Cognitive Architectures
Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory and Cognitive Architectures
Fua, Karl Cheng-Heng (Northwestern University) | Horswill, Ian (Northwestern University) | Ortony, Andrew (Northwestern University) | Revelle, William (Northwestern University)
Many biological models of human motivation and behavior posit a functional division between those subsystems respon- sible for approach and avoidance behaviors. Gray and McNaughton's (2000) revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) casts this distinction in terms of a Behavioral Activation System (BAS) and a Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS), mediated by a third, conflict resolution system — the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS). They argued that these are fundamental, functionally distinct systems. The model has been highly influential both in personality psychology, where it provides a biologically-based explanation of traits such as extraversion and neuroticism, and in clinical psychology wherein state disorders such as Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder can be modeled as differences in baseline sensitivities of one or more of the systems. In this paper, we present work in progress on implementing a simplified simulation of RST in a set of embodied virtual characters. We argue that RST provides an interesting and potentially powerful starting point for cognitive architectures for various applications, including interactive entertainment, in which simulation of human-like affect and personality is important.
The GLAIR Cognitive Architecture
Shapiro, Stuart C. (University at Buffalo) | Bona, Jonathan P. (University at Buffalo)
GLAIR (Grounded Layered Architecture with Integrated Reasoning) is a multi-layered cognitive architecture for embodied agents operating in real,virtual, or simulated environments containing other agents. The highest layer of the GLAIR Architecture, the Knowledge Layer (KL), contains the beliefs of the agent, and is the layer in which conscious reasoning, planning, and act selection is performed. The lowest layer of the GLAIR Architecture, the Sensori-Actuator Layer (SAL), contains the controllers of the sensors and effectors of the hardware or software robot. Between the KL and the SAL is the Perceptuo-Motor Layer (PML), which grounds the KL symbols in perceptual structures and subconscious actions, contains various registers for providing the agent's sense of situatedness in the environment, and handles translation and communication between the KL and the SAL. The motivation for the development of GLAIR has been "Computational Philosophy", the computational understanding and implementation of human-level intelligent behavior without necessarily being bound by the actual implementation of the human mind. Nevertheless, the approach has been inspired by human psychology and biology.
Questions Arising from a Proto-Neural Cognitive Architecture
Huyck, Christian Robert (Middlesex University) | Byrne, Emma Louise (Middlesex University)
A neural cognitive architecture would be an architecture based on simulated neurons, that provided a set of mechanisms for all cognitive behaviour. Moreover, this would be compatible with biological neural behaviour. As a result, such architectures can both form the basis of a fully-fledged AI and help to explain how cognition emerges from a collection of neurons in the human brain. The development of such a neural cognitive architecture is in its infancy, but a proto-architecture in the form of behaving agents entirely based on simulated neurons is described. These agents take natural language commands, view the environment, plan and act. The development of these agents has led to a series of questions that need to be addressed to advance the development of neural cognitive architectures. These questions include long posed ones where progress has been made, such as the binding and symbol grounding problems; issues about biological architectures including neural models and brain topology; issues of emergent behaviour such as short and long-term Cell Assembly dynamics; and issues of learning such as the stability-plasticity dilemma. These questions can act as a road map for the development of neural cognitive architectures and AIs based on them.
MetaTutor: A MetaCognitive Tool for Enhancing Self-Regulated Learning
Azevedo, Roger (University of Memphis) | Witherspoon, Amy (University of Memphis) | Chauncey, Amber (University of Memphis) | Burkett, Candice (University of Memphis) | Fike, Ashley (University of Memphis)
Learning about complex and challenging science topics with advanced learning technologies requires students to regulate their learning. The deployment of key cognitive and metacognitive regulatory processes is key to enhancing learning in open-ended learning environments such as hypermedia. In this paper, we propose a metaphor—Computers as MetaCognitive tools—to characterize the complex nature of the learning context, self- regulatory processes, task conditions, and features of advanced learning technologies. We briefly outline the theoretical and conceptual assumptions of self-regulated learning (SRL) underlying MetaTutor, a hypermedia environment designed to train and foster students’ SRL processes in biology. Lastly, we provide preliminary learning outcome and SRL process data on the deployment of SRL processes during learning with MetaTutor.
Issues in the Measurement of Cognitive and Metacognitive Regulatory Processes Used During Hypermedia Learning
Azevedo, Roger (University of Memphis) | Moos, Daniel C. (University of Memphis) | Witherspoon, Amy M. (University of Memphis) | Chauncey, Amber D. (University of Memphis)
The goal of this paper is to present four key assumptions regarding the measurement of cognitive and metacognitive regulatory processes used during learning with hypermedia. First, we assume it is possible to detect, trace, model, and foster SRL processes during learning with hypermedia. Second, understanding the complex nature of the regulatory processes during learning with hypermedia is critical in determining why certain processes are used throughout a learning task. Third, it is assumed that the use of SRL processes can dynamically change over time and that they are cyclical in nature (influenced by internal and external conditions and feedback mechanisms). Fourth, capturing, identifying, and classifying SRL processes used during learning with hypermedia is a rather challenging task.
The Constructor Metacognitive Architecture
Samsonovich, Alexei V. (George Mason University)
The present historical epoch is unique in the sense that now The present work takes a shot at this target. The author's people may have the opportunity to create something equal answer to the first question should be clear from the above to them, if not greater: machines capable of humanlike and can be formulated concisely as follows: the goal is to intellectual and cultural development. The reason is not design a human-level learner. Yet, this statement needs a only that the hardware available today is compatible in its further clarification. Its limited interpretation could be, raw computational capacities with the human brain. The e.g.: "The goal of a human-level learner is to take complex, main reason is the emergent understanding of how the noisy information from multiple modalities and distill this human mind works. It appears that implementing the same experience into a representation that supports prediction principles of the human mind in a machine would not take about and manipulation of the world" (Shrobe et al., 2006, yet unavailable today computer resources.
Funding Opportunities for Cognitive and Computer Scientists through the Institute of Education Sciences
O' (US Department of Education) | Donnell, Carol L. (US Department of Education) | Levy, Jonathan
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) provides funding opportunities for researchers to bring their knowledge of learning, cognitive science, and technology to bear on education practice. This panel describes opportunities available through the National Center for Education Research and the National Center for Special Education Research.
Emergently Developed Cognitive Architectures: Testing by Developmental Robotics
Berg-Cross, Gary (Knowledge Strategies)
How useful are bio-developmental approaches for understanding how cognitive capabilities are acquired? One bio-developmental hypothesis is that human cognition unfolds with maturation as a massive collection of adaptive cognitive “capabilities” expressing pre-structured genetic programs. But the seeming plasticity of human cognition argues against simple formulations of innately-specified anatomical & functional processing system composed of specialized computational modules. One alternative is an architecture using domain-specific predispositions and general learning mechanisms to construct modules from interactions. This lets them emerge and unfold in a self- organized fashion as part of developmental experience. The result is a more dynamic, complex cognitive architecture explaining such things as the drive for sensorimotor control in infants, which is combines the generation of exploratory movements constrained by the interaction of ability and environment followed by the selection and maintenance of adaptive movement patterns (Schlesinger et al. 2000). Such findings are consistent with a view that ontogenetic processes are co-important (and co-dependent) with gene- based evolutionary processes for behavior and cognition.
High Definition Fiber Tracking Exposes Circuit Diagram for Brain Showing Triarchic Representation, Domain General Control, and Metacognitive Subsystems
Schneider, Walter (University of Pittsburgh) | Pathak, Sudhir (University of Pittsburgh) | Phillips, Jeff (University of Pittsburgh) | Cole, Micahel (University of Pittsburgh)
Dramatic advances in the last six months in High Definition Fiber Tracking (HDFT) make it possible to image the fiber connectivity from source to destination mapping hundreds of thousands fiber tracks with sufficient resolution to identify the cable level circuit diagram of the human brain. Brain activity imaging studies using functional Magnetic Resonance Imagining (fMRI) identify differential activation patterns as a function of task and level of practice. These data show subnetworks with communication of high bandwidth vector associations, scalar priority and control signals, and interactions with control and meta cognition. The connectivity and activity data support a triarchic cognitive architecture. Processing is the synergistic interaction of three interlinked cognitive computational systems with differential computation role and evolutionary history. These data provided a detailed diagram to guide reverse engineering of the systems levels of the human brain.
OpenCog NS: A Deeply-Interactive Hybrid Neural-Symbolic Cognitive Architecture Designed for Global/Local Memory Synergy
Goertzel, Ben (Novamente LLC) | Duong, Deborah (ACI Edge)
A deeply-interactive hybrid neural-symbolic cognitive architecture is defined as one in which the neural-net and symbolic components interact frequently and dynamically, so that each intervenes significantly in the other's internal operations, and the two form a combined dynamical system at the time-scale of each component's individual cognitive operations. An example architecture of this nature that is currently under development is described: OpenCog NS, based on integration of the OpenCog cognitive architecture (which incorporates symbolic, evolutionary and connectionist aspects) with a hierarchical attractor neural network (HANN). In this integrated architecture, the neural and non-neural aspects each play major roles, and the depth of the interconnection is revealed for example in the facts that symbolic reasoning intervenes in the process of attractor formation within the HANN, whereas the HANN plays a major role in guiding the individual steps of logical inference and evolutionary program learning processes.