Syllabus FLO'j

Cognition and ComputationFL2009 L64 PNP 4332 Sec 01Frederick Eberhardt (eberhardt@wustl.edu); Wilson 107; Office Hours (T&W 6-7pm)

Course Description:

This course introduces students to some of the key frameworks for thinking about the mindin computational terms. We will be looking at some basic topics in the theory ofcomputation, in addition to considering philosophical issues raised by computational modelsof cognitive processes. This course is required for graduate students in the PNP Ph.D.program. Prerequisites: At least two 400-level PNP courses crosslisted in Philosophy.

Text Book (optional, but recommended):Cummins & Cummins (2000), Minds, Brains, and Computers: A Historical Introduction tothe Foundations of Cognitive Science, Wiley-Blackwell

Sipser (2005), Introduction to the theory of computation

Assignments:There are 3 assignments: a draft, a paper and a presentation. In assignment 1 and 2 yourtask is to write a philosophical paper on a topic relevant to the course. We will proceed intwo stages. For assignment 1 you are asked to produce an outline of the structure of theargument in your paper. In assignment 2 you are asked to write the full paper given thefeedback you received on assignment 1. Assignment 3 is a 30 minute in class presentationon a topic relevant to the course, but different from your paper. See the assignment sectionon Telesis for details. All three assignments have the same weight for your final grade.

GradingParticipation: 15%Assignments 1 (argument outline): 30%Assignments 2 (complete paper): 30%Assignment 3 (presentation): 30%There are no exams.The expectation concerning the quality of work is higher for grad students than forundergrads.

Academic IntegrityCases of plagiarism will be reported to the academic integrity officer of Arts & Sciences witha recommendation to fail the student for the course. Please see the Telesis website for moredetails and please refer to Washington University's policy on academic integrity.

Tentative Course Schedule

Day DateThursday 8/27

Tuesday 9/1

Thursday 9/3Tuesday 9 / 8Thursday 9/10

Tuesday 9/15

Thursday 9/17

Tuesday 9/22

Thursday 9/24

Tuesday 9/29

Thursday 10/1

Tuesday 10/6Thursday 10/8

Tuesday 10/13

Thursday 10/15

Tuesday 10/20

Thursday 10/22

Tuesday 10/27

Thursday 10/29

TopicAdministrativeissuesLeibniz: UniversalCharacterCANCELEDBoolean LogicBoolean Laws ofThoughtFinite Automata &NondeterminismNondeterminism &RegularExpressionsPumping Lemma

Context FreeLanguages & PDAsCFLs & PDAs

UniversalGrammars

Turing Machines

Church-TuringThesisSymbolicComputationDecidability

Minds andMachines

Levels of Analysis

Reading

Rutherford: Philosophy and language in Leibniz

McCulloch & Pitts: The statistical organization ofnervous activitySipser: Introduction to the theory ofcomputation, Ch. 1.1 & 1.2Sipser: Introduction to the theory ofcomputation, Ch. 1.2 & 1.3

Sipser: Introduction to the theory ofcomputation. Ch. 1.4Sipser: Introduction to the theory ofcomputation, Ch. 2.1 & 2.2Sipser: Introduction to the theory ofcomputation, Ch. 2.2Chomsky: excerpts from Syntactic structuresand Language and Problems of Knowledge

Rational Analysis

Sipser: Introduction to the theory ofcomputation. Ch. 3.1 & 3.2Sipser: Introduction to the theory ofcomputation, Ch. 3.3Newell, Rosenbloom, & Laird: Symbolicarchitectures for cognitionSipser: Introduction to the theory ofcomputation, Ch. 4Putnam: Minds and Machines;Turing: Intelligent Machinery;Goedel: Some basic theorems on thefoundations of mathematics and theirimplicationsMarr: excerpts from Vision;Pylyshyn: excerpts from Computation andCognition;Anderson: excerpts from The adaptive characterof thought;Newell: The knowledge levelAndersen: Is human cognition adaptive;Chater & Oaksford: Ten years of the rationalanalysis of cognition;