Jure Sah wrote in message <39A3E10F.88D2A890 at guest.arnes.si>...
>Sergio Navega wrote:
>> One could take the visual cortex to be an example of a specific area
>> of genetically specified origin, unable to process nothing more
>> but visual stimuli. This is not the case.
>>>> There's a huge amount of research indicating that the
>> visual cortex is reused in blind humans to help processing of
>> somatosensory and auditory cortexes. Cortical columns *change*
>> in structure because of that, approaching the organization
>> found in auditory cortex.
>>>> Deaf individuals were seen (by fMRI) activating the auditory
>> cortex in response to visual stimuli related to american sign
>> language. Only a plastic brain could manage to get that.
>>Deaf from birth only or all?
>
It doesn't matter. After one year of practice, any blind subject
will use parts of the visual cortex to help audition and
touch. Several studies support this (Nature, Science, Trends in
Cognitive Science and Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, among
others).
>Ok, excuse me, but my computer's sound card can also process pictures
>(raw binary information), although the results are usually not very
>useful. Ok, then I'll give you an example where you can: On another NG I
>have been discussing the use of the modem when linking it over to a
>sound card, well, for storing any information on audio media.
>>By my theory, a brain that just happens to be well known for it's
>parallel processing sends the input information trough all it's circuits
>and then learns what output makes no connection with the environment and
>then excludes those circuits and vice-versa (it can replug them, since
>humans are known to forget things also).
>>What's the problem making the AI then?
>
The problem is understanding precisely what kind of information
processing is going on in the brain.
The questions that need answer are why we forget things, how we
categorize objects and events, what is the effect of perception
on thinking, what is the relation of cognition to the body, how
symbolic languages emerges from statistical constructs of the
senses, how language origin is related to social collaboration
among agents, what is the relation between language and motor
commands/actions, how complex decisions emerge from conflicting
threads of thought, why we're subject to the base-rate fallacy,
what is the effect of emotion in decision making, what is the
relation between creativity and perception, what is the role of
noise and stochastic resonance in the brain, how does the brain
stabilizes itself avoiding epileptic seizures all the time, how
the hell does spreading activation obtains generalization from
sensory stimuli, why children go through U-shaped learning of
past-tense of verbs, how to explain operant conditioning *and*
systematicity/generativity simultaneously, why Thorndike cat
eventually pulls the string, how to reconcile behaviorism and
gestalt psychology, how to integrate gestaltic principles of
closure, continuity, pragnanz, etc. with recent discoveries
about synchronous oscillations during perceptual functions on
mooney faces, and a dozen more intriguing questions...
Regards,
Sergio Navega.
