[ACT-R-users] Cognitive/Associative layer and signs/symbols [ACT-R-users Digest, Vol 38, Issue 6

[Professor Ron Sun]

Dear Rosemarijn:

You might want to take a look at the following papers:

	• R. Sun, L. A. Coward, and M. J. Zenzen, On levels of cognitive  
modeling . Philosophical Psychology, Vol.18, No.5, pp.613-637. 2005.

	• R. Sun, The importance of cognitive architectures: An analysis  
based on CLARION. Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Artificial  
Intelligence, Vol.19, No.2, pp.159-193. 2007

	• L. A. Coward and R. Sun, Criteria for an effective theory of  
consciousness and some preliminary attempts . Consciousness and  
Cognition, Vol.13, pp. 268-301. 2004.

They are relevant to what you are proposing.
They are downloadable from my webpage:  http://www.cogsci.rpi.edu/~rsun

Cheers,
-- Ron

> Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2008 09:23:15 +0200
> From: "Looije, R. (Rosemarijn)" <rosemarijn.looije at tno.nl>
> Subject: [ACT-R-users] Cognitive/Associative layer and signs/symbols
> To: <act-r-users at act-r.psy.cmu.edu>
> Message-ID:
> 	<EA92831C8C35EA4AAC371818C326E282018C417C at MAIL03.tsn.tno.nl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Dear all,
> In a project we are trying to explicitly stick to the SRK framework of
> Rasmussen in the implementation of a cognitive model. Rules and
> knowledge are going to be implemented at first. The associative layer
> will use signs (e.g. bread) while the cognitive layer will use symbols
> (e.g. food). Both symbols and signs are stored in the memory. Now we
> think of implementing a translator, which is conceptually part of the
> memory, that translates signs to symbols and vice versa. The signs and
> symbols will probably be represented in a semantic network.
>
> Furthermore, we have the idea of activating goals in the memory
> depending on new symbols and sending the activated goals to the
> cognitive layer that can reason about which goal to choose based on  
> for
> instance priorities. When in a goal hierarchy a procedure is reached  
> the
> cognitive layer passes the goal to the associative layer, which then
> tries to reach the goal. If information is missing to succeed in the
> goal the associative layer asks the cognitive layer for this
> information. For example: the cognitive layer has passed the goal  
> "land
> the plane" to the associative layer, but the information about where  
> to
> land is not unambiguously present in the memory, so it asks the
> cognitive layer to get the "where" information. The cognitive layer  
> than
> asks the memory for a list with signs (Rome, Zurich, Washington) of
> landing spots (symbol) and reasons about the best spot according to  
> some
> specifications and current context. The best spot is given back to the
> associative layer that can complete its goal to land.
>
> We are very interested in your ideas on this, the cognitive  
> plausibility
> and perhaps literature and example programs that describe similar
> implementations to crystallize our ideas further.
> Kind regards,
>
> Rosemarijn Looije
> -------------------------------------------------------------

========================================================
Professor Ron Sun
Cognitive Science Department
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 Eighth Street, Carnegie 302A
Troy, NY 12180, USA

phone: 518-276-3409
fax:   518-276-3017
email: rsun at rpi.edu
web:   http://www.cogsci.rpi.edu/~rsun
=======================================================