137 research outputs found
Cognitive architectures as Lakatosian research programmes: two case studies
Cognitive architectures - task-general theories of the structure and function of the complete cognitive system - are sometimes argued to be more akin to frameworks or belief systems than scientific theories. The argument stems from the apparent non-falsifiability of existing cognitive architectures. Newell was aware of this criticism and argued that architectures should be viewed not as theories subject to Popperian falsification, but rather as Lakatosian research programs based on cumulative growth. Newell's argument is undermined because he failed to demonstrate that the development of Soar, his own candidate architecture, adhered to Lakatosian principles. This paper presents detailed case studies of the development of two cognitive architectures, Soar and ACT-R, from a Lakatosian perspective. It is demonstrated that both are broadly Lakatosian, but that in both cases there have been theoretical progressions that, according to Lakatosian criteria, are pseudo-scientific. Thus, Newell's defense of Soar as a scientific rather than pseudo-scientific theory is not supported in practice. The ACT series of architectures has fewer pseudo-scientific progressions than Soar, but it too is vulnerable to accusations of pseudo-science. From this analysis, it is argued that successive versions of theories of the human cognitive architecture must explicitly address five questions to maintain scientific credibility
Observations of Toroidal Coupling for Low-N Alfven Modes in the Tca Tokamak
The antenna structure in the TCA tokamak is phased to excite preferentially Alfven waves with known toroidal and poloidal wave numbers. Surprisingly, the loading spectrum includes both discrete and continuum modes with poloidal wave numbers incompatible with the antenna phasing. These additional modes, which are important for our heating experiments, can be attributed to linear mode coupling induced by the toroidicity of the plasma column, when we take into account ion-cyclotron effects
Semantic diversity:A measure of contextual variation in word meaning based on latent semantic analysis
Decision Process in Human-Agent Interaction: Extending Jason Reasoning Cycle
The main characteristic of an agent is acting on behalf of humans. Then, agents are employed as modeling paradigms for complex systems and their implementation. Today we are witnessing a growing increase in systems complexity, mainly when the presence of human beings and their interactions with the system introduces a dynamic variable not easily manageable during design phases. Design and implementation of this type of systems highlight the problem of making the system able to decide in autonomy. In this work we propose an implementation, based on Jason, of a cognitive architecture whose modules allow structuring the decision-making process by the internal states of the agents, thus combining aspects of self-modeling and theory of the min
Investigating Executive Working Memory and Phonological Short-Term Memory in Relation to Fluency and Self-Repair Behavior in L2 Speech
This paper reports the findings of a study investigating the relationship of executive working memory (WM) and phonological short-term memory (PSTM) to fluency and self-repair behavior during an unrehearsed oral task performed by second language (L2) speakers of English at two levels of proficiency, elementary and lower intermediate. Correlational analyses revealed a negative relationship between executive WM and number of pauses in the lower intermediate L2 speakers. However, no reliable association was found in our sample between executive WM or PSTM and self-repair behavior in terms of either frequency or type of self-repair. Taken together, our findings suggest that while executive WM may enhance performance at the conceptualization and formulation stages of the speech production process, self-repair behavior in L2 speakers may depend on factors other than working memory
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High-Q plasmas in the TFTR tokamak
In the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor, the highest neutron source strength S{sub n} and D-D fusion power gain Q{sub DD} are realized in the neutral-beam fueled and heated supershot'' regime that occurs after extensive wall conditioning to minimize recycling. For the best supershots, S{sub n} increases approximately as P{sub b}{sup 1.8}. The highest-Q shots are characterized by high T{sub e}, T{sub i}, and stored energy highly peaked density profiles, broad T{sub e} profiles, and lower Z{sub eff}. Replacement of critical areas of the graphite limiter tiles with carbon-fiber composite tiles, and improved alignment with the plasma, have mitigated the carbon bloom.'' Wall conditioning by lithium pellet injection prior to the beam pulse reduces carbon influx and particle recycling. Empirically, Q{sub DD} increases with decreasing pre-injection carbon radiation, and increases strongly with density peakedness during the beam pulse. To date the best fusion results are S{sub n} = 5 {times} 10{sup 16} n/s, Q{sub DD} = 1.85 {times} 10{sup {minus}3}, and neutron yield = 4.0 {times} 10{sup 16} n/pulse, obtained at I{sub p} = 1.6 to 1.9 MA and beam energy E{sub b} = 95 to 103 keV, with nearly balanced co- and counter-injected beam power. Computer simulations of supershot plasmas show that typically 50--60% of S{sub n} arises from beam-target reactions, with the remainder divided between beam-beam and thermonuclear reactions, the thermonuclear fraction increasing with P{sub b}. The simulations predict that Q{sub DT} = 0.3 to 0.4 would be obtained for the best present plasma conditions, if half the deuterium neutral beams were to be replaced by tritium beams. Somewhat higher values are calculated if D beams are injected into a predominantly tritium target plasma. The projected central beta of fusion alphas is 0.4--0.6%, a level sufficient for the study of alpha-induced collective effects. 16 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs
Towards a framework for attention cueing in instructional animations: Guidelines for research and design
This paper examines the transferability of successful cueing approaches from text and static visualization research to animations. Theories of visual attention and learning as
well as empirical evidence for the instructional effectiveness of attention cueing are reviewed and, based on Mayerâs theory of multimedia learning, a framework was developed for classifying three functions for cueing: (1) selectionâcues guide attention
to specific locations, (2) organizationâcues emphasize structure, and (3) integrationâcues explicate relations between and within elements. The framework was used to structure the
discussion of studies on cueing in animations. It is concluded that attentional cues may facilitate the selection of information in animations and sometimes improve learning, whereas organizational and relational cueing requires more consideration on how to enhance understanding. Consequently, it is suggested to develop cues that work in animations rather than borrowing effective cues from static representations. Guidelines for future research on attention cueing in animations are presented
Conceivability and possibility : some dilemmas for Humeans
This research is published within the Project âThe Logic of Conceivabilityâ, funded by the European Research Council (ERC CoG), Grant Number 681404.The Humean view that conceivability entails possibility can be criticized via input from cognitive psychology. A mainstream view here has it that there are two candidate codings for mental representations (one of them being, according to some, reducible to the other): the linguistic and the pictorial, the difference between the two consisting in the degree of arbitrariness of the representation relation. If the conceivability of P at issue for Humeans involves the having of a linguistic mental representation, then it is easy to show that we can conceive the impossible, for impossibilities can be represented by meaningful bits of language. If the conceivability of P amounts to the pictorial imaginability of a situation verifying P, then the question is whether the imagination at issue works purely qualitatively, that is, only by phenomenological resemblance with the imagined scenario. If so, the range of situations imaginable in this way is too limited to have a significant role in modal epistemology. If not, imagination will involve some arbitrary labeling component, which turns out to be sufficient for imagining the impossible. And if the relevant imagination is neither linguistic nor pictorial, Humeans will appear to resort to some representational magic, until they come up with a theory of a âthird codeâ for mental representations.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
The nature of feedback: how different types of peer feedback affect writing performance
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