10月16日に行われたUCLA Cognitive Psychology Forumにおいて赤石ユニットリーダーが講演を行いました。

2020.11.29

Title: What is special about the human brain and intelligence?

 

Abstract:

What is special about humans? The importance of this type of questions is increasing due to the rapid incorporations of artificial intelligence in the diverse aspects of our lives. Psychology and neuroscience have addressed some parts of this question. In neuroscience, the comparisons of neuroanatomy and associated brain functions of humans against other species have been made with the focus on prefrontal cortex. In psychology and behavioral sciences, higher cognitive functions of humans such as attention, decision making and causal inference have been compared to those of the other species. More recently, “algorithms” of human brains in comparison to those of artificial intelligence have become important subjects of research both in terms of scientific value and practical significance in applications. Here, I would like to address these issues based on the research conducted in decision neuroscience, where studies of computational modeling of human behaviors and associated neural functions have become a popular paradigm. The focus of my talk is the algorithmic principle of multiscale computations, which integrates the research topics of history dependent choice biases and foraging decisions. With multiscale computations, animal and human agents not just pursue adaptations in a current restricted environment but also consider the opportunities (and their costs when ignored) in the other environment. This multiplicity of goals at different environmental scales may explain the paradoxical and unique nature of human behaviors.