Constraint-based Modelling of Organisations

Modern organisations are characterised by a great variety of forms and often involve many actors with diverse goals, performing a wide range of tasks in changing environmental conditions. Due to high complexity, mistakes and inconsistencies are not rare in organisations. To provide better insights into the organisational operation and to identify different types of organisational problems explicit specification of relations and rules, on which the structure and behaviour of an organisation are based, is required. Before it is used, the specification of an organisation should be checked for internal consistency and validity w.r.t. the domain. To this end, the paper introduces a framework for formal specification of constraints that ensure the correctness of organisational specifications. To verify the satisfaction of constraints, efficient and scalable algorithms have been developed and implemented. The application of the proposed approach is illustrated by a case study from the air traffic domain

Toward Accessible Multilevel Modeling in Systems Biology: A Rule-based Language Concept

Promoted by advanced experimental techniques for obtaining high-quality data and the steadily accumulating knowledge about the complexity of life, modeling biological systems at multiple interrelated levels of organization attracts more and more attention recently. Current approaches for modeling multilevel systems typically lack an accessible formal modeling language or have major limitations with respect to expressiveness. The aim of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive discussion on associated problems and needs and to propose a concrete solution addressing them

Analysis of the Dynamics of Cognitive Processes

Jonker, C.M. [Promotor]Treur, J. [Promotor

On Computer-Aided Methods for Modeling and Analysis of Organizations

Treur, J. [Promotor

Mental content : consequences of the embodied mind paradigm

The central difference between objectivist cognitivist semantics and embodied cognition consists in the fact that the latter is, in contrast to the former, mindful of binding meaning to context-sensitive mental systems. According to Lakoff/Johnson's experientialism, conceptual structures arise from preconceptual kinesthetic image-schematic and basic-level structures. Gallese and Lakoff introduced the notion of exploiting sensorimotor structures for higherlevel cognition. Three different types of X-schemas realise three types of environmentally embedded simulation: Areas that control movements in peri-personal space; canonical neurons of the ventral premotor cortex that fire when a graspable object is represented; the firing of mirror neurons while perceiving certain movements of conspecifics. ..

Redesign Support Framework for Complex Technical Processes

Els processos industrials requereixen avaluacions periòdiques per a verificar la seva correcta operació en termes tècnics i econòmics. Aquestes avaluacions són necessàries a causa de els canvis en els mercats i en la legislació ambiental i de seguretat. Per a satisfer aquestes demandes és necessari investigar les alternatives dels processos que permetin l'ús òptim dels recursos existents amb la mínima inversió econòmica possible. Aquesta tasca es coneix com redisseny, que és un procediment per a determinar possibles canvis en un procés existent per a millorar-lo pel en alguna mètrica, tal com econòmica, ambiental, de seguretat, etc. En aquesta tesi es proposa un marc d'ajuda al redisseny per a processos tècnics. Aquest marc fa ús d'una representació jeràrquica de models múltiples del procés que es re dissenyarà en conjunció amb un motor que raonament basat en casos per a ajudar a decidir quins elements del procés han de ser modificats. El marc consisteix en quatre etapes principals: adquisició de la descripció del disseny, identificació de candidats, generació d'alternatives, i adaptació i avaluació d'alternatives.El procés original es modela jeràrquicament emprant conceptes de mitjans-fins i parts-tot. Així el coneixement sobre el comportament, l'estructura, la funció i l'objectiu de cadascuna de les parts del procés es genera i s'emmagatzema automàticament. Donat les noves especificacions o requisits que el procés ha de satisfer, el sistema troba les parts del procés que ha de ser redissenyades. S'utilitza una llibreria de casos per a obtenir seccions alternatives del procés que es puguin adaptar per a substituir parts del procés original. Per tant, el marc proposat permet modelar el procés, identificar els components de procés viables a redissenyar, obtenir components alternatius i finalment adaptar aquests components alternatius en el procés original. Aquest procediment es pot veure com activitat d'enginyeria inversa on es generen models abstractes en diversos nivells a partir d'una descripció detallada d'un procés existent per a reduir la seva complexitat. El marc ha estat implementat i provat en el domini d'Enginyeria Química.Los procesos industriales requieren evaluaciones periódicas para verificar su correcta operación en términos técnicos y económicos. Estas evaluaciones son necesarias debido a los cambios en los mercados y en la legislación ambiental y de seguridad. Para satisfacer estas demandas es necesario investigar las alternativas de los procesos que permitan el uso óptimo de los recursos existentes con la mínima inversión económica posible. Esta tarea se conoce como rediseño, que es un procedimiento para determinar posibles cambios en un proceso existente para mejorarlo con respecto a alguna métrica, tal como económica, ambiental, de seguridad, etc.En esta tesis se propone un marco de ayuda al rediseño para procesos técnicos. Este marco emplea una representación jerárquica de modelos múltiples del proceso que se rediseñará en conjunción con un motor que razonamiento basado en casos para ayudar a decidir qué elementos del proceso deben ser modificados. El marco consiste en cuatro etapas principales: adquisición de la descripción del diseño, identificación de candidatos, generación de alternativas, y adaptación y evaluación de alternativas. El proceso original se modela jerárquicamente empleando conceptos de medios-fines y partes-todo. Así el conocimiento sobre el comportamiento, la estructura, la función y el objetivo de cada una de las parte del proceso se genera y se almacena automáticamente. Dado las nuevas especificaciones o requisitos que el proceso debe satisfacer, el sistema encuentra las partes del proceso que debe ser rediseñadas. Se utiliza una librería de casos para obtener secciones alternativas del proceso que se puedan adaptar para sustituir partes del proceso original. Por lo tanto, el marco propuesto permite modelar el proceso, identificar los componentes de proceso viables a rediseñar, obtener componentes alternativos y finalmente adaptar estos componentes alternativos en el proceso original. Este procedimiento se puede ver como actividad de ingeniería inversa donde se generan modelos abstractos en diversos niveles a partir de una descripción detallada de un proceso existente para reducir su complejidad. El marco ha sido implementado y probado en el dominio de Ingeniería Química.Industrial processes require periodic evaluations to verify their correct operation, both in technical and economical terms. These evaluations are necessary due to changes in the markets, and in safety and environmental legislation. In order to satisfy these demands it is necessary to investigate process alternatives that allow the optimal use of existing resources with the minimum possible investment. This task is known as redesign, which is a procedure to determine possible changes to an existing process in order to improve it with respect to some metric, such as economical, environmental, safety, etc.A redesign support framework for technical processes is proposed in this thesis. This framework employs a multiple-model hierarchical representation of the process to be redesigned together with a case-based reasoning engine that helps to decide which elements of the process should be modified. The framework consists of four main stages: acquisition of the design description, identification of candidates, generation of alternatives, and adaptation and evaluation of alternatives.The original process is modelled hierarchically exploiting means-end and part-whole concepts, and thus knowledge about the behaviour, structure, function and intention of each part of the process is automatically generated and stored. Given the new specifications or requirements that the process must fulfil, the system finds the parts of the process which must be redesigned and a case library is used to obtain alternative process sections which can be adapted to substitute parts of the original process. Therefore, the proposed framework allows to model the process, to identify process components suitable for redesign, to obtain alternative components, and finally, to adapt these components into the original process. This procedure can be seen as a reverse engineering activity where abstract models at different levels are generated from a detailed description of an existing process to reduce its complexity. The framework has been implemented and tested on the Chemical Engineering domain.Postprint (published version

Wide computation: a mechanistic account

This Ph.D. thesis explores a novel way of thinking about computation in cognitive science. It argues for what I call ‘the mechanistic account of wide computationalism’, or simply wide mechanistic computation. The key claim is that some cognitive and perceptual abilities are produced by or are the result of computational mechanisms that are, in part, located outside the individual; that computational systems, the ones that form the proper units of analysis in cognitive science, are particular types of functional mechanisms that, on occasion, spread out across brain, body, and world. Wide mechanistic computation is the result of bringing together two distinct strands of thinking about computation: (i) ‘wide’ views, which hold that computational systems can, on occasion, include parts of the surrounding environment; and (ii) ‘mechanistic’ views, which hold that computational explanation is a species of mechanistic explanation, and that computational mechanisms are a special type of functional mechanism. I argue that wide mechanistic computation draws support from several sources. First, I examine research on animal and human psychology and show that several organisms’ behaviours are properly treated as being the output of wide computational mechanisms. Second, I defend the view from several philosophical charges, including worries about its explanatory parsimony and empirical testability. Finally, I argue for the view’s theoretical credentials by showing that it can help resolve specific problems that have recently troubled 4E cognition. The result is an argument for not only the coherence but also empirical plausibility of wide mechanistic computation. On route to its main objective, the thesis also accomplishes a number of related tasks, including: (i) providing a framework for organising and conceptualising different views of computation, (ii) securing the conceptual foundations of mechanistic computation by addressing an outstanding challenge called the ‘abstraction problem’, (iii) sounding a cautionary note about recent predictive processing accounts of extended cognition and (iv) arguing against a particular conception of levels often used within cognitive science, what is labelled the ‘hierarchical correspondence view of levels’.

Mechanistic Explanation in Psychology

Philosophers of psychology debate, among other things, which psychological models, if any, are (or provide) mechanistic explanations. This should seem a little strange given that there is rough consensus on the following two claims: 1) a mechanism is an organized collection of entities and activities that produces, underlies, or maintains a phenomenon, and 2) a mechanistic explanation describes, represents, or provides information about the mechanism producing, underlying, or maintaining the phenomenon to be explained (i.e. the explanandum phenomenon) (Bechtel and Abrahamsen 2005; Craver 2007). If there is a rough consensus on what mechanisms are and that mechanistic explanations describe, represent, or provide information about them, then how is there no consensus on which psychological models are (or provide) mechanistic explanations? Surely the psychological models that are mechanistic explanations are the models that describe, represent, or provide information about mechanisms. That is true, of course; the trouble arises when determining what exactly that involves. Philosophical disagreement over which psychological models are mechanistic explanations is often disagreement about what it means to describe, represent, or provide information about a mechanism, among other things (Hochstein 2016; Levy 2013). In addition, one's position in this debate depends on a host of other seemingly arcane metaphysical issues, such as the nature of mechanisms, computational and functional properties (Piccinini 2016), and realization (Piccinini and Maley 2014), as well as the relation between models, methodologies, and explanations (Craver 2014; Levy 2013; Zednik 2015). Although I inevitably advocate a position, my primary aim in this chapter is to spell out all these relationships and canvas the positions that have been taken (or could be taken) with respect to mechanistic explanation in psychology, using dynamical systems models and cognitive models (or functional analyses) as examples