This advanced seminar will explore the remarkable human capacity to use a variety of symbolic systems to think and learn with, including writing systems, mathematical notation, and diagrams. We will discuss both classic and contemporary scholarly work relevant to these questions drawn from the psychology, neuroscience, education, and artificial intelligence literatures. Some guiding questions include: Why are humans seemingly the only species capable of producing and understanding visual symbols? What are the enduring impacts of early & sustained experience with symbolic artifacts (e.g., written words)? What would it take for AI systems to acquire the ability to interact with symbolic artifacts the way that people do?
3 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
This advanced seminar will explore the remarkable human capacity to use a variety of symbolic systems to think and learn with, including writing systems, mathematical notation, and diagrams. We will discuss both classic and contemporary scholarly work relevant to these questions drawn from the psychology, neuroscience, education, and artificial intelligence literatures. Some guiding questions include: Why are humans seemingly the only species capable of producing and understanding visual symbols? What are the enduring impacts of early & sustained experience with symbolic artifacts (e.g., written words)? What would it take for AI systems to acquire the ability to interact with symbolic artifacts the way that people do?