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Informational Networks

The 2009 North American Conference on Computing and Philosophy Indiana University in Bloomington. Informational Networks. A (meta-)architecture for situated cognition Orlin Vakarelov Philosophy & Cognitive Science University of Arizona. Goals.

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Informational Networks

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  1. The 2009 North American Conference on Computing and Philosophy Indiana University in Bloomington Informational Networks A (meta-)architecture for situated cognition Orlin Vakarelov Philosophy & Cognitive Science University of Arizona

  2. Goals • Suggest an architectural framework for situated cognitions such that: • Existing architectural approaches (Symbolic AI, Connectionism, etc.) can be conceived as special cases. • The architecture takes seriously the common conception that cognition involves informational processes. • Cognitive processes are closely integrated with the dynamical interactions of the cognitive agent with the world. • The proposed framework of an information media network must allow many architectural characteristics to fall out naturally from the structure. • The framework must achieve the right balance of abstraction and concreteness to force many central “engineering” considerations to have theoretical significance. NACAP 09

  3. Information • Information in Dynamical Systems • Informational processes are highly constrained dynamical processes • Semiotic (pragmatic) approach to information • Semantic information in the most general form requires semiosis • Structural approach to informational systems • The formal properties of informational systems are defined by specifying informational transformations on them NACAP 09

  4. Similar approaches • Barwise & Seligman – theory of information flow • Minsky – Society of Mind • Modularity hypothesis (e.g. Fodor) • Ed Hutchins – Distributed cognition: “[Computation] is accomplished by the propagation of representational state across a series of representational media. ... Representational states are propagated from one medium to another by bringing the states of the media into coordination with one another.” (Cognition in the Wild, p.117) NACAP 09

  5. Informational media • M=<D, IC, F> • D is a dynamical system with a collection of dynamical states. • IC is a collection of disjoint sets of states of D interpreted as information carrying states. • F is a collection of functions on D that respect IC NACAP 09

  6. Dynamical States Information Carrying States Information Preserving Function NACAP 09

  7. Informational transformations • Information processing transformations • Transformations within an informational medium • Examples: formal reasoning, operations of a neural network, etc. • The dynamics of the system may define canonical processing transformations • Information management transformations • Transformations between informational media • Examples: converting a visual image of ice-cream to language, converting a diagrammatic geometric problem to analytic form • The coupled dynamics may define canonical management transformations NACAP 09

  8. Informational Networks • An informational network is: • A collection of informational media • A set of information processing operations on every medium • A set of information management operations among the media • Dual nature • Dynamical/cause system (M/E system) • Informational system • Informational states can have physical causes and effects. NACAP 09

  9. Informational Networks NACAP 09

  10. Cognitive systems as IN • Traditional architectures, GOFAI and connectionism, can be absorbed in the formalism, but as degenerate special cases • Dual nature allows an architecture that is both situated/embodied and has a high-level informational description • Focus on distributiveness • Division of labor and coordination of different complimentary skills NACAP 09

  11. Kinds of Media • Sensing • Computing • Active • Transducing • Information manipulators • Etc. NACAP 09

  12. Network topology • Making network topology a central issue • Hierarchies/levels of abstraction • Self-modifying networks • Useful theoretical distinctions: • Example: • Distributed vs. Modular architecture NACAP 09

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