Cognitive Mechanisms of Learning

1Useful Concepts and Representation Formalisms

This chapter is split into two parts. In section 1.1, we define the main concepts used throughout this book, giving examples wherever possible. Section 1.2 contains a brief overview of the formalisms used to represent knowledge which an individual may possess at a given moment in their personal history. Some of these formalisms will be discussed in greater depth in later chapters as and when the need arises.

1.1. Useful concepts

In this section, we shall define the following concepts: information, information processing, problem, comprehension, short-term memory, long-term memory (LTM), episodic memory, working memory and knowledge. The latter is broken down into declarative and procedural knowledge.

In our approach, the human cognitive system is seen as an information processing system. It is therefore essential that we begin by clearly defining the concept of “information”.

1.1.1. Information

To define the concept of “information” and the companion concept of “redundancy”, let us start with an example: a conversation between two brothers, Andrew and Bradley, 15- and 17-year-old high school students.

• – Andrew: “Does the evening news program on ARTE usually start at 7, 7.30 or 8 pm?”
• – Bradley: “I don’t know exactly, but I know that it isn’t earlier than 7.30”.

In this case, Bradley’s answer is information, as it reduces Andrew’s uncertainty concerning the time of the program. One of the three initial possibilities has thus ...