Journal

Volume 13, Issue 4 (December 31, 2012)

5 articles

• Introduction (for Special Issue, Vol13-4)
  by Alberto Greco
  J. CS. 2012, 13(4), 393-0;
  Abstract (No Abstract)1st paragraph:Psychologists study a phenomenon concerning individuals, which comes at least once in life, usually during adolescence, called “identity crisis”. This is the moment when individuals ask themselves who they are, what makes them different from other individuals, what peculia... [Read more].
  Abstract (No Abstract)1st paragraph:Psychologists study a phenomenon concerning individuals, which comes at least once in life, usually during adolescence, called “identity crisis”. This is the moment when individuals ask themselves who they are, what makes them different from other individuals, what peculiarities they have. Perhaps the same thing happens, sometimes, also with human activities, namely with science. Cognitive science (CS) is one of the most flourishing scientific enterprises: there are societies, and Journals like the one you are now reading, and conferences are held here and there in the world. [Collapse]
• Indispensability of Computational Modeling in Cognitive Science
  by Igor Farkaš
  J. CS. 2012, 13(4), 401-429;
  Abstract The concept of computation remains a frequently discussed topic in cognitive science, but there is no consensus about its meaning and the role in this field. I discuss this concept in wider sense, also including nonclassical computation, in the light of Marr’s three levels of analysis and their rele... [Read more].
  Abstract The concept of computation remains a frequently discussed topic in cognitive science, but there is no consensus about its meaning and the role in this field. I discuss this concept in wider sense, also including nonclassical computation, in the light of Marr’s three levels of analysis and their relevance for main modeling frameworks pursued in cognitive science . symbolic, connectionist, dynamic and probabilistic. I point to differences between these approaches and argue, providing empirical and theoretical arguments, that connectionism, out of the existing approaches, holds the promise of providing the most plausible and detailed accounts of human cognition. Connectionism also benefits from the emerging field of cognitive developmental robotics that aims at designing autonomous cognitive robots using the synthetic bottom-up approach. I conclude with emphasizing the key role of computational modeling that will help advance the field of computational cognitive science as an indispensable core component. [Collapse]
• Embodied Cognition in Psychological Therapy
  by Mihoko Otake, Surya G. Nurzaman, & Fumiya Iida
  J. CS. 2012, 13(4), 431-452;
  Abstract The concept of embodiment plays a crucial role in understanding human cognition. Previously it has been argued, for example, that the cognitive processes related to human memories cannot be fully explained without the notions of embodiment because memories are usually the outcome of an individual’s ... [Read more].
  Abstract The concept of embodiment plays a crucial role in understanding human cognition. Previously it has been argued, for example, that the cognitive processes related to human memories cannot be fully explained without the notions of embodiment because memories are usually the outcome of an individual’s physical sensorimotor interactions with the environments. The aim of this paper is to discuss the issues of embodied cognitive science and their contributions in the psychological therapeutic method. Through a few trials that we conducted in the last few years, we introduce a novel therapeutic method, the so-called coimagination method, which has been used for preventing and rehabilitating cognitive decline, and its implications in the context of embodied cognition. [Collapse]
• Challenges for Artificial Cognitive Systems
  by Antoni Gomila & Vincent C Müller
  J. CS. 2012, 13(4), 453-470;
  Abstract The declared goal of this paper is to fill this gap: “… cognitive systems research needs questions or challenges that define progress. The challenges are not (yet more) predictions of the future, but a guideline to what are the aims and what would constitute progress.” – the quotation being from the... [Read more].
  Abstract The declared goal of this paper is to fill this gap: “… cognitive systems research needs questions or challenges that define progress. The challenges are not (yet more) predictions of the future, but a guideline to what are the aims and what would constitute progress.” – the quotation being from the project description of EUCogII, the project for the European Network for Cognitive Systems within which this formulation of the ‘challenges’ was originally developed (http://www.eucognition.org). So, we stick out our neck and formulate the challenges for artificial cognitive systems. These challenges are articulated in terms of a definition of what a cognitive system is: a system that learns from experience and uses its acquired knowledge (both declarative and practical) in a flexible manner to achieve its own goals. [Collapse]
• Cognitive science and cognitive sciences
  by Alberto Greco
  J. CS. 2012, 13(4), 471-485;
  Abstract Moving from the historical roots of Cognitive Science, and considering its present status, I argue that it is not possible to find a single object or method that allows to unify various perspectives into a single disciplinary perspective. Thus, I consider the plural expression "cognitive sciences" m... [Read more].
  Abstract Moving from the historical roots of Cognitive Science, and considering its present status, I argue that it is not possible to find a single object or method that allows to unify various perspectives into a single disciplinary perspective. Thus, I consider the plural expression "cognitive sciences" more appropriate than the singular one, unless a framework for understanding multidisciplinary collaboration is found. I then briefly describe a meta-theoretic system, suggesting how cooperation between cognitive disciplines may have a true explanatory value. In this system, a single commonsense "fact" is described as a different "state" from the perspective of different disciplines (as a physical state, or a state of the body, of the brain, of consciousness, etc.). Such descriptions include new states resulting from changes of state ("events"), disposed along a time sequence (called "flow"). A parallel representation of different flows, describing from various disciplinary standpoints the same events occurring in a certain time course (called a "flow-chain"), allows to establish the nature of correspondences and links between events in the same or different flows. I argue that a multidisciplinary exchange is really needed for explanation when a cognitive phenomenon includes events that are correlated but cannot be causally linked inside a single flow, i.e. using a set of descriptions belonging to a single discipline. [Collapse]