Computational Explorations In Cognitive Neuroscience

This text, based on a course taught by Randall O'Reilly and Yuko Munakata over the past several years, provides an in-depth introduction to the main ideas in the computational cognitive neuroscience. The goal of computational cognitive neuroscience is to understand how the brain embodies the mind by using biologically based computational models comprising networks of neuronlike units. This text, based on a course taught by Randall O'Reilly and Yuko Munakata over the past several years, provides an in-depth introduction to the main ideas in the field. The neural units in the simulations use equations based directly on the ion channels that govern the behavior of real neurons, and the neural networks incorporate anatomical and physiological properties of the neocortex. Thus the text provides the student with knowledge of the basic biology of the brain as well as the computational skills needed to simulate large-scale cognitive phenomena. The text consists of two parts. The first part covers basic neural computation mechanisms: individual neurons, neural networks, and learning mechanisms. The second part covers large-scale brain area organization and cognitive phenomena: perception and attention, memory, language, and higher-level cognition. The second part is relatively self-contained and can be used separately for mechanistically oriented cognitive neuroscience courses. Integrated throughout the text are more than forty different simulation models, many of them full-scale research-grade models, with friendly interfaces and accompanying exercises. The simulation software (PDP++, available for all major platforms) and simulations can be downloaded free of charge from the Web. Exercise solutions are available, and the text includes full information on the software.

Introduction to computer modeling of the brain, to understand how people think. Networks of interacting neurons produce complex emergent behavior including perception, attention, motor control, learning, memory, language, and executive functions (motivation, decision making, planning, etc).

Memory and the Computational Brain offers a provocative argument that goes to the heart of neuroscience, proposing that the field can and should benefit from the recent advances of cognitive science and the development of information theory over the course of the last several decades. A provocative argument that impacts across the fields of linguistics, cognitive science, and neuroscience, suggesting new perspectives on learning mechanisms in the brain Proposes that the field of neuroscience can and should benefit from the recent advances of cognitive science and the development of information theory Suggests that the architecture of the brain is structured precisely for learning and for memory, and integrates the concept of an addressable read/write memory mechanism into the foundations of neuroscience Based on lectures in the prestigious Blackwell-Maryland Lectures in Language and Cognition, and now significantly reworked and expanded to make it ideal for students and faculty

"This book argues that computational models in behavioral neuroscience must be taken with caution, and advocates for the study of mathematical models of existing theories as complementary to neuro-psychological models and computational models"--

Computational neuroscience is the theoretical study of the brain to uncover the principles and mechanisms that guide the development, organization, information processing, and mental functions of the nervous system. Although not a new area, it is only recently that enough knowledge has been gathered to establish computational neuroscience as a scientific discipline in its own right. Given the complexity of the field, and its increasing importance in progressing our understanding of how the brain works, there has long been a need for an introductory text on what is often assumed to be an impenetrable topic. The new edition of Fundamentals of Computational Neuroscience build on the success and strengths of the previous editions. It introduces the theoretical foundations of neuroscience with a focus on the nature of information processing in the brain. The book covers the introduction and motivation of simplified models of neurons that are suitable for exploring information processing in large brain-like networks. Additionally, it introduces several fundamental network architectures and discusses their relevance for information processing in the brain, giving some examples of models of higher-order cognitive functions to demonstrate the advanced insight that can be gained with such studies. Each chapter starts by introducing its topic with experimental facts and conceptual questions related to the study of brain function. An additional feature is the inclusion of simple Matlab programs that can be used to explore many of the mechanisms explained in the book. An accompanying webpage includes programs for download. The book will be the essential text for anyone in the brain sciences who wants to get to grips with this topic.

An anniversary edition of the classic work that influenced a generation of neuroscientists and cognitive neuroscientists. Before The Computational Brain was published in 1992, conceptual frameworks for brain function were based on the behavior of single neurons, applied globally. In The Computational Brain, Patricia Churchland and Terrence Sejnowski developed a different conceptual framework, based on large populations of neurons. They did this by showing that patterns of activities among the units in trained artificial neural network models had properties that resembled those recorded from populations of neurons recorded one at a time. It is one of the first books to bring together computational concepts and behavioral data within a neurobiological framework. Aimed at a broad audience of neuroscientists, computer scientists, cognitive scientists, and philosophers, The Computational Brain is written for both expert and novice. This anniversary edition offers a new preface by the authors that puts the book in the context of current research. This approach influenced a generation of researchers. Even today, when neuroscientists can routinely record from hundreds of neurons using optics rather than electricity, and the 2013 White House BRAIN initiative heralded a new era in innovative neurotechnologies, the main message of The Computational Brain is still relevant.

Computational Models of Cognitive Processes collects refereed versions of papers presented at the 13th Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop (NCPW13) that took place July 2012, in San Sebastian (Spain). This workshop series is a well-established and unique forum that brings together researchers from such diverse disciplines as artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer science, neurobiology, philosophy and psychology to discuss their latest work on models of cognitive processes. Contents:Language:Modelling Language — Vision Interactions in the Hub and Spoke Framework (A C Smith, P Monaghan and F Huettig)Modelling Letter Perception: The Effect of Supervision and Top-Down Information on Simulated Reaction Times (M Klein, S Frank, S Madec and J Grainger)Encoding Words into a Potts Attractor Network (S Pirmoradian and A Treves)Unexpected Predictability in the Hawaiian Passive (Ō Parker Jones and J Mayor)Difference Between Spoken and Written Language Based on Zipf's Law Analysis (J S Kim, C Y Lee and B T Zhang)Reading Aloud is Quicker than Reading Silently: A Study in the Japanese Language Demonstrating the Enhancement of Cognitive Processing by Action (H-F Yanai, T Konno and A Enjyoji)Development:Testing a Dynamic Neural Field Model of Children's Category Labelling (K E Twomey and J S Horst)Theoretical and Computational Limitations in Simulating 3- to 4-Month-Old Infants' Categorization Processes (M Mermillod, N Vermeulen, G Kaminsky, E Gentaz and P Bonin)Reinforcement-Modulated Self-Organization in Infant Motor Speech Learning (A S Warlaumont)A Computational Model of the Headturn Preference Procedure: Design, Challenges, and Insights (C Bergmann, L Ten Bosch and L Boves)Right Otitis Media in Early Childhood and Language Development: An ERP Study (M F Alonso, P Uclés and P Saz)High-Level Cognition:The Influence of Implementation on “Hub” Models of Semantic Cognition (O Guest, R P Cooper and E J Davelaar)Hierarchical Structure in Prefrontal Cortex Improves Performance at Abstract Tasks (R Tukker, A C Van Rossum, S Frank and W F G Haselager)Interactive Activation Networks for Modelling Problem Solving (P Monaghan, T Ormerod and U N Sio)On Observational Learning of Hierarchies in Sequential Tasks: A Dynamic Neural Field Model (E Sousa, W Erlhagen and E Bicho)Knowing When to Quit on Unlearnable Problems: Another Step Towards Autonomous Learning (T R Shultz and E Doty)A Conflict/Control-Loop Hypothesis of Hemispheric Brain Reserve Capacity (N Rendell and E J Davelaar)Action and Emotion:Modeling the Actor-Critic Architecture by Combining Recent Work in Reservoir Computing and Temporal Difference Learning in Complex Environments (J J Rodny and D C Noelle)The Conceptualisation of Emotion Qualia: Semantic Clustering of Emotional Tweets (E Y Bann and J J Bryson)A Neuro-Computational Study of Laughter (M F Alonso, P Loste, J Navarro, R Del Moral, R Lahoz-Beltra and P C Marijuán) Readership: Students and researchers in biocybernetics, neuroscience, cognitive science, psychology and artificial intelligence and those interested in neural models of psychological phenomena. Keywords:Cognitive Science;Computational Modeling;Psychology;Neural NetworksKey Features:An invaluable resource for researchers interested in neural models of psychological phenomenaEnables readers to catch up with a fast moving discipline by reading contributions that are typically published as journal articles only a couple of years laterOffers an overview of current computational models of cognitive processes in a single bookChapters are written by world-leading experts in the field