4CAPS
Encyclopedia
4CAPS is a cognitive architecture
developed by Marcel A. Just
and Sashank Varma at Carnegie Mellon University
. It is the successor of the CAPS and 3CAPS cognitive architectures.
), these processing centers have been identified with corresponding cortical regions in the human brain. Performing specific task, such as reading or driving, requires the simultaneous contribution of many of such regions.
Notably, 4CAPS differs from other architectures for its stress on the capacity constraints (that is, limited computational power), and the dynamic collaboration between different centers. In particular, according the Just and Varma , 4CAPS is based on four characteristic assumptions:
, EPIC
, and Soar
), 4CAPS is implemented as a production system
. It is written in the Common Lisp
programming language. This system has been used to create computational models for a variety of phenomena, especially in the field of cognitive neuroscience. In particular, 4CAPS models have been created and used to fit behavioral and imaging data for tasks such as the Tower of London, mental rotation , and dual-tasking .
Cognitive architecture
A cognitive architecture is a blueprint for intelligent agents. It proposes computational processes that act like certain cognitive systems, most often, like a person, or acts intelligent under some definition. Cognitive architectures form a subset of general agent architectures...
developed by Marcel A. Just
Marcel Just
Marcel Just is D. O. Hebb Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. His research uses brain imaging in high-level cognitive tasks to study the neuroarchitecture of cognition. Just's areas of expertise include psycholinguistics, object recognition, and autism, with particular...
and Sashank Varma at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
. It is the successor of the CAPS and 3CAPS cognitive architectures.
Overview and Assumptions
In 4CAPS computations are distributed and dynamically balanced among independent processing centers. Like in other cognitive architectures (e.g., ACT-RACT-R
ACT-R is a cognitive architecture mainly developed by John Robert Anderson at Carnegie Mellon University. Like any cognitive architecture, ACT-R aims to define the basic and irreducible cognitive and perceptual operations that enable the human mind....
), these processing centers have been identified with corresponding cortical regions in the human brain. Performing specific task, such as reading or driving, requires the simultaneous contribution of many of such regions.
Notably, 4CAPS differs from other architectures for its stress on the capacity constraints (that is, limited computational power), and the dynamic collaboration between different centers. In particular, according the Just and Varma , 4CAPS is based on four characteristic assumptions:
- Each cortical area can perform multiple cognitive functions
- Each cortical area has a limited capacity of computational resources
- The cortical network of regions that is responsible for carrying out a particular task changes dynamically as the regions' capacity resources are saturated.
- Communications between cortical regions is also subject to specific constraints, similar to bandwidth limitations along information channels.
Implementation and Applications
Like other cognitive architectures (such as ACT-RACT-R
ACT-R is a cognitive architecture mainly developed by John Robert Anderson at Carnegie Mellon University. Like any cognitive architecture, ACT-R aims to define the basic and irreducible cognitive and perceptual operations that enable the human mind....
, EPIC
EPIC (cognitive architecture)
EPIC is a cognitive architecture developed by Professors David E. Kieras and David E. Meyer at the University of Michigan ....
, and Soar
Soar (cognitive architecture)
Soar is a symbolic cognitive architecture, created by John Laird, Allen Newell, and Paul Rosenbloom at Carnegie Mellon University, now maintained by John Laird's research group at the University of Michigan. It is both a view of what cognition is and an implementation of that view through a...
), 4CAPS is implemented as a production system
Production system
A production system is a computer program typically used to provide some form of artificial intelligence, which consists primarily of a set of rules about behavior. These rules, termed productions, are a basic representation found useful in automated planning, expert systems and action selection...
. It is written in the Common Lisp
Common Lisp
Common Lisp, commonly abbreviated CL, is a dialect of the Lisp programming language, published in ANSI standard document ANSI INCITS 226-1994 , . From the ANSI Common Lisp standard the Common Lisp HyperSpec has been derived for use with web browsers...
programming language. This system has been used to create computational models for a variety of phenomena, especially in the field of cognitive neuroscience. In particular, 4CAPS models have been created and used to fit behavioral and imaging data for tasks such as the Tower of London, mental rotation , and dual-tasking .
External links
- http://www.ccbi.cmu.edu/4CAPS/index.html, The 4CAPS page at Marcel Just's laboratory website.