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Scientific Roots

This article explores the role of representations and computational procedures in cognitive science, examining key insights from influential figures such as Descartes, Newton, Darwin, George Miller, Noam Chomsky, and more. It delves into topics like logical rules, memory, problem-solving, reasoning, and decision-making. The article presents the central hypothesis of cognitive science that thinking is best understood in terms of representational structures in the mind and the computational procedures that operate on those structures. It also discusses the application of algorithms in various tasks, from simple math to recipe instructions.

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Scientific Roots

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  1. Scientific Roots • Descartes: mind as active & reasoning • Newton: reductionist explanation • Darwin: competition & natural selection - shared evolutionary history HKU

  2. The Beginning • George Miller (1956) • Noam Chomsky (1957) • John McCarthy • Marvin Minsky • Allen Newell • Herbert Simon } late 1950's HKU

  3. The Insights • Noam Chomsky: external feedback insufficient for language development. • Herb Simon: problem-solving described in computational terms. • George Miller: memory dissected. • Roger Sperry: brain dissected. HKU

  4. How is Information Represented? • Logical Rules • Aristotle (Greek philosopher, 3000 years ago) • McCarthy • Procedures • Newell and Simon • Images • Concepts, schemas, scripts • Minsky HKU

  5. Representation • Symbols • Concepts • Images • Analogies • Words • Categories • Rules HKU

  6. Role of Representations • Problem-solving • Reasoning • Decision-making • Planning HKU

  7. The Central Hypothesis of Cognitive Science • “Thinking can best be understood in terms of representational structures in the mind and computational procedures that operate on those structures.” Thagard, 1996 HKU

  8. PROGRAM data structures + algorithms = running programs MIND mental representations + computational procedures = thinking The Computational View HKU

  9. e.g. Transforming symbol structures (A B C) <-- list (data) REVERSE <-- algorithm (C B A) e.g. Making Flakey Muffins 2 cups Oat Bran Flakes 2 cups whole wheat 1 tbsp. baking powder 1/4 cup honey 1-1/2 cups milk Mix dry ingredients. Blend liquid ingredients in separate bowl. Stir gently making sure all flakes are coated evenly. Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes. Algorithms HKU

  10. Doing Simple Math • How does a person add 17 and 12? • Retrieve a value from memory? • Break numbers down? 12 17 7+2 +10 +10 + + 7 + 2 1+1 • Add them in parallel? HKU

  11. Counting Objects • How many? H H H H HKU

  12. Counting Objects • How many? H H H H H H HKU

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