Connectionists: Fwd: Best practices in model publication

[Caspar Addyman]

Hi Brad,

I think you raise some interesting questions about whether models should
stand or fall on the basis of their predictions. But in terms of slow
progress in the field I think there is  a prior issue that model and their
results should be made more accessible.  Bob French and I recently got
frustrated with some of the bad habits of the modelling community in this
regard and ended up writing a 'manifesto'.

Addyman, C., & French, R. M. (2012). Computational Modeling in Cognitive
Science: A Manifesto for Change. *Topics in Cognitive Science*, *4*(3),
332-341. doi:10.1111/j.1756-8765.2012.01206.x [pdf - http://bit.ly/1ee7GYR ]
We were more interested in the more pragmatic steps on can take to give
other people direct access to your model so that non-specialists (and other
modellers) can get a genuine feel for exactly what your model is doing when
it 'simulates' an experiments.

There was an interesting follow up paper by Richard Cooper and Olivia Guest
that perhaps addresses your questions about the separation of levels of
explanation.

Cooper, R. P., & Guest, O. (2013). Implementations are not specifications:
Specification, replication and experimentation in computational cognitive
modeling. *Cognitive Systems Research*, 1-8.
doi:10.1016/j.cogsys.2013.05.001

All the best,
Caspar

Dr. Caspar Addyman
Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development
Birkbeck, University of London
Malet Street
London WC1E 7HX
Tel: +447876140050
Twitter: @BrainStraining
http://www.cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/people/scientificstaff/caspar
http://yourbrainondrugs.net
http://boozerlyzer.net
http://babylaughter.net
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