MIdterm 1 Flashcards
What is a Percept?
representation before something is known
What is a Concept?
representation after something is known
How does the brain fulfill its beneficial functions?
it builds models of reality and acts on them
it interprets then organizes to produce meaningful representations.
Why did the brain evolve?
for adaptive benefit
Mental maps of concepts are not…?
100% accurate, it is meant to help us understand reality better and gives explanatory power.
What is a theory?
scientific theories are explanations of aspects of the natural world that have been proved through experiments and testing
Greek philosophers believed?
observations could be accounted for by natural explanations rather than supernatural
Who was the first philosopher and what did he believe?
Thales, he believed that causes of nature are natural and not supernatural
Theories of what caused physical realm of disease used to be?
demons, witches and curses
Theories of what caused psychological realm of disease used to be?
demons and spirits.
What is natural causality
A belief that all events can be traced to natural causes that we can comprehend (natural causality).
What is Cognitivism
the belief of thinking of living things as storing and processing information rather than as responding mechanically to stimuli. “We are information processing machines”
What is Aristotelian Philosophy
We should observe reality and reason according to it. Universe’s design was orderly and that rational design had a rational function. Should change thoughts if evidence suggests otherwise
He also believed the brain functioned as a radiator to cool “warm hearts”
What is Logic
The study of how to evaluate arguments and reasoning
What is Mathematical Logic
It was pioneered by philosopher mathematicians that were inspired by Aristotle/Leibniz’s dream of a universal concept language
Why is Philosophy important to Comp Sci
It teaches you how to analyze complex concepts and interconnections between them and how to express concepts elegantly and precisely in written form
Who was George Boole
George Boole created boolean logic which provided general symbolic methods of logical inference. His goal was to investigate fundamental laws and operations of the human mind
Who invented the concept of the algorithm
Al-Khwarismi
Who started formal logic
Medhatithi Gautama, formal logic started in India
Who was Leibniz
Believed human reasoning could be reduced to calculations. Enunciated the principal properties of logical operations
Who was Gottlob Frege
Considered to be father of analytic philosophy, invented axiomatic predicate logic and quantified variables.
What was the Renaissance
Catholic church burnt down places of knowledge causing Europe to go into dark ages. Books of knowledge were translated into European languages and with this ideas began to grow in Europe once more
What is Cartesian Dualism
View that the mind and brain are 2 distinct types of substance
What is introspection:
looking within ourselves to observe the content of our major lives
What are psychology’s roots in?
Philosophy and Physiology
What is Operant Conditioning?
Making behaviour more or les likely to happen
Problems with Behaviourism?
Understanding mental entities are essential to understanding and predicting behaviour
What is Psychological theory
-It describes behaviour
-makes predictions of future behaviours
-must have evidence to support ideas
-must be testable