What makes us smart : the computational logic of human cognition / Samuel Gershman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gershman, Samuel J., 1985- author.

Series:

Princeton scholarship online.

Princeton scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cognition.

Intellect.

Cognitive psychology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2021]

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Introduction: are we smart?

Rational illusions

Structure and origins of inductive bias

Learning from others

Good questions

How to never be wrong

Seeing patterns

Are we consistent?

Celestial teapots and flying spaghetti monsters

The frugal brain

Language design

The uses of randomness

Conclusion: what makes us smart.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from home page (viewed on May 6, 2022).

Also issued in print: 2021.

ISBN:

9780691225999

0691225990

OCLC:

1291507992