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Computational limits don't fully explain human cognitive limitations
Ernest S Davis1, Gary F Marcus2
1Department of Computer Science, New York University, New York, NY10012. davise@cs.nyu.eduhttps://cs.nyu.edu/faculty/davise/.
The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|March 12, 2020
Summary
Explaining human cognition solely by computational resource limits is insufficient. This approach contradicts observations and experiments, offering limited insight into cognitive processes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Computational Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- The prevailing view suggests human cognitive limitations stem from optimal strategies under resource constraints.
- This perspective, while offering some explanatory value, faces significant challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the sufficiency of the computational resource limitation hypothesis in explaining human cognition.
- To explore alternative or complementary explanations for cognitive failings.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and theoretical analysis of cognitive science principles.
- Examination of empirical evidence from psychological experiments and observational studies.
- Comparative analysis of different theoretical frameworks for understanding cognition.
Main Results:
- The hypothesis that all cognitive limits are merely optimal resource-constrained strategies is inconsistent with empirical data.
- Common observations of human behavior and extensive experimental findings challenge this narrow view.
- The computational resource limitation model provides limited utility in a comprehensive explanation of human cognition.
Conclusions:
- A purely resource-based explanation for cognitive limitations is inadequate.
- Human cognition is influenced by factors beyond mere computational efficiency.
- Further research is needed to develop more comprehensive models of human cognitive function.
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