scholarly journals A computational theory of child overextension

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Xu ◽  
Renato Ferreira Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Language Production ◽  
Deep Neural Networks ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Single System ◽  
Computational Framework ◽  
Computational Theory ◽  
Child Speech ◽  
Psychological Experiments ◽  
Behavioral Asymmetry

Overextension—the phenomenon that children extend known words to describe referents outside their vocabulary—is a hallmark of lexical innovation in early childhood. Overextension is a subject of extensive inquiry in linguistics and developmental psychology, but there exists no coherent formal account of this phenomenon. We develop a general computational framework that captures important properties of overextension reported separately in the previous literature. We operationalize overextension as probabilistic inference over a conceptual space that draws on a fusion of knowledge from lexical semantics, deep neural networks, and psychological experiments to support both production and comprehension. We show how this minimally parameterized framework explains overextension in young children over a comprehensive set of noun-referent pairs previously reported in child speech, and it also predicts the behavioral asymmetry in children’s overextensional production and comprehension reported in lab settings. Our work offers a computational theory for the origins of word meaning extension and supports a single-system view of language production and comprehension.

scholarly journals Metonymy in Mind, Language, and Communication

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Xitao Fu
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Specific Aspect ◽  
Final Decision ◽  
Forming Process ◽  
Dialogic Discourse ◽  
Cognitive Mechanism ◽  
Domain Mapping

<p>The typical view considers metonymy as an intra-domain mapping which involves the source providing mental access to the target within the domain, with PART-WHOLE as the prototypical relation. This commonly held view of metonymy in Cognitive Linguistics pays attention to what happens after the domain, or rather, the WHOLE, has been established. How the WHOLE is formed seems to be missing. Based on the research results of cognitive science, especially in cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and neuroscience, metonymy is tentatively argued to be an innate cognitive mechanism involving PART-WHOLE FORMING, PART-WHOLE/PART RELATING processes. The PART-WHOLE FORMING process establishes the WHOLE from the PART: It picks up some prominent element(s) in an interactive process to form a patterned experience, and the PART-WHOLE/PART RELATING process relates PART to PART, relating PART to the WHOLE and vice versa. The PART-WHOLE/PART RELATING process is made possible by the PART-WHOLE FORMING process. Metonymic operations usually precede metaphoric operation. Metaphor is essentially grounded on metonymy. Metonymy as a cognitive mechanism is most noticeably realized in language. It operates in various aspects of language and language use. The experience pattern (i.e. the WHOLE) formulated through the PART-WHOLE FORMING process is found to underpin the process of grammaticalization, the development of meaning prototype, and to motivate such daily language use as football nicknaming and to bring in certain cognitive and communicative functions. In the light of this view of metonymy, grammaticalization is considered from the conceptual perspective as a process from the general/global to the specific/local, or from focus on one specific aspect to focus on another particular aspect within the global WHOLE, rather than the usually held concrete-to-abstract process. This also applies to word meaning prototypes. Word meaning develops due to the dynamic of meaning prototypes. When considered from the conceptual perspective, meaning prototypes generally develop from the general/global to the specific/local with the change and specification of contextual situations. The cognitive analysis of football nicknames also suggests that metonymy is overwhelming and provides the requisite basis for metaphor. The PART-WHOLE FORMING and the PART-WHOLE/PART RELATING processes of metonymy as an inherent cognitive mechanism often interact in the mind, which is evidenced in language and may be best illustrated through analysis of interactive communication in general, and dialogic discourse in particular. Metonymy in interaction is embodied in its functions and operations in dialogue and its contribution to the dialogue as a discourse entity. Metonymy operates in dialogic discourse in various patterns of GENERAL-SPECIFIC scheme. It operates in the development of dialogue and helps structure the dialogic discourse, making it a coherent discourse entity; it makes meaning out of the local utterance and relates it to the whole dialogue; it underlies the decision-making process, helping make a final decision among alternatives. It also motivates the problem-solving process, helping formulate and organise replies to the questions posed by the counterpart in dialogic discourse, and facilitating the solution of daily problems.</p>

On Concepts, Modules, and Language

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Science ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Language Of Thought ◽  
Computational Theory Of Mind ◽  
Computational Theory ◽  
Noam Chomsky ◽  
Jerry Fodor ◽  
Language And Vision ◽  
Cognitive Revolution ◽  
First Time

What are the landmarks of the cognitive revolution? What are the core topics of modern cognitive science? Where is cognitive science heading? These and other questions are addressed in this volume by leading cognitive scientists as they examine the work of one of cognitive science’s most influential and polemical figures: Jerry Fodor. Newly commissioned chapters by Noam Chomsky, Tom Bever, Merrill Garrett, Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini, Zenon Pylyshyn, Janet Fodor, Randy C. Gallistel, Ernie Lepore, Mary C. Potter, Lila R. Gleitman, and others, put in perspective Fodor’s contribution to cognitive science by focusing on three main themes: the nature of concepts, the modularity of language and vision, and the language of thought. This is a one-of-a-kind series of essays on cognitive science and on Fodor. In this volume, Chomsky contrasts his view of modularity with that of Fodor’s; Bever discusses the nature of consciousness, particularly regarding language perception; Garrett reassesses his view of modularity in language production; Pylyshyn presents his view of the connection between visual perception and conceptual attainment; Gallistel proposes what the biological bases of the computational theory of mind might be; and Piattelli-Palmarini discusses Fodor’s views on conceptual nativism. These and many other key figures of cognitive science are brought together, for the first time, to discuss their work in relation to that of Fodor’s, who is responsible for advancing many of cognitive science’s most important hypotheses. This volume—for students and advanced researchers of cognitive science—is bound to become one of the classics in the field.

scholarly journals Adapting Deep Network Features to Capture Psychological Representations: An Abridged Report

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua C. Peterson ◽  
Joshua T. Abbott ◽  
Thomas L. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Deep Neural Networks ◽  
Object Classification ◽  
Deep Network ◽  
Similarity Judgments ◽  
Animal Images ◽  
Image Representations ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Psychological Experiments

Deep neural networks have become increasingly successful at solving classic perception problems (e.g., recognizing objects), often reaching or surpassing human-level accuracy. In this abridged report of Peterson et al. [2016], we examine the relationship between the image representations learned by these networks and those of humans. We find that deep features learned in service of object classification account for a significant amount of the variance in human similarity judgments for a set of animal images. However, these features do not appear to capture some key qualitative aspects of human representations. To close this gap, we present a method for adapting deep features to align with human similarity judgments, resulting in image representations that can potentially be used to extend the scope of psychological experiments and inform human-centric AI.

Lexico-Semantics

2018 ◽  
pp. 70-95
Author(s):  
Lotte Meteyard ◽  
Gabriella Vigliocco
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Neuroscience ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Semantic Representations ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Meaning Change ◽  
Computational Sciences ◽  
Core Issues

This chapter presents a summary of current theories and future directions for research into how humans represent and process word meaning (lexico-semantics). The chapter begins with a review of theoretical approaches from cognitive and developmental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and computational sciences. Three core issues are identified that theories need to account for: (1) how to characterize non-verbal concepts and lexico-semantics; (2) the cognitive and neural format of lexico-semantic representations; and (3) whether lexico-semantics is fundamentally independent of context (Is there is a fixed “core” of what a word means?) or fundamentally dependent on context (Does word meaning change depending on how it is used?). We conclude that a useful direction for future research will be to carefully consider how words change with their context of use.

scholarly journals Ephaptic coupling in white matter fibre bundles modulates axonal transmission delays

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. e1007858
Author(s):  
Helmut Schmidt ◽  
Gerald Hahn ◽  
Gustavo Deco ◽  
Thomas R. Knösche
Keyword(s):  
Neural Mass Model ◽  
Mass Model ◽  
Computational Framework ◽  
Fibre Bundles ◽  
Transmission Delays ◽  
Axonal Connections ◽  
Neural Mass ◽  
Psychological Experiments ◽  
Ephaptic Coupling ◽  
Extracellular Potentials

Axonal connections are widely regarded as faithful transmitters of neuronal signals with fixed delays. The reasoning behind this is that extracellular potentials caused by spikes travelling along axons are too small to have an effect on other axons. Here we devise a computational framework that allows us to study the effect of extracellular potentials generated by spike volleys in axonal fibre bundles on axonal transmission delays. We demonstrate that, although the extracellular potentials generated by single spikes are of the order of microvolts, the collective extracellular potential generated by spike volleys can reach several millivolts. As a consequence, the resulting depolarisation of the axonal membranes increases the velocity of spikes, and therefore reduces axonal delays between brain areas. Driving a neural mass model with such spike volleys, we further demonstrate that only ephaptic coupling can explain the reduction of stimulus latencies with increased stimulus intensities, as observed in many psychological experiments.

Opportunities and challenges integrating resource-rational analysis with developmental perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimele Persaud ◽  
Ilona Bass ◽  
Joseph Colantonio ◽  
Carla Macias ◽  
Elizabeth Bonawitz
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Engineering ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Developmental Change ◽  
Engineering Problem ◽  
Rational Approach ◽  
Rational Analysis ◽  
Computational Framework ◽  
Ongoing Work

Abstract Lieder and Griffiths present the computational framework “resource-rational analysis” to address the reverse-engineering problem in cognition. Here we discuss how developmental psychology affords a unique and critical opportunity to employ this framework, but which is overlooked in this piece. We describe how developmental change provides an avenue for ongoing work as well as inspiration for expansion of the resource-rational approach.

scholarly journals Optimized Weight Programming for Analogue Memory-based Deep Neural Networks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Mackin ◽  
Malte Rasch ◽  
An Chen ◽  
Jonathan Timcheck ◽  
Robert Bruce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Deep Neural Networks ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Device ◽  
Computational Technique ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Graphic Processing Units ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Computational Framework ◽  
Long Short Term Memory

Abstract Analogue memory-based Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) provide energy-efficiency and per-area throughput gains relative to state-of-the-art digital counterparts such as graphic processing units (GPUs). Recent advances focus largely on hardware-aware algorithmic training and improvements in circuits, architectures, and memory device characteristics. Optimal translation of software-trained weights into analogue hardware weights---given the plethora of complex memory non-idealities---represents an equally important goal in realizing the full potential of this technology. We report a generalized computational framework that automates the process of crafting complex weight programming strategies for analogue memory-based DNNs, in order to minimize accuracy degradations during inference, particularly over time. This framework is agnostic to DNN structure and is shown to generalize well across Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Convolution Neural Networks (CNNs), and Transformer networks. Being a highly-flexible numerical heuristic, our approach can accommodate arbitrary device-level complexity, and is thus broadly applicable to a variety of analogue memories and their continually evolving device characteristics. Interestingly, this computational technique is capable of optimizing inference accuracy without the need to run inference simulations or evaluate large training, validation, or test datasets. Lastly, by quantifying the limit of achievable inference accuracy given imperfections in analogue memory, weight programming optimization represents a unique and foundational tool for enabling analogue memory-based DNN accelerators to reach their full inference potential.

scholarly journals Metonymy in Mind, Language, and Communication

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Xitao Fu
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Specific Aspect ◽  
Final Decision ◽  
Forming Process ◽  
Dialogic Discourse ◽  
Cognitive Mechanism ◽  
Domain Mapping

<p>The typical view considers metonymy as an intra-domain mapping which involves the source providing mental access to the target within the domain, with PART-WHOLE as the prototypical relation. This commonly held view of metonymy in Cognitive Linguistics pays attention to what happens after the domain, or rather, the WHOLE, has been established. How the WHOLE is formed seems to be missing. Based on the research results of cognitive science, especially in cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and neuroscience, metonymy is tentatively argued to be an innate cognitive mechanism involving PART-WHOLE FORMING, PART-WHOLE/PART RELATING processes. The PART-WHOLE FORMING process establishes the WHOLE from the PART: It picks up some prominent element(s) in an interactive process to form a patterned experience, and the PART-WHOLE/PART RELATING process relates PART to PART, relating PART to the WHOLE and vice versa. The PART-WHOLE/PART RELATING process is made possible by the PART-WHOLE FORMING process. Metonymic operations usually precede metaphoric operation. Metaphor is essentially grounded on metonymy. Metonymy as a cognitive mechanism is most noticeably realized in language. It operates in various aspects of language and language use. The experience pattern (i.e. the WHOLE) formulated through the PART-WHOLE FORMING process is found to underpin the process of grammaticalization, the development of meaning prototype, and to motivate such daily language use as football nicknaming and to bring in certain cognitive and communicative functions. In the light of this view of metonymy, grammaticalization is considered from the conceptual perspective as a process from the general/global to the specific/local, or from focus on one specific aspect to focus on another particular aspect within the global WHOLE, rather than the usually held concrete-to-abstract process. This also applies to word meaning prototypes. Word meaning develops due to the dynamic of meaning prototypes. When considered from the conceptual perspective, meaning prototypes generally develop from the general/global to the specific/local with the change and specification of contextual situations. The cognitive analysis of football nicknames also suggests that metonymy is overwhelming and provides the requisite basis for metaphor. The PART-WHOLE FORMING and the PART-WHOLE/PART RELATING processes of metonymy as an inherent cognitive mechanism often interact in the mind, which is evidenced in language and may be best illustrated through analysis of interactive communication in general, and dialogic discourse in particular. Metonymy in interaction is embodied in its functions and operations in dialogue and its contribution to the dialogue as a discourse entity. Metonymy operates in dialogic discourse in various patterns of GENERAL-SPECIFIC scheme. It operates in the development of dialogue and helps structure the dialogic discourse, making it a coherent discourse entity; it makes meaning out of the local utterance and relates it to the whole dialogue; it underlies the decision-making process, helping make a final decision among alternatives. It also motivates the problem-solving process, helping formulate and organise replies to the questions posed by the counterpart in dialogic discourse, and facilitating the solution of daily problems.</p>

scholarly journals From social contingency to verbal reference: a constructivist hypothesis.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Luchkina ◽  
Fei Xu
Keyword(s):  
Word Learning ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Mental Representations ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Developmental Theory ◽  
Mediated Learning ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
Social Contingency ◽  
Ostensive Communication

In the first year of life, infants’ word learning is slow, laborious, and requires long, repeated exposure to word-referent co-occurrences. In contrast, by 14-18 months, infants learn words from just a few labeling events, use joint attention and eye-gaze to decipher word meaning, and begin to use speech to communicate about absent things. We propose that this remarkable advancement in word learning results from attaining verbal reference–a property of words (or other signals) that are linked to mental representations and used intentionally to communicate about real-world referents. We argue that verbal reference is supported by co-developing conceptual, social, representational, and statistical learning capacities. We also propose that infants’ recognition of this tri-directional link between words, referents, and mental representations is fueled by their experience participating in and observing socially contingent interactions. Verbal reference signals a qualitative shift in infants’ word learning. This shift enables infants to bootstrap word meanings from syntax and semantics, learn novel words and facts from non-ostensive communication, and even make inferences about speakers’ epistemic competence based on their language production. In this paper, we review empirical findings across multiple facets of infant cognition, propose a novel developmental theory of verbal reference, and reconcile a long-standing debate on the mechanisms of early word learning. Finally, we propose new directions of empirical research that may provide stronger and more direct evidence for our theory and contribute to our understanding of the development of verbal reference and language-mediated learning in infancy and beyond.

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