Review

Lecture notes

Phil/Psych 256
March 3, 1997

Review of CRUM:

	1. There is no single, unified theory of Cognitive 
	Science:
		- phenomena are diverse
		- cognitive capacities are diverse
		- research is multidisciplinary
		- simulations can be difficult
		- solutions are eclectic

	2. Each approach has its advantages and 
	disadvantages.

	3. Several challenges remain:
		1. The emotion challenge: CRUM neglects the 
		important role of emotions in human thinking.
		2. The consciousness challenge: CRUM neglects 
		the important role of consciousness in human 
		thinking.
		3. The world challenge: CRUM neglects the 
		important role of physical environments in 
		human thinking.
		4. The social challenge: Human thought is 
		inherently social in ways that CRUM ignores.
		5. The dynamical systems challenge: The mind 
		is a dynamical system, not a computational 
		system.
		6. The mathematics challenge: Mathematical 
		results show that human thinking cannot be 
		computational in the standard sense, so the 
		brain must operate differently, perhaps as a 
		quantum computer.

	4. Possible responses
		1. Deny the claims that underlie the challenge.
		2. Expand CRUM to enable it to deal with the 
		problems posed by the challenge.
		3. Supplement CRUM with non-computational, 
		non-representational considerations that 
		together with CRUM can meet the challenge.
		4. Abandon CRUM.  

Review for midterm:

	A. Several "what" questions to test your knowledge of 
	course material, e.g., 
		1. What aspects of language does logic represent 
		well?  What does it not represent well?
		2. In what ways may rules be used to construct 
		explanations?  Give an example.
		3. What kinds of knowledge representation does 
		ACT-R have?  How are they used in the system?
		4. According to Kosslyn, in what ways is imagery 
		useful in problem solving?

	B. A more detailed "how" question involving all areas 
	covered so far.

	Apply what you've learned: Package the course material 
	into frames within a conceptual network. Include 
	examples, exceptions, and associations!

Considerations for Essay 2:

	1. Describe the task you have selected, e.g., carpentry
	2. What subtasks are involved?
		- decide on what to build
		- plan out how to build it
	3. How is the task learned?
		- supervised instruction
		- reading "How-to" books
	4. How is it taught?
		- tutorially/apprenticeship
	5. Which mental representations and procedures are useful 
	at each stage?
		- visual imagery for design
	6. Which are not useful? Why?
		- logic?
	7. Are there different ways of performing the task?
		- novice vs. specialist performance
		- individual cognitive differences
	8. What is the role of emotions, consciousness, etc. in 
	your task? 

Next week:
	- emotions & consciousness (chap. 9)
	- Oatley (1992)