Additional Resources | Unit 1 | Introduction to Cognitive Science
- G 13 | KMF1014
- Dec 9, 2019
- 3 min read
Additional Resources 1
According to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of mind and intelligence, embracing philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, linguistics, and anthropology. The next definition is an interdisciplinary science that draws on many fields (as psychology, artificial intelligence, linguistics, and philosophy) in developing theories about human perception, thinking, and learning (Merriam). Cognitive science can be roughly summed up as the scientific interdisciplinary study of the mind. It results from the efforts of researchers working in philosophy, psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence, robotics, and neuroscience. – In “Cognitive Science” by Friedenberg and Silverman.
Based on the academic history, more than sixty universities in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia have established cognitive science programs – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Cognitive science is the science of cognition, which includes such things as perception, action, learning, memory, attention, reasoning, decision-making and language use. Cognitive Science can be used to analyze, describe, predict, or even correct, augment, if not create minds. Some specific applications are Cognitive Modeling, Human Computer Interaction, Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Robotics and Cognitive Engineering. Cognitive Models can analyze cognitive behavior at small timescales, for example predict the effects of texting while driving.
In Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science could lead to more effective and efficient Human-Computer Interaction. In Cognitive Ergonomics, a designing tools with an eye for our cognitive abilities (and hence the constraints it imposes on that technology)were invented: cognitive ergonomically designed tools should ‘fit’ our abilities to take in and process. Cognitive Prosthetics Using EEG’s (brain waves measured at scalp), patients that can’t move their arms learn to control a cursor on a screen - Wadsworth Research Lab, Albany, NY and Former blind, Jens Naumann can now see good enough to ‘drive slowly around in a parking lot’ thanks to a brain vision implant. It also able us seeing with Sound See with tongue. Cognitive Science: Kinds of Minds. Cognitive Science can be seen as the study of mind, but these minds can be, human minds, animal minds, computer minds, robot minds,alien minds,group minds or whatever minds.
Further Reflections, it just as considering the place of carbon in the whole Table of Elements teaches us something about carbon that we probably wouldn’t have figured out by looking at carbon alone, studying other forms of cognition can probably teach us more about human cognition. So, even if we just wanted to know about human cognition, it still makes sense to contemplate other forms of cognition. Another further reflections- since the space of actual cognitive phenomena is (unfortunately) much smaller than the space of all possible cognitive phenomena, a true cognitive science is probably going to be more of an experimental science than an empirical/observational science. So, while Cognitive Psychology focuses on human cognition and, as such, runs experiments by bringing in human subjects, Cognitive Science proceeds with building and testing systems with cognitive powers quite unlike human cognition.
Third further reflections-Are there going to be general principles of cognition that span much or all of the space of cognition? What would those principles look like? What are the dimensions, parameters, and units of cognition? I think that there is definitely room here for a ‘Newton’, ‘Mendeleev’, or ‘Darwin’ of cognitive science. Indeed, some people could become real famous by mapping the land of cognition.
Resources
Friedenberg. What is Cognitive Science? retrieved from
Additional Resources 2
Minnesota State Mankota. (2018). Cognitive Science. retrieved fromhttps://youtu.be/uNYdfJdcbAc
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