The Analog Mind: Connectionism, Consciousness and Mental Representation. The aim of our project is to explore novel conjectures about the way information is coded and processed in the brain, and the manner in which the brain manufactures consciousness. This work may eventually pay rich dividends by reducing the incidence of mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, that disturb conscious experience. It may also lead to the development of more powerful forms of computation in artificial neural ne ....The Analog Mind: Connectionism, Consciousness and Mental Representation. The aim of our project is to explore novel conjectures about the way information is coded and processed in the brain, and the manner in which the brain manufactures consciousness. This work may eventually pay rich dividends by reducing the incidence of mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, that disturb conscious experience. It may also lead to the development of more powerful forms of computation in artificial neural networks. This will have a significant impact on the artificial intelligence industry, with obvious economic benefits for Australia.
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Mechanisms of Recovery after Extinction of Conditioned Behaviour. Old habits die hard and may never die at all. My previous ARC-funded research has revealed that extinguished learning can be recovered rapidly and in unsuspected ways. This project is aimed at building a neural network to explain how old learning can recovered. In practical terms, rapid recovery has both benefits, e.g., our ability to regain old skills with brief refresher training, and costs, e.g., relapse after therapies for anx ....Mechanisms of Recovery after Extinction of Conditioned Behaviour. Old habits die hard and may never die at all. My previous ARC-funded research has revealed that extinguished learning can be recovered rapidly and in unsuspected ways. This project is aimed at building a neural network to explain how old learning can recovered. In practical terms, rapid recovery has both benefits, e.g., our ability to regain old skills with brief refresher training, and costs, e.g., relapse after therapies for anxiety disorders and substance abuse. In theoretical terms, understanding recovery in biological systems will inform research concerning both the neural basis of memory and the design of robots.Read moreRead less
Models of Knowledge Restructuring. In a world of rapid change, people must frequently adapt cognitive skills to new technologies. This often requires restructuring of knowledge, from simple initial strategies to increasingly complex ways of mastering the task. This is not always easy and people sometimes resist knowledge restructuring. We present a network model of knowledge restructuring that combines attentional processes with error-driven learning. The model accounts for several existing resu ....Models of Knowledge Restructuring. In a world of rapid change, people must frequently adapt cognitive skills to new technologies. This often requires restructuring of knowledge, from simple initial strategies to increasingly complex ways of mastering the task. This is not always easy and people sometimes resist knowledge restructuring. We present a network model of knowledge restructuring that combines attentional processes with error-driven learning. The model accounts for several existing results and makes predictions that guide the proposed research. Three factors will be examined empirically: (1) the role of directing attention to alternative strategies; (2) the imperfection of existing knowledge; and (3) the complexity of alternative strategies.Read moreRead less
The emergence of logic in child language. This project investigates the development of logical expressions in Chinese and English. The project will promote intercultural awareness by establishing the degree to which typologically diverse languages share core logical properties. The findings are relevant for theories of language acquisition and logical reasoning, and will inform research in Linguistics, Philosophy and Psychology. The Neurosciences will benefit from data obtained using the brain i ....The emergence of logic in child language. This project investigates the development of logical expressions in Chinese and English. The project will promote intercultural awareness by establishing the degree to which typologically diverse languages share core logical properties. The findings are relevant for theories of language acquisition and logical reasoning, and will inform research in Linguistics, Philosophy and Psychology. The Neurosciences will benefit from data obtained using the brain imaging technique, Magnetoencephalography (MEG), for the first time with children, and these data will establish benchmarks for assessing early intervention in treating hearing disorders. The project will enhance collaborative research with Australia's neighbours in East Asia.Read moreRead less
Unconscious processing: To what extent, how flexible and how smart? We are unaware of the sophisticated pattern analyses conducted by our perceptual systems that enable us to operate in a complex environment. Less clear is whether unconsciously presented information itself can influence our behaviour or indeed whether unconscious cognition occurs. The proposed studies provide the foundation and structure for a pioneering examination of the extent, flexibility and computational power of unconscio ....Unconscious processing: To what extent, how flexible and how smart? We are unaware of the sophisticated pattern analyses conducted by our perceptual systems that enable us to operate in a complex environment. Less clear is whether unconsciously presented information itself can influence our behaviour or indeed whether unconscious cognition occurs. The proposed studies provide the foundation and structure for a pioneering examination of the extent, flexibility and computational power of unconscious processing at the level of neural response and behaviour. The impact and benefits of the project will be in its contribution to theory with outcomes revealing the boundary conditions governing unconscious cognition and providing a first benchmark for how such conditions might vary across the lifespan.Read moreRead less
Talking with Robots: Evolving Grounded Language for Embodied Agents. The coming personal robot revolution will be built on robots that have real-world intelligence, with an ability to understand and communicate about the world in the way we humans do. This project extends a previous ARC project, which developed robot-friendly languages for naming places in the world. This new project will develop the robots' abilities and language to understand a comprehensive range of real world objects, places ....Talking with Robots: Evolving Grounded Language for Embodied Agents. The coming personal robot revolution will be built on robots that have real-world intelligence, with an ability to understand and communicate about the world in the way we humans do. This project extends a previous ARC project, which developed robot-friendly languages for naming places in the world. This new project will develop the robots' abilities and language to understand a comprehensive range of real world objects, places, actions, attributes and relationships. This project represents a major advance for Australia in the new and fast growing personal robot industry.Read moreRead less
Learning to read: Representations and mechanisms underlying orthographic learning. In literate societies, the ability to read is one of the most important skills an individual ever learns. There are now a number of precisely specified computational models of reading that explain detailed aspects of skilled reading behaviour. However, these models do not incorporate changes in reading ability over time - in particular, they do not explain how the ability to read is acquired. This project aims ....Learning to read: Representations and mechanisms underlying orthographic learning. In literate societies, the ability to read is one of the most important skills an individual ever learns. There are now a number of precisely specified computational models of reading that explain detailed aspects of skilled reading behaviour. However, these models do not incorporate changes in reading ability over time - in particular, they do not explain how the ability to read is acquired. This project aims to understand the learning mechanisms that give rise to skilled reading. Developing detailed models of the process of learning to read will greatly facilitate the early identification and treatment of children with reading difficulties.Read moreRead less
Enhancing Intelligent Robot Navigation with the Evolution of a Robot-Friendly Language. Personal robots are set to become as popular as personal computers. The key ingredient that has been missing is intelligence - not the kind of intelligence that plays chess, but the kind that allows robots to understand the world in the way that we humans do. This project represents a major advance in that kind of intelligence, giving robots the ability to understand the world and the ability to communicate a ....Enhancing Intelligent Robot Navigation with the Evolution of a Robot-Friendly Language. Personal robots are set to become as popular as personal computers. The key ingredient that has been missing is intelligence - not the kind of intelligence that plays chess, but the kind that allows robots to understand the world in the way that we humans do. This project represents a major advance in that kind of intelligence, giving robots the ability to understand the world and the ability to communicate about their experiences. Armed with this new technology, Australia will have a competitive edge in the new and fast growing personal robot industry.Read moreRead less
Heterodensity neuroimaging techniques for spatiotemporal identification and localization. Australia is at the forefront of research that is taking brain imaging and interfacing out of the lab and into the field. The technology being developed is spawning applications in areas as diverse as health, education, defense and national security, and will lead to resolution of longstanding theoretical debates as well as enabling new breakthroughs in understanding the biological concomitants of psycholo ....Heterodensity neuroimaging techniques for spatiotemporal identification and localization. Australia is at the forefront of research that is taking brain imaging and interfacing out of the lab and into the field. The technology being developed is spawning applications in areas as diverse as health, education, defense and national security, and will lead to resolution of longstanding theoretical debates as well as enabling new breakthroughs in understanding the biological concomitants of psychological function. This is significant given the push to develop biometrics of psychological function with enhanced sensitivity and specificity in clinical diagnosis, along with defense applications in evaluation of critical personnel and training. It also opens up a range of applications for mental control of remote or prosthetic devices.Read moreRead less
Robot Navigation From Nature: Simultaneous Localisation And Mapping Based On Hippocampal Models. This project will create a new method of robot control that allows a robot to learn a map of any area and then navigate using that map. The new method is based on ideas from recent models of rodent brains.
The resulting improvements in robot navigation offer immediate benefits to the emerging service robot industry. In addition, the act of reproducing a high-level brain function in a robot will inc ....Robot Navigation From Nature: Simultaneous Localisation And Mapping Based On Hippocampal Models. This project will create a new method of robot control that allows a robot to learn a map of any area and then navigate using that map. The new method is based on ideas from recent models of rodent brains.
The resulting improvements in robot navigation offer immediate benefits to the emerging service robot industry. In addition, the act of reproducing a high-level brain function in a robot will increase the understanding of memory and learning in mammals, including humans. Consequently, the outcomes of this research will benefit both robot designers and brain researchers.
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