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Reverse engineering the structure of cognitive mechanisms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 August 2011

David Pietraszewski  and
Annie E. Wertz
David Pietraszewski
Affiliation:
Yale University, Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8205. david.pietraszewski@yale.eduannie.wertz@yale.edu
Annie E. Wertz
Affiliation:
Yale University, Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8205. david.pietraszewski@yale.eduannie.wertz@yale.edu
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Abstract

Describing a cognitive system at a mechanistic level requires an engineering task analysis. This involves identifying the task and developing models of possible solutions. Evolutionary psychology and Bayesian modeling make complimentary contributions: Evolutionary psychology suggests the types of tasks that human brains were designed to solve, while Bayesian modeling provides a rigorous description of possible computational solutions to such problems.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 34 , Issue 4 , August 2011 , pp. 209 - 210
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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