Theories of Mind: An Introduction to Cognitive Science

1
Theories of Mind An Introduction to Cognitive
Science

• Jay Friedenberg
• Gordon Silverman

2
Chapter One

• Introduction Exploring Inner Space

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What is cognitive science?

• The scientific interdisciplinary study of the
  mind.
• Uses the scientific method as well as other
  methodologies.
• Encompasses multiple diverse disciplines.
• Cooperation and communication between these
  disciplines is important.

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Aspects of representation

• A representation stands for something else it is
  symbolic.
• The thing a representation stands for is called
  its referent.
• A representation is realized by an entity such as
  a human or computer.

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Categories of representation

1. Concepts. Stand for a single thing or group of
   things. The word Apple.
2. Propositions. Statements about the world. The
   sentence, Mary has black hair.
3. Rules. Specify the relationship between
   propositions. If it is raining, I will bring my
   umbrella.
4. Analogies. Allow us to make comparisons.
   Relationship between shoes and tires.

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Digital representations

• Information is coded discretely using fixed
  symbols such as letters or numbers.
• Values can be specified exactly.
• Many operators can be applied to the symbols.
• Rules of these operations are called syntax.

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Analog representations

• Information represented in a continuous way.
• Subject to fewer operations than digital
  representations.
• Provide simple, direct solutions to some
  problems.
• Visual images are a good example.

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The dual-code hypothesis

• Ideas can be digital and analog. We can form a
  verbal representation of a boat or a visual image
  of it and convert between these two codes.
• However, concrete ideas such as automobile lend
  themselves better to analog representation while
  abstract ideas such as justice are better
  suited to digital symbolic representation.

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Propositional hypothesis

• More complex ideas are represented as
  sentence-like propositions.
• The code for propositions is believed to be in an
  abstract logical format called a predicate
  calculus.
• A predicate calculus specifies the relationships
  between elements.

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Computation

• Operations or transformations that are performed
  on representations.
• In mathematics, examples would include addition,
  subtraction, multiplication, and division.
• Broad categories of mental operations include
  sensation, perception, attention, memory,
  language, reasoning, and problem solving.

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The tri-level hypothesis

• The computational level. Specifies the problem.
• The algorithmic level. Specifies the way the
  problem is solved.
• The implementation level. Specifies the medium or
  physical substrate in which the problem-solving
  procedure is executed.

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The interdisciplinary perspective

• The story of the three blind men and the elephant
  shows that a complex phenomenon is best
  understood when studied from multiple
  perspectives.

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Cognitive science approaches

• The philosophical approach.
• The psychological approach.
• The cognitive approach.
• The neuroscience approach.
• The network approach.
• The evolutionary approach.
• The linguistic approach.
• The artificial intelligence approach.
• The robotics approach.