Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 3, 2025

06:48
The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior
Published on: January 19, 2019
9.4K
Scalable cognitive modelling: Putting Simon's (1969) ant back on the beach.
Brendan T Johns1, Randall K Jamieson2, Michael N Jones3
1Department of Psychology, McGill University.
Summary
Scaled cognitive modeling integrates computational cognitive models with big data and machine learning. This approach aims to bridge classic cognitive theory with advanced computational methods for a more accurate representation of memory.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Computational Neuroscience
- Artificial Intelligence
Background:
- Classic cognitive modeling struggles to accurately represent memory contents.
- Integrating process and representation remains a core challenge in cognitive theories.
- Simon's ant parable highlights the importance of environmental context in cognition.
Approach:
- Reviews standard practices in cognitive modeling.
- Examines how machine learning and big data modify these practices.
- Proposes scaled cognitive modeling as a solution for integrating process and representation.
Key Points:
- Machine learning and big data offer new avenues for cognitive modeling.
- Scaled cognitive modeling aims to improve the representation of memory.
- Bridging classic theory with computational methods is crucial for future research.
Conclusions:
- Scaled cognitive modeling provides a pathway to integrate advanced computational methods with cognitive theory.
- This integration is essential for developing more complete theories of human cognition.
- Future research should focus on leveraging big data and machine learning within established cognitive principles.
Related Concept Videos
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
558
Cognitive psychology is the field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think. It attempts to explain how and why we think the way we do by studying the interactions among human thinking, emotion, creativity, language, and problem-solving, as well as other cognitive processes. Cognitive psychology studies how information is processed and manipulated in remembering, thinking, and knowing.
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
558
Modeling and Similitude
304
Scaled modeling is a fundamental technique in engineering, enabling the study of large and complex systems by creating smaller, manageable replicas that recreate critical characteristics of the original. In hydrology and civil infrastructure, for example, scaled models of dams help analyze water flow, turbulence, and pressure. This method allows for accurate predictions of real-world behavior within a controlled environment, significantly reducing the cost and time involved in full-scale...
304
Cognitivism
1.5K
Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
1.5K
Schemas
11.7K
A schema is a mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts (Bartlett, 1932). There are many different types of schemata, and they all have one thing in common: schemata are a method of organizing information that allows the brain to work more efficiently. When a schema is activated, the brain makes immediate assumptions about the person or object being observed.
11.7K
Cognitive Learning
461
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
461
Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition
72
A revisionist approach to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development has brought new insights that challenge and reinterpret his established ideas. Piaget proposed that the formal operational stage, emerging in adolescence, represents the culmination of cognitive maturity. During this stage, individuals are said to develop abstract thinking, engage in systematic problem-solving, and show a form of egocentrism, believing others are as preoccupied with their behavior as they are...
72

