Psycholoquy paper of potential interest

Mike Cole (mcole who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu)
Sun, 3 Jan 1999 15:10:34 -0800 (PST)

>From: PSYCOLOQUY <psyc who-is-at phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Subject: psyc.98.9.86.representation-mediation.15.markman (89 lines)
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psycoloquy.98.9.86.representation-mediation.15.markman Wed Dec 30 1998
ISSN 1055-0143 (3 paragraphs, 4 references, 83 lines)
PSYCOLOQUY is sponsored by the American Psychological Association (APA)
Copyright 1998 Arthur B. Markman & Eric Dietrich

DOMAIN-INDEPENDENT REPRESENTATIONS:
EDUCATION VERSUS UNDISCOVERD COGNITIVE PRINCIPLES
Reply to Bringsjord on Representation-Mediation

Arthur B. Markman
Department of Psychology
University of Texas
Austin, TX 78712
markman who-is-at psy.utexas.edu
http://www.psy.utexas.edu/psy/FACULTY/Markman/index.html

Eric Dietrich
PACCS Program in Philosophy
Binghamton University
Binghamton, NY
dietrich who-is-at binghamton.edu
http://www.binghamton.edu/philosophy/home/faculty/index.html

ABSTRACT: Bringsjord (1998) thinks domain-independent states are
rare because of the failure of modern education. Bassok, Chase &
Martin's (1998) data suggest otherwise.

1. We and Bringsjord are apparently in agreement: domain-independent,
abstract mental representations exist but are rare. He did get our view
wrong by claiming that we denied the existence of domain-independent
representations (Bringsjord, 1998; Markman and Dietrich, 1998a). But
now we are all on the same page. Good.

2. Bringsjord then changes the topic to WHY domain-independent states are
rare. We don't know why such states are rare, speculating on this wasn't
part of our target article. Why such states are rare is yet to be
determined. We suspect that their rarity has to do with the way
cognition actually works, and hence with currently poorly understood
principles governing the nature of cognition. Bringsjord, however, has
another hypothesis. He claims that such representations are rare
because of the failure of modern education, and that were it not for
such failure, most humans would be abundantly supplied with
domain-independent representations. We are doubtful.

3. Bringsjord's speculative hypothesis is interesting and deserves to be
explored further. But the early data are not on Bringsjord's side. For
example, as we pointed out in our first reply to Bringsjord (M & D, 1998b),
college students who write arithmatic word problems exhibit a strong
content effect. Such students prefer to write addition problems using
objects from the same taxonomic category (e.g., adding apples and oranges),
and they prefer to write division problems using objects from different
taxonomic categories that are thematically related (e.g., dividing apples
among baskets for holding the apples). In contrast, college students
prefer not to write addition problems using objects from different
categories (adding apples and baskets) nor division problems using objects
from the same category (distributing apples among oranges) (Bassok, Chase &
Martin, 1998). College students, by and large, ARE experts at addition and
division and it seems likely that if any cognitive process should be
domain-independent, it should be addition and division. Though the writing
of the problems rather than just solving them may be part of what's causing
the content effect, Bassok's data do suggest that domain-independent
representations are rare for reasons other than education. So Bringsjord's
hypothesis is called into question. Still, his hypothesis might be right,
or at least part of the story. Further research will tell.

REFERENCES

Bassok, M., Chase, V. M., & Martin, S. A. (1998). Adding apples and
oranges: Semantic constraints on application of formal rules.
Cognitive Psychology, 35(2), 99-134.

Bringsjord, S. (1998) Domain-Independent Abstract Mediating States Are A
Function Of Education, PSYCOLOQUY 9(85)
ftp://ftp.princeton.edu/pub/harnad/Psycoloquy/1998.volume.9/psyc.98.9.85.represe
ntation-mediation.14.bringsjord

Markman, A.B. & Dietrich, E. (1998a) In Defense of Representation as
Mediation. PSYCOLOQUY 9(48)
ftp://ftp.princeton.edu/pub/harnad/Psycoloquy/1998.volume.9/psyc.98.9.48.represe
ntation-mediation.1.markman

Markman, A.B. & Dietrich, E. (1998b) Domain Independent Mediating States
are Rare PSYCOLOQUY 9(56)
ftp://ftp.princeton.edu/pub/harnad/Psycoloquy/1998.volume.9/psyc.98.9.56.represe
ntation-mediation.3.markman