain, hold and apply knowledge, and encompasses processes such as sensory perception, as well as higher-level brain functions including language comprehension and production, and imagination. Computational systems aim to replicate these higher-level functions, however - as I will argue throughout this essay – several limitations to their application exist, due to their inability to model the organic nature of cognition, and the oversimplifications of its associated processes. Computation is the method of calculating mathematical solutions using a well-defined model. From the processes of a basic calculator to the complex operations of a human brain, anything capable of solving problems can be regarded as a form of computational system. To properly understand how computational systems can function as models of cognitive processes, we must first answer some broad, overarching questions about the nature of cognitive function, and the extent to which different types of computational models can be applied to its description.
The goal of computational cognitive modeling is to understand the human mind and its associated processes. Whilst behavioural observations can give us an insight into the influence of certain stimuli (e.g. an individual wincing at the sound of a dentist’s drill), these findings are limited to describing superficial processes of human behaviour. In the same way that it is virtually impossible to completely understand a complex computational system by simply testing its output, the underlying cognitive processes involved in exhibiting a specific behaviour cannot be discerned accurately from observational inference. Moreover, given the complexity of the mind, the experimenter can never be entirely sure which parameters are contributory to the observed behaviour. Computational models therefore allow us to understand the finer details of cognitive processes. Their detailed, precise, and sequential steps provide a great deal of conceptual clarity, however, this is not to say that computational models should be themselves taken as theory. For a process to be replicated by a computational model its theoretical basis must be known. Thus computational models promote theory generation, and can subsequently be used as conceptual tools for psychological experiments.
The Turing Machine is the earliest known example of a computational model, created by Alan Turing in 1936 in response to the concern of computer engineers that certain mathematical tasks were not computable . The Turing Machine is a device capable of reading, writing and erasing symbols on an infinitely long strip of tape, according to a set of rules. As with most computational systems, Turing’s model is process-based; that is, its focus is on how cognition materializes. The device is essentially a physical symbol system – a system based on the principle that computation is nothing more than symbol manipulation. Given a set of input symbols or values and a set of rules, the machine would produce a set of output symbols or values, within a finite number of steps. For a system to be classified as such, it must contain a set of symbols, which can be strung together to yield a structure; contain a set of processes that operate on said symbols; and it must be located in a wider world of real objects . Allen Newell and Herbert A. Simon argue that this system has the necessary and sufficient means for general intelligent action , but does this mean it is capable of accurately modeling cognitive processes? If we go by the logic of Ulric Neisser, who defines cognition as the process by which sensory input is transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered, and used , then the brain, and therefore cognition, is nothing more than a very complex physical symbol system. Turing’s model
paradigm of psychology, and cognitive psychology emerged as a popular branch. Assuming both that the covert mind should be studied, and that the scientific method should be used to study it, cognitive psychologists set such concepts as subliminal processing and implicit memory in place of the psychoanalytic unconscious mind or the behavioristic contingency-shaped behaviors. Elements of behaviorism and cognitive psychology were synthesized to form the basis of cognitive behavioral therapy, a form…
COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Several independent, co-occurring events around the early 1950's led to the decreased popularity of behaviorism and subsequent rise of cognitive psychology, especially information processing. 1st was dissatisfaction with and inability of behaviorism to explain higher cognitive functions. 2nd was the rise of technology which influenced several young sciences, especially communication engineering and verbal learning. 3rd was the young science of computer science--analogy between…
Cognitive Psychology While explorations of human cognition can traced back to Aristotle (Hothersall, 1984; Zhong-Lin & Dosher, 2007), the works of Wundt, Cattell, and James can be credited with the beginnings of the cognitive approach to psychological inquiries (Boring, 1950; Zhong-Lin & Dosher, 2007). In the 1950s, when researchers began to develop theories of mind based on computational procedures and complex representations, the Cognitive Revolution began (Miller, 1956; Broadbent, 1958; Chomsky…
Cog Sci Final Exam Study Guide * Introduction and History * Disciplines in cognitive science Psych, computer science, machine learning, statistics, cognitive neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy and education * Empiricism, nativism, behaviorism, functionalism * Empiricism - all knowledge comes from experience * Nativism – we come into the world with innate knowledge * Behaviorism - a form of associationism (empiricism) viewing the structure of the…
and contrast early vs late selection models of attention. How well do they explain how we selectively attend to information? Attention was described by William James (1890, cited in Eysenck & Keane, 2000, p130) as “the taking possession of the mind, in clear and vivid form , of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalisation, concentration of consciousness are of its essence.” This definition emphasises how attention is thought of as a selective…
are the consequences of an uncertain, and thus potentially wrong, decision? Would postponing the decision to await further evidence increase or decrease the net benefit of healthcare to society? VOI analysis helps to answer these questions as it can explicitly and quantitatively inform two related decisions, by using specific VOI methods for each [1, 7]. The first decision is whether to adopt a health technology given existing evidence; the second decision is whether more information is required…
Theories As a review of the literature of learning theories will illustrate there are many labels being used to describe the many theories. Moreover, there are many theorists associated with each approach. A categorization of these labels and theorists will help in understanding these fundamental theories. The spectrum of learning theories consists of many approaches or ways of explaining how humans learn. A description of each of these theories will suffice in providing you with enough knowledge…
of human conduct, learning, or performance on prior experience. The notion was originally introduced as transfer of practice by Edward Thorndike and Robert S. Woodworth. They explored how individuals would transfer learning in one context to another context that shared similar characteristics – or more formally how "improvement in one mental function" could influence another related one. Their theory implied that transfer of learning depends on the proportion to which the learning task and the transfer…
Psycholinguistics and Cognitive Science. As a PhD student in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching, majoring in language processes and minoring in pedagogy, I wish to continue my desire in merging the gap between research and instructional practice. After taking two classes with Dr. Bever, and three with Dr. Nicol in psycholinguistics, bilingualism and writing systems, I have turned my interest into more specific and technical issues relating language processing in bilinguals’ mind and how to maximize their…
INVITED PAPER Cognitive Radio and Networking Research at Virginia Tech A large research team with a wide range of expertiseVfrom ICs and reconfigurable computing to wireless networkingVworks to achieve the promise of cognitive radio. By Allen B. MacKenzie, Senior Member IEEE , Jeffrey H. Reed, Fellow IEEE , Peter Athanas, Senior Member IEEE , Charles W. Bostian, Fellow IEEE , R. Michael Buehrer, Senior Member IEEE , Luiz A. DaSilva, Senior Member IEEE , Steven W. Ellingson, Senior Member IEEE…