A cognitive model is a computer-based simulation of human thinking used to understand the human mind and treat medical and psychological conditions. It is based on the study of cognition, which examines how animals learn and process information. Researchers aim to recreate the human decision-making process and understand the limitations of cognitive architecture. The model can also be used to simulate how information flows within an organization to improve efficiency.
A cognitive model is an attempt to create a process, usually on a computer, that simulates how humans think. In some cases this may be designed with the goal of learning more about computer science. In most cases, however, the goal is to learn more about how the human mind works and ways to treat medical and psychological conditions related to the thought process.
The cognitive model is based on cognition, the study of how animals learn and process information and then decide actions. In most cases, this involves studying humans, partly out of self-evident interest and partly because humans appear to have the most advanced cognitive abilities of any animal. One of the major problems in the study of cognition is the contrast between cognitive abilities that appear to be in place at birth and those that develop through a learning process such as language.
The study of cognition in terms of computers shows some of the key differences between the human brain and the computer. A computer can process information much faster than a human, but it can only perform defined tasks. A human brain can process information and thus make decisions or judgments.
A researcher using a cognitive model is attempting to simulate this human process on a computer. In fact, the researcher will try to answer one of two questions. Can a computer be designed to process information and make decisions in a more sophisticated way? And can the way the brain works be reduced to a logical system that can be recreated in a way we can understand?
The cognitive model works in contrast to another element of the study of artificial intelligence, cognitive architecture. The cognitive model attempts to recreate how the brain can perform a particular task such as learning or making decisions. Cognitive architecture attempts to recreate the overall structure and functioning of the brain and the limitations this places on each cognitive model.
There are some uses of cognitive models that don’t directly relate to the brain. For example, a model might simulate how information flows within an organization and how the organization as a whole makes decisions. Trying to simulate the structure of the organization in this way can uncover ways it could be made to work more efficiently or productively.
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