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<p class=MsoNormal>Fellow ACT-R modelers,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>A 2009 Cog Sci Conference paper referred to the language
comprehension model we are developing in ACT-R as a language “module”.
This is not a view I have adopted, preferring to view our model as (primarily) using
ACT-R general mechanisms. However, it is true that the model has a collection
of specialized buffers to store the partial products of language comprehension.
These buffers are motivated on functional grounds – they are needed to
process language and generate representations. We do not propose a mapping to
brain regions. We introduced the specialized buffers because we have not found
a way of using ACT-R’s DM retrieval mechanism and the single retrieval
buffer which holds a single chunk, to support retention of the partial products
that are needed for (large-scale) language comprehension. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>It may be that the existence of these specialized buffers,
combined with the productions which reference them can be viewed as constituting
a module in ACT-R. However, unlike other modules, this module contains
lots of production-based grammatical knowledge that must be learned (although
we have engineered them in). If, in addition, it is possible to learn how to
buffer declarative knowledge via creation of specialized buffers, then there
may be a cognitive mechanism for learning new “modules”. That is,
the brain can be specialized to process specific kinds of information that it is
not hardwired to process. Under this view, a language “module” is not
innate, but it can be learned. Of course, our model does not actually learn how
to buffer specialized linguistic information (or learn productions for that
matter), we have engineered in the new buffers (and productions). But if ACT-R
had such a mechanism, then it might be possible for an ACT-R model to learn to
be a “module”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Jerry<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Jerry T. Ball, PhD<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Senior Research Psychologist<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Human Effectiveness Directorate<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>711th Human Performance Wing<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Air Force Research Laboratory<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>6030 S. Kent Street, Mesa, AZ 85212<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>PH: 480-988-6561 ext 678; DSN 474-6678<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Jerry.Ball@mesa.afmc.af.mil<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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