cognitive science final

computational theory of mind

a mind is a computational system, and cognition is computations

computational architecture

the basic operations available to the computer, as well as the way it encodes, stores, and retrieves information

cognitive architecture

the architecture of the mind: the kinds of structures and processes that give rise to cognitive behavior.

cognitive capacity

what the mind has the ability to do, and the ways it can do it thanks to its cognitive architecture

i.e. capacity=capability

cognitive penetrability

cognitive behavior that is knowledge dependent and involves reasoning, even if we don’t realize. can be influenced by knowledge.

e.g. mental color mixing

e.g. using “he” in different contexts but not consciously shifting its meaning

channel capacity

max amount of information that can be processed by the cognitive system at one time. human working memory is limited to around 4 slots

bit

unit of information defined by the number of possible states

sternberg search

humans use serial and exhaustive search. we know this because for both positive and negative trials (where the number was in the search), the search time was the same. as the set increased, reaction time increased as well.

fixed neural architecture

rods and cones, blind spot, contralateral organization

domain specificity

cognitive functions are specialized modules designed to process specific types of information

e.g. opponent processing

limited central accessibility

information is hidden from conscious awareness because its restricted from flowing out of the system

e.g. blindsight, the information about the vision isn’t flowing out of the system and is hidden from conscious awareness

informational encapsulation

restriction of the flow of information into a system. immune to higher level beliefs, desires, and goals

bottom up vs top down processing

bottom up processing is getting pieces of info from the outside world and formulating thoughts based off of that (senses to brain)

top down processing is getting influenced by concepts already in your brain and formulating thoughts based off of that (brain to senses)

constancy

top down processes that maintain stable perceptual representations under varying sensory conditions (e.g. bright light and shadow)

cognitive impenetrability

cognitive processes that cannot be influenced by knowledge, beliefs, and desires

muller lyer illusion

line illusion: encapsulation

A formal system takes _______, combines them into _______, and manipulates them using _______.

symbols, expressions, processes

constituency

complex expressions are built from simpler expressions (constituents)

compositionality

the meaning of a complex expression is derived from the meaning of the constituents and how they’re combined

recursive rule

a rule that embeds one instance of a symbol inside another instance of the same symbol

hierarchical structure

symbols are chunked into larger and larger nested constituents

connectionism

movement to model the mind using artificial neural networks

hebbian learning

fire together, wire together. neurons strengthen their connections