The Concrete Universal and Cognitive Science

Shillcock, Richard

doi:10.1007/s10516-013-9210-y

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 54 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It appears as Vygotsky's (1934/86) 'unit of analysis' (cf. the history of the 'concrete universal', Shillcock, 2014). As an example, Vygotsky considers how to understand the fluid, fire-extinguishing properties of water.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding greater male variability in general intelligence: The role of hemispheric independence and lateralization

Shillcock¹,

Bolenz²,

Basak³

et al. 2018

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Deary et al. (2003) present data, further analysed by Johnson et al. (2008), showing a sex difference in general intelligence across a whole population: males were more variable than females and were over-represented at the lower and upper ends of the distribution. We propose a single-factor explanation based on hemisphericity, the degree of hemispheric independence and lateralization of function. We demonstrate this argument with a conceptual analysis and with neural network simulations of hemispheric interaction. We discuss the nature of abstraction in computational cognitive modelling. Greater male variance in general intelligence can be at least partially understood as emerging from increased hemisphericity, underlining the latter’s critical role in the evolution, development and functioning of human cognition.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding greater male variability in general intelligence: The role of hemispheric independence and lateralization

Shillcock¹,

Bolenz²,

Basak³

et al. 2018

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although our first impression is that these are "real" material entities, they are in fact abstract generalizations representing that which is taken to be similar across many actual instances (consider the phoneme /b/, for instance). They are universals, in this sense -abstract universals 19 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A theoretical perspective on complexity and/or completeness is currently a much smaller and a separate enterprise in cognitive science 18 . Missing from both approaches is a focus on identifying the essence of the processing domain, and subsequent exploration of how the modeller can move back and forth between this simple essence and the complexity of the complete real-world domain 19 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is the role of computational models in Cognitive Science? A quantitative and qualitative analysis of the history of the TRACE model of speech segmentation

Chawla¹,

Shillcock²

2019

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Implemented computational models are a central paradigm of Cognitive Science. How do cognitive scientists really use such models? We take the example of one of the most successful and influential cognitive models, TRACE (McClelland & Elman, 1986), and we map its impact on the field in terms of published, electronically available documents that cite the original TRACE paper over a period of 25 years since its publication. We draw conclusions about the general status of computational cognitive modelling and make critical suggestions regarding the nature of abstraction in computational modelling.

show abstract

“…Whereas an abstract universal can be defined as something abstract (typically seen as a property) that inheres in many other different things, a concrete universal is an entity in which many other different things inhere." 37 Consequently, constructing the notion of generic object through the lens of abstract universalism, we impose a limit to empirical deviations and treat them as errors. For example, assuming linearity as an ideal property in a system, the generic object is assumed to follow the linearity while other objects are erroneous to a degree, based on their deviations from the linear line.…”

Section: From Particular To Generic and The Concept Of "Error"mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, Shillcock notes that because natural languages are complex evolving systems, trying to identify the ideal model of a live language is always a process of catch up. 47 Therefore, considering the evolution and the exceptions and the number of different languages all over the world, this approach has never been successfully applied in a computational model. Now let us refer to the experiments of Markov in 1913, which is among the first linguistic models that follow the concept of concrete universals.…”

Section: Markov Chainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

III Pre-Specific Modeling: Computational Machines in a Coexistence with Concrete Universals and Data Streams

Moosavi¹

2015

Coding as Literacy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We discuss that how the majority of traditional modeling approaches are following the idealism point of view in scientific modeling, which follow the set theoretical notions of models based on abstract universals. We show that while successful in many classical modeling domains, there are fundamental limits to the application of set theoretical models in dealing with complex systems with many potential aspects or properties depending on the perspectives. As an alternative to abstract universals, we propose a conceptual modeling framework based on concrete universals that can be interpreted as a category theoretical approach to modeling. We call this modeling framework pre-specific modeling. We further, discuss how a certain group of mathematical and computational methods, along with ever-growing data streams are able to operationalize the concept of prespecific modeling.Therefore, the first motivation of this present essay is to find a unifying (abstract) perspective for assessment of different (inter-disciplinary) modeling approaches, while keeping the diversities. We think toward this aim we need to investigate the mathematical and philosophical grounds of scientific modeling. Markov'(

show abstract

The Concrete Universal and Cognitive Science

Cited by 10 publications

References 54 publications

Understanding greater male variability in general intelligence: The role of hemispheric independence and lateralization

Understanding greater male variability in general intelligence: The role of hemispheric independence and lateralization

What is the role of computational models in Cognitive Science? A quantitative and qualitative analysis of the history of the TRACE model of speech segmentation

III Pre-Specific Modeling: Computational Machines in a Coexistence with Concrete Universals and Data Streams

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About