Tag Archives: association
10 Apr Talking About Computational Linguistics
Computational Linguistics Today Massive strides have been made in the cognitive definition of thought, perception, culture and language. The interaction or kinship of all these elements of the human experience is also better defined. This combined work has increased our self-awareness and provided the basis for synthesizing and modeling automata to extend our abilities and […]
09 Apr Abstract Contexts and Fuzzy Reasoning
We do not yet know how we remember things, nor do we know how we use remembered things in reasoning. The amazing feedback loops of afferent and efferent fibers between different layers of the cortex give us some amazing clues (Hawkins 2004). Today’s discussion of abstract contexts and fuzzy reasoning is intended as a bridge […]
08 Apr Symmetrical Logic and Lineage
Symmetry may not immediately appear as a principle of logic or reason, but it should. In mathematics we learn the commutative and associative properties of addition and multiplication. These represent a mirror-like symmetry. Symmetry, or invariance against change, is a fundamental principle of physics and an underlying assumption driving some logical decisions. Causality, for example, […]
03 Apr Causal Chains in Action
Expectations are often influenced by our understanding of cause and effect. In physical interactions between our bodies and the external environment, and in social interactions between other complex people, we are capable of predicting an outcome long before it actually comes to pass. We are also capable of predicting an outcome immediately before it comes to pass, as […]
02 Apr Context and Expectations
Expectations are context based, top-down ideas of what comes next. These top-down ideas feed perceptual processing centers in the brain, helping us focus on what matters, ,and sometimes blinding us to other possibilities. The two types of context we will consider today are sensory and non-sensory. Sensory context applies to anything in the physical world […]
01 Apr Generating and Qualifying Propositions
What are the limits of reasoning? Is it possible to reduce every cognitive activity (telling time, falling in love, inventing rockets…) to a set of premises and conclusions: propositions? LITTLE ANIMALS ARE FURRY is a very simple proposition. Can intelligence be defined by the complexity of the sequence of propositions we can balance in evaluating a situation? I […]
31 Mar Truth, Belief and Confidence
Establishing frameworks for truth, belief and confidence can be part of raising a child and part of building a more intelligent system. Parents in households of faith often feel a compelling need to teach their children about things that are outside the realm of scientific discovery. In espionage, intelligence analysts review information collected by agents, electronic snoops, and […]
27 Mar Cognition and Emotion
I’m conflicted. I suspect you are too. “Since the time of the ancient Greeks, humans have found it compelling to segregate reason from passion, thinking from feeling, cognition from emotion. These contrasting aspects… have in fact often been viewed as waging an inner battle for control of the human psyche” (LeDoux, 1996, p. 24). In earlier […]
25 Mar Generalization and Inference
What do you do when you encounter something completely new, such as a new flavor. Can you identify that it is a flavor and that it resembles some flavors you’ve encountered before? If you knew about bridges from experience, but had never seen a drawbridge, or a lift bridge or a covered bridge, would you be able […]
24 Mar School of Hard Knocks
Are you a graduate of the School of Hard Knocks, or like me, are you still trying to escape the gravity of freshman year? Lessons about how altitude affects physical objects may be learned by slipping and falling down a few stairs. These lessons become ingrained early. Burned fingers have a profound impact. Notions of hot and cold, […]