Transcript CogSci 207: Introduction, Fall 2003

CogSci 207: Week 0: Discussion
Praveen Paritosh
Thu, Sep 28, 2004
Administrivia
TA Office Hours
• Brian : Wednesdays 10:00-12:00pm, 304
• Kate : Monday 3:30-5:30pm, Lounge
Mechanics
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Combination of lectures and discussions
Weekly homeworks
Midterm will be Thu October 21st, in class
Final exam will be Fri December 10, 12pm2pm
Communications
• Class web site =
http://www.cogsci.northwestern.edu/courses/cg207/
• To contact Brian, Kate or Praveen re class
matters:
[email protected]
• For class discussions, we will use the
discussion forums in Blackboard
https://courses.northwestern.edu/webapps/login
Grading
• Midterm: 20%
• Final exam: 30%
• Reading/Modeling Assignments: 50%
Reading papers
• No textbook, but a collection of research
papers.
• We want you to READ the papers.
Critiques
• For each paper, three one sentence long
critiques – of what is wrong with the paper.
• Due at the beginning of the Tue
(Discussion) class.
• Will be used as a basis for the discussion, so
be prepared to defend your critique!
• Will account for a third of your grade.
Classes
• Thursday:
– Lecture
– Readings assigned
• Tuesday:
– Critiques due before class
– Discussion based on critiques and readings
– Modeling homework assigned, due following Tuesday.
Modeling Assignments
• Turned in via email to
[email protected]
– No hardcopies or email to other addresses
– ASCII or HTML preferred, followed by PDF or
Word. (If HTML, must be self-contained:
Broken links will lose you points)
• Late homeworks will be downgraded
• All work you turn in must be your own.
Reading assignments due beginning of discussion class
on Tuesdays. Bring hardcopy of critiques to class.
Readings
• Turing, A. M. "Computing Machinery and
Intelligence," Mind, New Series, Vol. 59, No. 236.
(Oct., 1950), pp. 433-460. (also available here).
• Minsky, M. "Why people think computers
can't". AI Magazine, Fall, 1982.
• Miller, G. "The Cognitive revolution: A historical
perspective", Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7(3),
March 2003.
Turing
• Turing test as a definition
of intelligence.
• Computation and
universality of the digital
computer.
• Arguments against why
machines cant think.
Minsky
• Meaning – what does
“Dog” mean?
• Computations over
symbolic representations.
Miller
• Behaviorism versus
Cognitivism.
• Information processing
• Psychplogy, Linguistics,
Computer Science as central
• Neuroscience, Anthropology,
Philosophy peripheral.
Readings for Week 1
Lenat, D. From 2001 to 2001: Common Sense and
the Mind of HAL, In Hal's Legacy: 2001's
Computer as Dream and Reality edited by: David
G. Stork.
Chapter 1, Markman, A.B. Knowledge
Representation. LEA Foundations of KR
section from OpenCyc's Cyc 101 tutorial:
Why use logic?, CycL Syntax, Collections and
Individuals, Microtheories.
HW1
1. Model a conversation. Write down a real(istic)
conversation between two people (can be
borrowed from your life as long as it is legal). For
example, consider the exchange with the barista
when you are buying your first cup of coffee early
in the morning. For each utterance, write down all
the internal thoughts, processes, assumptions
made and calculations going on inside the
speaker's head before it is spoken aloud. Based on
the above how can we make chatbots more real?
HW1
2. What is the ratio of "internal thoughts
triggered" per "external utterance" in a
typical conversation? While reading a
book? Watching TV? How much does it
vary based on the topic of the conversation,
book, or show? Defend your answer by
examples.
HW1
• You read about “common sense”. How
many common sense facts do you know?
Defend your estimate.