Computalism Flashcards
Q: What is the main thesis of computationalism?
A: Computationalism is the thesis that cognition is the computation of functions. If correct, scientific theories of cognition will explain cognition as the computation of functions.
Q: What is the all-or-none law of nervous activity?
A: It states that once a nerve impulse (action potential) is triggered, it propagates along the neuron with a constant magnitude and speed, regardless of the stimulus’s intensity, as long as it surpasses the threshold.
Q: Why is the all-or-none law analogous to computers?
A: Like neurons, computers process information in a binary fashion, where electrical signals are either fully transmitted (1) or not transmitted (0), based on threshold conditions.
Q: What grounds do computationalists use to justify attributing cognitive processes to artificial agents?
A: Cognitive processes or psychological states are attributed to artificial agents if and only if the agents implement the functions used to explain those processes or states.
Q: What is the implementation problem in computationalism?
A: It asks how a physical system (like the brain or computer) can perform computations that explain mental phenomena without presupposing mental concepts in the explanation.
Q: Why are computational approaches appealing in cognitive science?
A: They explain mental processes in objective terms (e.g., computations or physical mechanisms), avoiding circular reasoning and reliance on mental assumptions.
Q: What is Chalmers’ view on the implementation problem?
A: A physical system implements a computation when its causal structure mirrors the formal structure of the computation, ensuring a correspondence between physical states and computational steps.
Q: What does “causal structure” mean?
A: It refers to the cause-and-effect relationships within a system, describing how the state or behavior of one part influences another.
Q: Why is causal structure essential for computations?
A: The causal structure determines the computations a system can implement and explains how the system’s properties arise from its interactions.
Q: What role do systematic explanations play in computationalism?
A: They analyze a system-sized function into subfunctions and show how these interact to produce observable behavior, making explanations systematic.
Q: What are McCulloch’s claims about neural processes?
A: He claimed neural processes are best described in terms of a Turing-computability framework, as neurons behave like relays or switches due to their all-or-none responses.
Q: What is the relationship between causal structure and computational explanation?
A: If a system’s causal structure can be described computationally, its properties (like behavior or cognition) can also be explained computationally.
Q: What grounds do behaviorists use to attribute cognitive processes to artificial agents?
A: Behaviorists justify this attribution if artificial agents exhibit observable behaviors associated with the cognitive processes.
Q: How do computationalists view mental properties of the brain?
A: They argue that the brain’s mental properties can be explained computationally if the brain’s causal structure can be represented as a computational process.
Q: Why does the “all-or-none law” support computational explanations of the brain?
A: It aligns with the binary nature of computations, suggesting that neural processes can be modeled as digital computations.
