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32Exploration of the Functional Properties of Interaction: Computer Models and Pointers for TheoryConstructivist Foundations 9 (1): 26-33. 2013.Context: Constructivist approaches to cognition have mostly been descriptive, and now face the challenge of specifying the mechanisms that may support the acquisition of knowledge. Departing from cognitivism, however, requires the development of a new functional framework that will support causal, powerful and goal-directed behavior in the context of the interaction between the organism and the environment. Problem: The properties affecting the computational power of this interaction are, howeve…Read more
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33Directed Motor-Auditory EEG Connectivity Is Modulated by Music TempoFrontiers in Human Neuroscience 11. 2017.
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1050HeX and the single anthill: playing games with Aunt HillaryIn Vincent C. Müller (ed.), Fundamental Issues of Artificial Intelligence, Springer. pp. 367-389. 2016.In a reflective and richly entertaining piece from 1979, Doug Hofstadter playfully imagined a conversation between ‘Achilles’ and an anthill (the eponymous ‘Aunt Hillary’), in which he famously explored many ideas and themes related to cognition and consciousness. For Hofstadter, the anthill is able to carry on a conversation because the ants that compose it play roughly the same role that neurons play in human languaging; unfortunately, Hofstadter’s work is notably short on detail suggesting ho…Read more
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29Cognitive Appraisals Affect Both Embodiment of Thermal Sensation and Its Mapping to Thermal EvaluationFrontiers in Psychology 7 190906. 2016.The physical environment leads to a thermal sensation that is perceived and appraised by occupants. The present study focuses on the relationship between sensation and evaluation. We asked 166 people to recall a thermal event from their recent past. They were then asked how they evaluated this experience in terms of 10 different emotions (frustrated, resigned, dislike, indifferent, angry, anxious, liking, joyful, regretful, proud). We tested whether four psychological factors (appraisal dimensio…Read more
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9In Search of a New Looking Glass: Cognitive Science Is Not Dead, It Is Just AsleepConstructivist Foundations 11 (2): 419-420. 2016.Open peer commentary on the article “Exploring the Depth of Dream Experience: The Enactive Framework and Methods for Neurophenomenological Research” by Elizaveta Solomonova & Xin Wei Sha. Upshot: Solomonova and Sha draw inspiration from the work programme that sparked the enactive extension to cognitive science, and propose a framework for dream scientists. This case study for a renewed cognitive science highlights key points that are worth developing, in light of current practices in neuroscien…Read more
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18Bigger data for big data: From Twitter to brain–computer interfacesBehavioral and Brain Sciences 37 (1): 97-98. 2014.
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81Zombie Mouse in a Chinese RoomPhilosophy and Technology 28 (2): 209-223. 2015.John Searle’s Chinese Room Argument purports to demonstrate that syntax is not sufficient for semantics, and, hence, because computation cannot yield understanding, the computational theory of mind, which equates the mind to an information processing system based on formal computations, fails. In this paper, we use the CRA, and the debate that emerged from it, to develop a philosophical critique of recent advances in robotics and neuroscience. We describe results from a body of work that contrib…Read more
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83A Blueprint for Affective Computing: A Sourcebook and Manual (edited book)Oxford University Press. 2010.'Affective computing' is a branch of computing concerned with the theory and construction of machines which can detect, respond to, and simulate human emotional states. This book presents an interdisciplinary exploration of this rapidly expanding field, aimed at those in psychology, computational neuroscience, computer science, and AI. A Blueprint for Affective Computing: A sourcebook and manual is the very first attempt to ground affective computing within the disciplines of psychology, affect…Read more
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University of ReadingRegular Faculty