Master's Program in Cognitive Science, Univ. Bratislava

Winter semester 2010/11


Lecturer: Mgr. Dana Retová., Dept. of Applied Informatics, room I-11,

dana.retova@ii.fmph.uniba.sk


Time/Place: Thursday 14:00, 4h/w, I-8
Credits: 5

Indicative Content

The goal of the course is to formulate questions and provide views from literature helping to understand how cognitive systems manipulate with meanings. Also, to present cognitive theories of representation bridging the gaps between brain, language and culture.

Assessment

  1. Seminar 70% (readings, discussions, activity)
  2. Oral exam 30%

Schedule


Session
Date
Topic
Seminar Readings
Moderated by
Supplementary Resources
1.
30.9

Introduction & basic terminology

(none)
tba

2.
7.10

Semiotics and enactive approach
tba


3.
14.10

Meaning in animal world: evolutionary view
tba

4.
21.10

Biologically motivated semantics of distinguishing criteria
  • Šefránek, J.: Knowledge Representation for Animal Reasoning. In: Honkela, T., Pöllä, M., Paukkeri, M., Simula, O. (eds.): Proceedings of AKRR '08, the 2nd International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Adaptive Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, Espoo, Finland, 2008, pp. 65-72.
tba

5.
28.10

Cognitive semantics of Lakoff
  • Lakoff, George (1987). Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, Foreward and chap. 1 and 4-6.
  • Love metaphors
tba

  • Šefránek, J.: slide notes for Lakoff's Women, Fire and Dangerous Things
6.
4.11

Conceptual spaces
  • Gärdenfors, P.: Concept representations and nonmonotonic inferences. pp. 25-39 in Logic for a Change: Essays dedicated to Sten Lindström on the occasion of his fiftieth birthday, Uppsala Prints and Preprints in Philosophy 1995:9, Uppsala. Revised version in Mathware & Soft Computing 3, pp. 17-31.
tba

7.
11.11

Brain related semantics
tba

  • Barsalou, L.W., Yeh, W., Luka, B.J., Olseth, K.L., Mix, K.S., & Wu, L. (1993). Concepts and meaning. In K. Beals, G. Cooke, D. Kathman, K.E. McCullough, S. Kita, & D. Testen (Eds.), Chicago Linguistics Society 29: Papers from the parasession on conceptual representations (pp. 23-61). University of Chicago: Chicago Linguistics Society.
  • Neural Basis of Language 2004, ICSI U Berkeley (local copy)
8.
18.11

Toward grammar
tba


9.
25.11

Meaning in Artificial Systems: Basic Problems
tba

  • Turing, A. M., 1950. Computing machinery and intelligence. Mind 59, 433–460.
  • Searle, J. R., 1980. Minds, brains, and programs. Behavioural and Brain Sciences 3, 417–457.
  • Newell, A., Simon, H. A., 1976. Computer science as empirical inquiry: Symbols and search. Commun. ACM 19 (3), 113–126.
  • Fodor J. A. and Pylyshyn Z. W.: Connectionism and Cognitive Architecture: A Critical Analysis. In: Connections and symbols. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 3–71. 1988.
  • Ziemke: Construction
10.
2.12

Meaning in Artificial Systems: Case Studies

(one of):

  • Wiedermann, J: HUGO: A Cognitive Architecture with an Incorporated World Model,
    Technical report CSAV No. 966, April 2006
  • Deb Roy. (2008, in press). A Mechanistic Model of Three Facets of Meaning. Chapter to appear in Symbols, Embodiment, and Meaning, de Vega, Glenberg, and Graesser, eds. pdf
  • Brooks, R: Intelligence without representation. Artificial Intelligence, Vol.47, 1991, pp.139-159.
  • survey of chatbots
tba

11.
9.12

Constructivist Approach
  • L.Smith and M. Gasser [2005]. The Development of Embodied Cognition: Six Lessons from Babies Artificial Life. Vol. 11, Issues 1-2, pp. 13 - 30
tba

  • Takáč, M.: Construction of Meanings in Biological and Artificial Agents. In: Trajkovski, G., Collins, S. G. (eds.): Agent-Based Societies: Social and Cultural Interactions, IGI Global, Hershey, PA, in press.
12.
tba
Closing & Exam


Assessment details

Seminar Activities

Before each seminar, a student should carefully read all articles from the related group of seminar readings (supplementary resources are optional) and make up at least three questions or discussion points related to the articles. The discussion points should be sent to the mailing list C S C T R 2 0 1 0 (at) l i s t s . d a i . f m p h . u n i b a . s k not later than on the day before the seminar by 8:00 p.m.. For each seminar, a moderator will be appointed in advance. The duty of the moderator is to collect and sort received discussion points and then moderate the discussion. The students will be evaluated for their prepared questions, discussion activity and ability to moderate the discussions.

Oral Exam

There will be short oral individual exams at the end of the semester. The examination syllabus will be published here in advance.