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Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

400
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
400
Language Development01:22

Language Development

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Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
415
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

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Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
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Components of Language01:24

Components of Language

339
Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs.
339
Language01:16

Language

260
Language is a unique communication system that uses words and systematic rules to organize and transmit information. Unlike other forms of communication, which may involve postures, movements, odors, or vocalizations, language relies on symbols and grammar. This makes human communication distinct from that of other species, who also communicate but do not use language in the same way humans do.
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...
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Natural and Artificial Concepts01:24

Natural and Artificial Concepts

227
In psychology, concepts can be divided into two categories: natural and artificial. Natural concepts are formed through direct or indirect experiences. For example, consider the concept of snow. If you live in a place with regular snowfall, such as Essex Junction, Vermont, you know snow through direct experiences. You’ve seen it fall, touched it, shoveled it, and played in it. You recognize its texture, appearance, and even its smell. In contrast, if you live on an island like Saint...
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Augmenting Large Language Models via Vector Embeddings to Improve Domain-Specific Responsiveness
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The debate over understanding in AI's large language models.

Melanie Mitchell1, David C Krakauer1

  • 1Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|March 21, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Large language models (LLMs) are debated for their humanlike understanding. This research explores arguments for and against LLM comprehension, proposing an extended science of intelligence to analyze distinct cognitive modes.

Keywords:
artificial intelligencelarge language modelsunderstanding

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Area of Science:

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Cognitive Science
  • Philosophy of Mind

Background:

  • A significant debate exists within the AI research community regarding the extent to which large pretrained language models (LLMs) exhibit genuine understanding.
  • This debate centers on whether LLMs comprehend language in a humanlike manner, including the physical and social contexts that language represents.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To survey the current arguments for and against the claim that large pretrained language models understand language and its encoded contexts.
  • To identify key questions for the broader sciences of intelligence prompted by this debate.
  • To propose the development of an extended science of intelligence capable of analyzing diverse modes of understanding.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and synthesis of arguments presented in the artificial intelligence research community.
  • Analysis of the implications of LLM capabilities for the broader scientific study of intelligence.
  • Conceptual framework development for an extended science of intelligence.

Main Results:

  • The study outlines the core tenets of the debate surrounding LLM understanding, presenting both supportive and critical viewpoints.
  • It highlights emergent questions concerning the nature of intelligence, understanding, and cognition in both biological and artificial systems.
  • The research identifies the need for a more comprehensive framework to study different forms of understanding.

Conclusions:

  • An extended science of intelligence can offer valuable insights into the distinct modes of understanding, their respective strengths, and limitations.
  • This extended science will be crucial for addressing the complex challenge of integrating diverse cognitive capabilities, both human and artificial.
  • The findings suggest a path forward for a more nuanced understanding of artificial intelligence and its relationship to general intelligence.