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About this item
Highlights
- How a computational framework can account for the successes and failures of human cognition At the heart of human intelligence rests a fundamental puzzle: How are we incredibly smart and stupid at the same time?
- About the Author: Samuel Gershman is professor of psychology at Harvard University and the director of the Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory.
- 224 Pages
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology & Cognition
Description
About the Book
"How a computational framework can account for the successes and failures of human cognitionAt the heart of human intelligence rests a fundamental puzzle: How are we incredibly smart and stupid at the same time? No existing machine can match the power and flexibility of human perception, language, and reasoning. Yet, we routinely commit errors that reveal the failures of our thought processes. What Makes Us Smart makes sense of this paradox by arguing that our cognitive errors are not haphazard. Rather, they are the inevitable consequences of a brain optimized for efficient inference and decision making within the constraints of time, energy, and memory-in other words, data and resource limitations. Framing human intelligence in terms of these constraints, Samuel Gershman shows how a deeper computational logic underpins the "stupid" errors of human cognition.Embarking across psychology, neuroscience, computer science, linguistics, and economics, Gershman presents unifying principles that govern human intelligence. First, inductive bias: any system that makes inferences based on limited data must constrain its hypotheses in some way before observing data. Second, approximation bias: any system that makes inferences and decisions with limited resources must make approximations. Applying these principles to a range of computational errors made by humans, Gershman demonstrates that intelligent systems designed to meet these constraints yield characteristically human errors.Examining how humans make intelligent and maladaptive decisions, What Makes Us Smart delves into the successes and failures of cognition"--Book Synopsis
How a computational framework can account for the successes and failures of human cognition
At the heart of human intelligence rests a fundamental puzzle: How are we incredibly smart and stupid at the same time? No existing machine can match the power and flexibility of human perception, language, and reasoning. Yet, we routinely commit errors that reveal the failures of our thought processes. What Makes Us Smart makes sense of this paradox by arguing that our cognitive errors are not haphazard. Rather, they are the inevitable consequences of a brain optimized for efficient inference and decision making within the constraints of time, energy, and memory--in other words, data and resource limitations. Framing human intelligence in terms of these constraints, Samuel Gershman shows how a deeper computational logic underpins the "stupid" errors of human cognition. Embarking on a journey across psychology, neuroscience, computer science, linguistics, and economics, Gershman presents unifying principles that govern human intelligence. First, inductive bias: any system that makes inferences based on limited data must constrain its hypotheses in some way before observing data. Second, approximation bias: any system that makes inferences and decisions with limited resources must make approximations. Applying these principles to a range of computational errors made by humans, Gershman demonstrates that intelligent systems designed to meet these constraints yield characteristically human errors. Examining how humans make intelligent and maladaptive decisions, What Makes Us Smart delves into the successes and failures of cognition.About the Author
Samuel Gershman is professor of psychology at Harvard University and the director of the Computational Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory. Twitter @gershbrainDimensions (Overall): 9.2 Inches (H) x 6.0 Inches (W) x .6 Inches (D)
Weight: .85 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 224
Genre: Psychology
Sub-Genre: Cognitive Psychology & Cognition
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Format: Paperback
Author: Samuel J Gershman
Language: English
Street Date: October 19, 2021
TCIN: 84966523
UPC: 9780691205717
Item Number (DPCI): 247-39-8795
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Estimated ship dimensions: 0.6 inches length x 6 inches width x 9.2 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.85 pounds
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