Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Cognitive psychologist David H. Dodd etc. held that cognition involves three
aspects of adaptation, structure and process, i.e., cognition is the process of
information processing in certain mental structures for certain objectives.
Cognitive Science is the science about human perceptions and mental
information processing, spanning from perceptual input to complex problem
solving, including intellectual activities from individuals to the whole society,
and investigating characteristics of both human intelligence and machine
intelligence (Shi, 1990). As an important theoretical foundation for AI, Cognitive
Science is an interdisciplinary field developed from Modern Psychology,
Information
Science,
Neuroscience,
Mathematics,
Scientific
Linguistics,
Anthropology, Natural Philosophy, etc.
The blooming and development of Cognitive Science marked a new stage of
research on human-centered cognitive and intelligent activities. Research on
Cognitive Science will enable self understanding and self control, and lift human
knowledge and intelligence to an unprecedented level. Moreover, it will lay
theoretical foundations for the intelligence revolution, knowledge revolution and
information revolution, as well as provide new concepts, new ideas and new
methodologies for the development of intelligent computer systems.
Promoted by works of Allen Newell and Herbert Simon, research related to
cognitive science originated in the late 1950's (Simon, 1986). Cognitive
scientists proposed better models for mind and thinking than the simplified
model about human developed by behaviorism scientists. Cognitive Science
research aims at illustrating and explaining how information is processed during
cognitive activities. It involves varieties of problems including perception,
language, learning, memory, thinking, problem solving, creativity, attention, as
well as the impact of environment and social culture on cognition.
In 1991, the representative journal “Artificial Intelligence” published a
special issue on the foundation of AI in its 47th volume, in which trends about AI
research are discussed. In this special issue, David Kirsh discussed five
foundational questions for AI research (Kirsh, 1991):
(1) Pre-eminence of knowledge and conceptualization: Intelligence that transcends
insect-level intelligence requires declarative knowledge and some form of
reasoning-like computation-call this cognition. Core Al is the study of the
conceptualizations of the world presupposed and used by intelligent systems
during cognition.
(2) Disembodiment: Cognition and the knowledge it presupposes can be studied
largely in abstraction from the details of perception and motor control.
