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Course Description

 

 

Human Analogy-Making

 

Boicho Kokinov

 

 

This course reviews psychological data and computational models of human analogy-making. Analogy-making is considered as the core of human cognition and it relation with perception and memory are discussed. The course reviews various types of models: symbolic, connectionist, and hybrid ones. The role of modeling is explored providing both examples of how models explain existing data, and how they predict new possible facts.

 

Class 1: The place of analogy in Human Cognition

·         mundane and extraordinal analogies

·         analogies in children, infants, and chims

·         defining analogy, types of analogies

·         stages in analogy-making

·         difficulties in making remote analogies

·         superficial and structural analogies

·         analogies in science and politics

 

Required reading:

Holyoak, K., Gentner, D., Kokinov, B. (2001). The Place of Analogy in Cognition. In: Holyoak, K., Gentner, D., Kokinov, B. (eds.) The Analogical Mind: Perspectives from Cognitive Science. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

 

Optional Reading:

Kokinov, B., French, R. (2002). Computational Models of Analogy-Making. In: Lynn Nadel (ed.) Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science. London: Macmillan, Nature Publishing Group, pp. 113-118

Hofstadter, D. (2001). Analogy as the Core of Cognition. In: Gentner, D., Holyoak, K., Kokinov, B., eds. The Analogical Mind: Perspectives from Cognitive Science. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Kokinov, B. (1996). Analogy-Making: Psychological Data and Computational Models. In: Kokinov, B. (ed.) Perspectives on Cognitive Science, vol. 2, NBU Press.

 

 

Class 2: Classical Models of Analogy-Making

·         Structure-Mapping Theory and ACME –  a symbolic model of analogical mapping

·         Multiple Constraint Theory and ACME – a localist connectionist model of analogical mapping

·         ARCS – a localist connectionist model of analogical retrieva

·         MAC/FAC - a symbolic model of analogical retrieval

 

Required reading:

Gentner, D. (1983) Structure-Mapping: A Theoretical Framework for Analogy. Cognitive Science 7(2), pp. 155-170

Holyoak, K. & Thagard, P. (1989). Analogical Mapping by Constraint Satisfaction. Cognitive Science, vol. 13, pp. 295-355

 

Optional Reading:

Thagard, P., Holyoak, K., Nelson, G., Gochfeld, D. (1990). Analog Retrieval by Constraint Satisfaction. Artificial Intelligence, vol. 46, pp. 259-310.

Forbus K., Gentner D. & Law, K (1995). MAC/FAC: A model of Similarity-Based Retrieval. Cognitive Science, 19, pp. 141-205.

 

 

Class 3: Integrated Hybrid Models

·         CopyCat – Integrating Analogy and Perception,

·         LISA – Integrating Analogical Mapping and Memory Access.

 

Required reading:

Hofstadter, D. & Mitchell, M. (1994) The Copycat Project: A Model of Mental Fluidity and Analogy-Making. In: Holyoak, Barnden — Advances in Connectionist and Neural Computation Theory, vol.2, Analogical Connections. Ablex

Hummel, J. & Holyoak, K. (1997). Distributed Representations of Structure: A Theory of Analogical access and Mapping. Psychological Review, 104 (3), 427-466.

 

 

Class 4: AMBR1: A Context-Sensitive model of analogy-making

·         priming experiments

·         DUAL architecture

·         DUAL-based AMBR1 model

·         predictions

·         context effects experiments

 

Required reading:

Kokinov, B. (1994). A Hybrid Model of Reasoning by Analogy. Chapter 5. in: K. Holyoak & J. Barnden (eds.) Analogical Connections, Advances in Connectionist and Neural Computation Theory, vol.2, Ablex Publ. Corp., pp. 247-318.

 

Optional Reading:

Kokinov, B. (1994).  The Context-Sensitive Cognitive Architecture DUAL. In: Proceedings of the 16th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.

Kokinov, B., Yoveva, M. (1996). Context Effects on Problem Solving. In: Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.

Kokinov, B., Hadjiilieva, K., Yoveva, M. (1997). Explicit vs. Imlicit Hint: Which One is More Useful? In: Kokinov, B. (ed.) Perspectives on Cognitive Science. Vol. 3. NBU Press, Sofia.

Kokinov, B., Grinberg, M. (2001). Simulating Context Effects in Problem Solving with AMBR. In: Akman, V., Thomason, R., Bouquet, P. (eds.) Modeling and Using Context. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence), vol. 1775, Springer Verlag.

 

 

Class 5: AMBR2: Integrating Memory and Reasoning in Analogy-Making

·         memory distortions and the constructive approach towards human memory

·         distributed representation of episodes in AMBR2

·         blending of episodes simulations and predictions

·         experimental confirmation

 

Required reading:

Kokinov, B., Petrov, A. (2001). Integration of Memory and Reasoning in Analogy-Making: The AMBR Model. In: Gentner, D., Holyoak, K., Kokinov, B. (eds.) The Analogical Mind: Perspectives from Cognitive Science, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

 

Optional Reading:

Grinberg, M., Kokinov, B. (2003). Simulation of Episode Blending in the AMBR Model. In: Proceedings of the 4th European Cognitive Science Conference. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ

Zareva, N., Kokinov, B. (2003). Blending of Non-Similar Episodes as a Result of Analogical Mapping with a Third One. In: Proceedings of the 25th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ

Kokinov, B., Zareva-Toncheva, N. (2001). Episode Blending as Result of Analogical Problem Solving. In: Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.

 

Small groups

Discussions and project work

 

Assessment

Students who wish to get credits for this course have to complete a project of designing an experiment on or a simulation of analogy-making.

 

 

Boicho Kokinov

 

Boicho Kokinov got his Bachelor and Master degrees at the University of Sofia, and his PhD at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. His main research interests are in human analogy-making, and human thinking in general as well as human long-term memory for episodes and its distortions. He is also studying the context-sensitive nature of human cognition and performing experiments on priming and context effects. He is also working on a general cognitive architecture of human cognition called DUAL, and models of analogy-making (AMBR1 and AMBR2) and judgment (JUDGEMAP). He is co-director of the Central and East European Center for Cognitive Science at the New Bulgarian University.