C-CS

modularities of the mind
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Working Definition:

The components of cognition are independent modules that combine to perform specific cognitive tasks.

Disciplinary Definitions:

modulatrity: a theory of the human mind in which the various components of cognition are characterized as independent modules, each with its own specific domain and particular properties.

Comments:

"While the concept of prespecified modules has been challenged on a number of fronts, it has also become increasingly clear that the general-purpose view of the brain is inadequate. The human mind/brain is not a single, domain-general processing system, either in infancy or in adulthood. ... A different way to conceive of modulariy might therefore be to adopt a truly developmental perspective and acknowledge that the structure of minds could emerge from dynamically developing brains ... in interaction with the environment. The long period of human postnatal cortical development and the considerable plasticity it displays suggest that progressive modularization may arise simply as a consequence of the developmental process. Variations in developmental timing and the brain's capacity to carry out subtly differen kinds of computation, together with differential structures in the environmental input, could suffice to structure the brain." Annette Karmiloff-Smith, "Modularity of Mind" 558-560. See modes of cognition

Gardner has an interesting perspective on modules in the context of the clash between Marr and Gibson on perception:

"To the notion that modules carrying out their own separate analyses, one now adds the notion of many units operating and exchanging information in ways analogous to many brain cells or columns firing simultaneously. Computation is performed by excitatory and inhibitory interactions among a network of relatively simple neuronlike units, whch compete ad cooperae so that certain units become active and others are suppressed. Eventually, thanks to statistical properties of the ensemble, the network settles into a state that reflects its particular "task"—for example, perceivng a given image." The Mind's New Science, 319 In effect, rather than understanding the mind as "a" computing machine, it needs to be understood as innumerable processors working at the same time in concert.

Notes

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