What are the 4 new psychological investigations?
Human factors engineering
Behaviorism failed to adequately explain language
Localization of function in brain, which forced discussion of mind
Development of computers and artificial intelligence gave a dominant metaphor
Describe human factors engineering
The problem was highlighted in second world war where equipment design required knowledge of human cognition
Focus: optimal way to design machines for capabilities of people using it
Examples: pilots landing airplanes (there are different controls and buttons to help make the process easier without using too much processing power)
This concept introduced the idea that machinery operated by a person, interacts with operator's physical cognitive and motivational capabilities and limitations
What are communication channels?
how much information an individual can transmit per unit of time and how accurately it can be done
Describe limited capacity processors
Humans are capable of doing a limited number of things that require cognition at the same time
Describe the issue with behaviorism and how it fails to adequately explain language
Behaviorism suggested that children learn languages by imitation and reinforcement by Skinner in 1957
In 1959, Chomsky stated that learning languages is independent of any reinforcement and imitation
Examples: Children can say sentences that they have never heard before, and use incorrect grammar, however behaviorism does not support these actions.
What is generative grammar?
A set of rules that we usually are unaware but help us to understand sentences
Describe the localization of function in brain
Donald Hebb suggested that some functions (perceptions) are based on cell assemblies.
Hubel/Weisel demonstrated importance of early experience of development on neuron systems
Examples: cats who identify horizontal lines in early life cannot perceive vertical lines.
Some brain functions can be localized as identified by Hubel and Weisel and some are spread across the brain
What are cell assemblies?
a group of neurons that are repeatedly active at the same time and develop as a single functional unit
Describe the development of computers and AI
Development of computers was informed by how the human mind works, where information is moved around in computer and different memory sections.
This concept was first introduced by Alan Turing
Artificial intelligence studies how to program computers to solve same problems a human can
What is a computer metaphor?
comparison of people's cognitive activities to an operating computer