==================================================================== CS/Psych/ISyE 6795 Cognitive Scvience Spring 2005 Ashok K. Goel Final Examination Assigned: Monday, April 25, 2005 Due: Monday, May 2, 2005 (computer-printed hardcopies by 4 pm in my CCB mailbox or by 5 pm in my CRB mailbox) -------------------------------------------------------------------- General Notes: You may consult any textbook you wish including the two textbooks for the class. You may also consult your classnotes including the classnotes posted on the class webpage/swicki. Of course, you want to cite the references you use. In addition, you may consult various sources on WWW (whose quality might be very uneven). However, discussion with any person is strictly off-limits. Please make your answer specific and precise, and illustrate them with diagrams and examples: precision and clarity are critical. Please answer all questions. ==================================================================== Question 1. (15 points) According to the online Wired magazine, fMRI images of Buddhist monks in meditation show a specific pattern of mental activity. The article (available at ) however does not describe how fMRI actually was used or how the technique actually showed any pattern. Describe how fMRI may have been used and how it may have shown a specific pattern. (Note: this is not advertisement for Wired, Buddhism, meditation, or even fMRI. :-) ==================================================================== Question 2. (10 points) Some neuropharmacological evidence appears to support the theory of reinforcement learning? What is this evidence? How does it support reinforcement learning? ==================================================================== Question 3. (5 points) What is "chaos"? Why are some dynamical systems called "chaotic"? ==================================================================== Question 4. (10 points) When I "see" any big object raidly moving towards to my face, I "automatically" jerk my head backwards. Describe my visual processing. ==================================================================== Question 5. (5 points) Explain what is meant by saying that "language is a cultural tool"? ==================================================================== Question 6. (10 points) What is meant by the term "bounded rationality"? Why do many cognitive scientists believe that the principle of "bounded rationality" forms the basis of much of cogniton? What is meant by the term "satisficing"? Why do many cognitive scientists believe that cognitive agents often find only "satisficing" solutions to complex problems such as design? ==================================================================== Question 7. (15 points) Let us consider the following two sentences: John visited Mary in the hospital. He took her flowers. The second sentence above has two meanings. First describe how a script for visiting a friend in a hospital evoked by the first sentence would help in understandin one meaning of the second sentence. Then explain why the script does not help in getting the other meaning. Now consider a script about stealing someone property that may be evoked by the second sentence. Does this script help in understanding the first sentence? Why (or why not)? ==================================================================== Question 8. (10 points) In everyday life, emotions often are considered as antithetical to intelligence. But some cognitive scientists argue that emotions may play a constructive role in cognition, for example, in assessing or evaluating a situation. Explain. ==================================================================== Question 9. (10 points) Though we did not discuss creativity as a topic in our class, we did consider more than one theory of creativity under different topics. What are the main theories of creativity? ==================================================================== Question 10. (10 points) One view of the goal of cognitive science is "to build an analytical bridge between brain and behavior." What are the major critiques of this view. One common perspective on undertanding cognition is to view it as an "information-processing black-box." What are the major critiques of this view. ====================================================================