22/08/2023, 15:29 Semi-Automatic Generation of Cognitive Science Theories | SpringerLink

Home   Scientific Discovery in the Social Sciences   Chapter

Semi-Automatic Generation of
Cognitive Science Theories
Mark Addis , Fernand Gobet, Peter C. R. Lane & Peter D.
Sozou 

Chapter First Online: 13 September 2019

261  Accesses 1  Citations

Part of the Synthese Library book series (SYLI,volume 413)

Abstract

Developing computational models constitutes an

important aspect of research in science in general
and cognitive science in particular. It is a
notoriously difficult enterprise and methods for
(semi-)automatically developing models are
desirable, possibly using evolutionary mechanisms.
Although the evolutionary properties of scientific
knowledge have received some attention in the
philosophy of science, the actual use of
computationally based Darwinian selection
processes to develop theories has been limited to
research by the present authors. The optimisation
capacities of genetic programming are employed as
a basis for the semi-automatic generation and
testing of cognitive science models. A population of
models is subjected to Darwinian selection
processes and evolved using a genetic
programming algorithm. Good models make
predictions that are consistent with the data. A
number of philosophical issues raised by this
approach are explored, including the role of
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Lakatos research programmes in the development

of cognitive science theories, simulation as a kind of
fictional modelling, the nature of explanations
produced by models generated by genetic
programming, problems of theory confirmation,
and the extent to which theory development can be
regarded as an exclusively human activity.

Keywords
Computational modelling Fictional model

Formal modelling Informal theory

Genetic programming Lakatos programme

Machine discovery Robust testing

Theory generation

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Economic and

Social Research Council grant ES/L003090/1.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social
Science, London School of Economics and
Political Science, London, UK
Mark Addis & Peter D. Sozou

Department of Psychological Sciences,

University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
Fernand Gobet

Department of Computer Science, University of

Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
Peter C. R. Lane

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark Addis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social
Science, London School of Economics and

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Political Science, London, UK

Prof. Mark Addis

Department of Computer Science, University of

Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
Dr. Peter C. R. Lane

Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social

Science, London School of Economics and
Political Science, London, UK
Dr. Peter D. Sozou

Department of Psychological Sciences,

University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
Prof. Fernand Gobet
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Addis, M., Gobet, F., Lane, P.C.R., Sozou, P.D. (2019). Semi-
Automatic Generation of Cognitive Science Theories. In:
Addis, M., Lane, P.C.R., Sozou, P.D., Gobet, F. (eds)
Scientific Discovery in the Social Sciences. Synthese
Library, vol 413. Springer, Cham.
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