InformaticsStPPTCh4Introduction to Cognitive Science

Key Terms Defined

• Artificial intelligence (AI) - is the field that deals with the conception, development and
implementation of informatics tools based on intelligent technologies. This field attempts to capture
the complex processes of human thought and intelligence. According to the Association for the
Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) (2007b), AI is the “scientific understanding of the
mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior and their embodiment in machines”
• Brain - Just as the CPU is the "brain" of the computer, our brain is our central information processing
unit; it is an organ that controls our central nervous system, is responsible for cognition and the
interpretation, processing and reaction to sensory input.
• Cognitive Informatics - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) operated for the US
Department of Defense (2007) suggests the disciplines of neuroscience, linguistics, artificial
intelligence and psychology make up this field. They define CI as “the multidisciplinary study of
cognition and information sciences, which investigates human information processing mechanisms
and processes and their engineering applications in computing
• Cognitive Science - The interdisciplinary field that studies the mind, intelligence and behavior from
an information processing perspective. According to Wikipedia (2007), “The term cognitive science
was coined by Christopher Longuet-Higgins in his 1973 commentary on the Lighthill report, which
concerned the then-current state of Artificial Intelligence research”
• Computer Science - Branch of engineering (application of science) that studies the theoretical
foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer
systems; study of storage/memory, conversion and transformation, and transfer or transmission of
information in machines, that is computers, through both algorithms and practical implementation
problems, algorithms are detailed unambiguous action sequences in the design, efficiency and
application and practical implementation problems deal with the software and hardware.
• Decision Making - Output of cognition; outcome of our intellectual processing.
• Empiricism – Suggests that our knowledge is derived from our experiences or senses; while
rationalism contends that “some of our knowledge is derived from reason alone and that reason plays
an important role in the acquisition of all of our knowledge”
• Epistemology - Study of the nature and origin of knowledge; what it means to know.
• Intelligence - Mental ability to think logically, reason, prepare, ideate, assess alternative solutions to
problems, problem solve by choosing a proposed solution, think abstractly, comprehend and grasp
ideas, understand and use language, and learn.
• Intuition - A way of acquiring knowledge that cannot be obtained by inference, deduction,
observation, reason analysis or experience.
• Knowledge - The awareness and understanding of a set of information and ways that information can
be made useful to support a specific task or arrive at a decision; abounds with others’ thoughts and
information; information that is synthesized so that relationships are identified and formalized;
(cont’d)
• Knowledge - (cont’d)understanding that comes through a process of interaction or experience with
world around us ; info that has judgment applied to it or meaning extracted from it; processed
information that helps to clarify or explain some portion of our environment or world that we can use
 as a basis for action or upon which we can act; internal process of thinking or cognition; external
process of testing, senses, observation, interacting.
• Logic - “A science that deals with the principles and criteria of validity of inference and
demonstration: the science of the formal principles of reasoning” (Merriam-Webster, 2007, ¶1);
acquiring knowledge through logic requires reasoned action to make valid inferences.
• Memory - Data stored in digital format; generally refers to random access memory (RAM).
• Mind - Brain’s conscious processing; encompasses thought processes, memory, imagination and
creativity, emotions, perceptions, inner drive or will.
• Neuroscience - Study of the nervous system.
• Perception - The process of acquiring knowledge about our environment or situation by obtaining,
interpreting, selecting and organizing sensory information from seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and
smelling; Sensory experience foundational to formulating knowledge.
• Problem Solving - Cognitive process of critically thinking through a problem or issue to determine a
course of action.
• Psychology - Study of the mind and behavior.
• Rationalism - An ethical position that contends that knowledge is derived from deductive reasoning
and not from the senses.
• Reasoning - Way of thinking, calculating, interpreting or introspectively rethinking or critically
thinking through an issue; reflective thought to reason or think through one's ideas and alternatives.
• Wisdom - Knowledge applied in a practical way or translated into actions; uses knowledge and
experience to heighten common sense and insight to exercise sound judgment in practical matters;
sometimes thought of as the highest form of common sense resulting from accumulated knowledge or
erudition (deep thorough learning) or enlightenment (cont’d)
• Wisdom – (cont’d) (education that results in understanding and the dissemination of knowledge); it is
the ability to apply valuable and viable knowledge, experience, understanding and insight while being
prudent and sensible; is focused on our own minds; the synthesis of our experience, insight,
understanding and knowledge; the appropriate use of knowledge to solve human problems.  It is
knowing when and how to apply knowledge.

• Introduction
• Cognitive science is one of the basic building blocks used to understand informatics.
• It was only 50 or so years ago that computer operations and actions were linked to cognitive science,
theories of the mind, intellect or brain.
• The applications of cognitive science to NI include problem solving, decision support systems,
usability issues, user-centered interfaces and systems, and the development and use of terminologies.
• Cognitive Science
• Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary field that studies the mind, intelligence and behavior from an
information processing perspective.
• Cognitive science is the study of the mind and how information is processed in the mind.
• The mind is frequently compared to a computer and experts in computer science strive to understand
how the mind processes data and information while experts in cognitive science attempt to model
human thinking using artificial networks provided by computers.
• Cognitive science provides the scaffolding for the analysis and modeling of complicated, multifaceted
human performance and therefore has a tremendous affect on the issues impacting informatics.
• Sources of Knowledge
• Empiricists do not recognize innate knowledge while rationalists believe that reason is more essential
in the acquisition of knowledge than the senses.
• There are three sources of knowledge: instinct, reason, and intuition.
• Instinct is when you react without reason such as when a car is heading toward you and you jump out
of the way instinctively.
• Reason “Collects facts, generalizes, reasons out from cause to effect, from effect to cause, from
premises to conclusions, from propositions to proofs” (Sivananda, 2004, ¶4).
• Intuition is a way of acquiring knowledge that cannot be obtained by inference, deduction,
observation, reason, analysis or experience.
• The sources of knowledge provide a variety of inputs, throughputs and outputs through which we
process knowledge.
• Nature of Knowledge
• Epistemology is the study of the nature and origin of knowledge; what it means to know.
• We have defined knowledge as the awareness and understanding of a set of information and ways that
information can be made useful to support a specific task or arrive at a decision; it abounds with
others’ thoughts and information or is information that is synthesized so that relationships are
identified and formalized.
• Knowledge/Wisdom and Decision Making
• The whole point in collecting and building data, information, and knowledge is to be able to make
informed, judicious, prudent and intelligent decisions.
• The decision making process evolves around knowledge and wisdom.
• It is through our efforts to understand the nature of knowledge and its evolution to wisdom that we can
conceive of, build and implement informatics tools that enhance and mimic our mind’s processes to
facilitate decision making and job performance.
• Cognitive Informatics
• Computing and informatics theories can be applied to help understand the information processing of
the brain and cognitive and neurological sciences can likewise be applied to build better and more
efficient computer processing systems.
• CI attempts to help bridge this gap by systematically exploring the mechanisms of the brain and mind
and exploring specifically how information is acquired, represented, remembered, retrieved, generated,
and communicated.
• Artificial Intelligence
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the field that deals with the conception, development and implementation
of informatics tools based on intelligent technologies.
• The challenge of this field rests in the capturing, mimicking and creating the complex processes of the
mind in our informatics tools including software, hardware and other machine technologies with the
goal of the tool to be able to initiate and generate its own mechanical thought processing.
• The brain’s processing is highly intricate and complicated.
• AI uses cognitive science and computer science to replicate and generate human intelligence. This
field will continue to evolve and produce artificially intelligent tools to enhance our personal and
professional lives.