When Causality Does Not Imply Correlation: More Spadework at the Foundations of Scientific Psychology

2011 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
pp. 943-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard S. Marken ◽  
Brittany Horth

Experimental research in psychology is based on an open-loop causal model which assumes that sensory input causes behavioral output. This model was tested in a tracking experiment where participants were asked to control a cursor, keeping it aligned with a target by moving a mouse to compensate for disturbances of differing difficulty. Since cursor movements (inputs) are the only observable cause of mouse movements (outputs), the open-loop model predicts that there will be a correlation between input and output that increases as tracking performance improves. In fact, the correlation between sensory input and motor output is very low regardless of the quality of tracking performance; causality, in terms of the effect of input on output, does not seem to imply correlation in this situation. This surprising result can be explained by a closed-loop model which assumes that input is causing output while output is causing input.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Pasi Fränti ◽  
Teemu Nenonen ◽  
Mingchuan Yuan

Travelling salesman problem (TSP) has been widely studied for the classical closed loop variant but less attention has been paid to the open loop variant. Open loop solution has property of being also a spanning tree, although not necessarily the minimum spanning tree (MST). In this paper, we present a simple branch elimination algorithm that removes the branches from MST by cutting one link and then reconnecting the resulting subtrees via selected leaf nodes. The number of iterations equals to the number of branches (b) in the MST. Typically, b << n where n is the number of nodes. With O-Mopsi and Dots datasets, the algorithm reaches gap of 1.69% and 0.61 %, respectively. The algorithm is suitable especially for educational purposes by showing the connection between MST and TSP, but it can also serve as a quick approximation for more complex metaheuristics whose efficiency relies on quality of the initial solution.


2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Yazar ◽  
F. Caliskan ◽  
R. Vepa

Abstract In this paper the application of model predictive control (MPC) to a two-mode model of the dynamics of the combustion process is considered. It is shown that the MPC by itself does not stabilize the combustor and the control gains obtained by applying the MPC algorithms need to be optimized further to ensure that the phase difference between the two modes is also stable. The results of applying the algorithm are compared with the open loop model amplitude responses and to the closed loop responses obtained by the application of a direct adaptive control algorithm. It is shown that the MPC coupled with the cost parameter optimisation proposed in the paper, always guarantees the closed loop stability, a feature that may not always be possible with an adaptive implementations.


SIMULATION ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (11) ◽  
pp. 1069-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Yan ◽  
Bo Yan

Energy saving and environmental protection are important issues of today. Concerning the environmental and social need to increase the utilization of used products, this paper introduces two remanufacturing reverse logistics (RL) network models, namely, the open-loop model and the closed-loop model. In an open-loop RL system, used products are recovered by outside firms, while in a closed-loop RL system, they are returned to their original producers. The open-loop model features a location selection with two layers. For this model, a mixed-integer linear program (MILP) is built to minimize the total costs of the open-loop RL system, including the fixed cost, the freight between nodes, the operation cost of storage and remanufacturing centers, the penalty cost of unmet or remaining demand quantity, and the government-provided subsidy given to the enterprises that protect the environment. This MILP is solved using an adaptive genetic algorithm with MATLAB simulation. For a closed-loop RL network model, a special demand function considering the relationship between new and remanufactured products is developed. Remanufacturing rate, environmental awareness, service demand elasticity, value-added services, and their impacts on total profit of the closed-loop supply chain are analyzed. The closed-loop RL network model is proved effective through the analysis of a numerical example.


Author(s):  
Z Ren ◽  
G G Zhu

This paper studies the closed-loop system identification (ID) error when a dynamic integral controller is used. Pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS) q-Markov covariance equivalent realization (Cover) is used to identify the closed-loop model, and the open-loop model is obtained based upon the identified closed-loop model. Accurate open-loop models were obtained using PRBS q-Markov Cover system ID directly. For closed-loop system ID, accurate open-loop identified models were obtained with a proportional controller, but when a dynamic controller was used, low-frequency system ID error was found. This study suggests that extra caution is required when a dynamic integral controller is used for closed-loop system identification. The closed-loop identification framework also has significant effects on closed-loop identification error. Both first- and second-order examples are provided in this paper.


2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 2353-2367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam M. Willis ◽  
Bernard J. Slater ◽  
Ekaterina D. Gribkova ◽  
Daniel A. Llano

The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is a shell of GABAergic neurons that surrounds the dorsal thalamus. Previous work has shown that TRN neurons send GABAergic projections to thalamocortical (TC) cells to form reciprocal, closed-loop circuits. This has led to the hypothesis that the TRN is responsible for oscillatory phenomena, such as sleep spindles and absence seizures. However, there is emerging evidence that open-loop circuits are also found between TRN and TC cells. The implications of open-loop configurations are not yet known, particularly when they include time-dependent nonlinearities in TC cells such as low-threshold bursting. We hypothesized that low-threshold bursting in an open-loop circuit could be a mechanism by which the TRN could paradoxically enhance TC activation, and that enhancement would depend on the relative timing of TRN vs. TC cell stimulation. To test this, we modeled small circuits containing TC neurons, TRN neurons, and layer 4 thalamorecipient cells in both open- and closed-loop configurations. We found that open-loop TRN stimulation, rather than universally depressing TC activation, increased cortical output across a broad parameter space, modified the filter properties of TC neurons, and altered the mutual information between input and output in a frequency-dependent and T-type calcium channel-dependent manner. Therefore, an open-loop model of TRN-TC interactions, rather than suppressing transmission through the thalamus, creates a tunable filter whose properties may be modified by outside influences onto the TRN. These simulations make experimentally testable predictions about the potential role for the TRN for flexible enhancement of cortical activation.


1996 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 366-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-Hung Hsiao ◽  
Jen-Kuang Huang ◽  
David E. Cox

This paper presents an iterative LQG controller design approach for a linear stochastic system with an uncertain openloop model and unknown noise statistics. This approach consists of closed-loop identification and controller redesign cycles. In each cycle, the closed-loop identification method is used to identify an open-loop model and a steady-state Kalman filter gain from closed-loop input/output test data obtained by using a feedback LQG controller designed from the previous cycle. Then the identified open-loop model is used to redesign the state feedback. The state feedback and the identified Kalman filter gain are used to form an updated LQG controller for the next cycle. This iterative process continues until the updated controller converges. The proposed controller design is demonstrated by numerical simulations and experiments on a highly unstable large-gap magnetic suspension system.


Author(s):  
Angelo Bonfitto ◽  
Xavier De Lépine ◽  
Mario Silvagni ◽  
Andrea Tonoli

The aim of this paper is to investigate the potential of a self-sensing strategy in the case of an electromagnetic damper for the vibration control of flexible structures and rotors. The study has been performed in the case of a single degree of freedom mechanical oscillator actuated by a couple of electromagnets. The self-sensing system is based on a Luenberger observer. Two sets of parameters have been used: nominal ones (based on simplifications on the actuator model) and identified ones. In the latter case, the parameters of the electromechanical model used in the observer are identified starting from the open-loop system response. The observed states are used to close a state-feedback loop with the objective of increasing the damping of the system. The results show that the damping performance are good in both cases, although much better in the second one. Furthermore, the good correlation between the closed-loop model response and the experimental results validates the modeling, the identification procedure, the control design, and its implementation. The paper concludes on a sensitivity analysis, in which the influence of the model parameters on the closed-loop response is shown.


Author(s):  
Hassene Jammoussi ◽  
Matthew Franchek ◽  
Karolos Grigoriadis ◽  
Martin Books

A closed-loop system identification method is developed to estimate the parameters of a single input single output (SISO) linear time invariant system (LTI) operating within a feedback loop. The method uses the reference command in addition to the input–output data and establishes a correlation framework to structure the system. The correlation-based method is capable of delivering consistent estimates provided that the specific conditions on the signals are met. The method parallels the instrumental variables four step algorithm (IV4) and is comprised of three steps. First a model is estimated using cross correlation calculations between the reference input signal and the control and measured output signals. In the second step, a prefilter is identified to reduce estimation bias. In the final step, the prefilter, the instrumental variables and the measured signals are employed to estimate the final model. A consistency proof is provided for the proposed estimation process. The method is demonstrated on two examples. The first uses data collected from a diesel engine operation, and an open-loop model relating fueling to engine speed is sought. The identification process is complicated by the presence of nonmeasurable external torque disturbances and stochastic sensor noise. The second example uses data obtained from a time domain simulation of a closed-loop system where high levels of nonmeasured noise and disturbances were considered and a comparison with existing methods is made.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Angrick ◽  
Maarten C. Ottenhoff ◽  
Lorenz Diener ◽  
Darius Ivucic ◽  
Gabriel Ivucic ◽  
...  

AbstractSpeech neuroprosthetics aim to provide a natural communication channel to individuals who are unable to speak due to physical or neurological impairments. Real-time synthesis of acoustic speech directly from measured neural activity could enable natural conversations and notably improve quality of life, particularly for individuals who have severely limited means of communication. Recent advances in decoding approaches have led to high quality reconstructions of acoustic speech from invasively measured neural activity. However, most prior research utilizes data collected during open-loop experiments of articulated speech, which might not directly translate to imagined speech processes. Here, we present an approach that synthesizes audible speech in real-time for both imagined and whispered speech conditions. Using a participant implanted with stereotactic depth electrodes, we were able to reliably generate audible speech in real-time. The decoding models rely predominately on frontal activity suggesting that speech processes have similar representations when vocalized, whispered, or imagined. While reconstructed audio is not yet intelligible, our real-time synthesis approach represents an essential step towards investigating how patients will learn to operate a closed-loop speech neuroprosthesis based on imagined speech.


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