It is impossible to perceive the innumerable stimuli impinging on our senses, all at once. Out of the myriad stimuli, external and internal, a few are selected for further processing; and even among these, we try to put each in some sort of relation with the others, to be able to make some sense about them all. Time, of course, is an elementary dimension we use to organize our experiences. Thus, the perception of sequences is basic to human cognition. Nevertheless, research addressing sequences is rather sparse. Partly, this is due to difficulty in designing experiments in this area due to huge individual differences. Then, there is the assumption that temporal order has more to do with memory than perception. Another problem is that sequences seem endemic to the auditory world. So much so that some researchers have suggested that sound provides the ‘auditory scaffolding’ for sequencing behavior. Little wonder that research studies addressing sequences in modalities other than audition are extremely rare. This research topic aimed to gather a holistic picture of sequencing behaviour among humans by collecting snapshots of the current research on the topic of sequencing. We particularly sought contributions which addressed sequences beyond the auditory modality. The single unifying criteria for these diverse contributions was that they shed new light on previously unexplored empirical relationships and/or provoked new lines of research with incisive ideas regarding sequencing behavior. Seasoned researchers contributed their views on perception, memory, and production of sequences.
It is impossible to perceive the innumerable stimuli impinging on our senses, all at once. Out of the myriad stimuli, external and internal, a few are selected for further processing; and even among these, we try to put each in some sort of relation with the others, to be able to make some sense about them all. Time, of course, is an elementary dimension we use to organize our experiences. Thus, the perception of sequences is basic to human cognition. Nevertheless, research addressing sequences is rather sparse. Partly, this is due to difficulty in designing experiments in this area due to huge individual differences. Then, there is the assumption that temporal order has more to do with memory than perception. Another problem is that sequences seem endemic to the auditory world. So much so that some researchers have suggested that sound provides the 'auditory scaffolding' for sequencing behavior. Little wonder that research studies addressing sequences in modalities other than audition are extremely rare.This research topic aimed to gather a holistic picture of sequencing behaviour among humans by collecting snapshots of the current research on the topic of sequencing. We particularly sought contributions which addressed sequences beyond the auditory modality. The single unifying criteria for these diverse contributions was that they shed new light on previously unexplored empirical relationships and/or provoked new lines of research with incisive ideas regarding sequencing behavior. Seasoned researchers contributed their views on perception, memory, and production of sequences.
In this book, David Temperley addresses a fundamental question about music cognition: how do we extract basic kinds of musical information, such as meter, phrase structure, counterpoint, pitch spelling, harmony, and key from music as we hear it? Taking a computational approach, Temperley develops models for generating these aspects of musical structure. The models he proposes are based on preference rules, which are criteria for evaluating a possible structural analysis of a piece of music. A preference rule system evaluates many possible interpretations and chooses the one that best satisfies the rules. After an introductory chapter, Temperley presents preference rule systems for generating six basic kinds of musical structure: meter, phrase structure, contrapuntal structure, harmony, and key, as well as pitch spelling (the labeling of pitch events with spellings such as A flat or G sharp). He suggests that preference rule systems not only show how musical structures are inferred, but also shed light on other aspects of music. He substantiates this claim with discussions of musical ambiguity, retrospective revision, expectation, and music outside the Western canon (rock and traditional African music). He proposes a framework for the description of musical styles based on preference rule systems and explores the relevance of preference rule systems to higher-level aspects of music, such as musical schemata, narrative and drama, and musical tension.
Data in the form of sequences accumulate in many domains such as engineering, health, finance and marketing. Therefore, it is important that models and techniques are developed and utilised to effectively capture and analyse sequential information. Capturing sequences of variable length, capturing the substructure of sequences and extracting useful frequent sequential patterns are three main challenges in the domain of sequence analysis. Furthermore, it is important that the developed techniques can handle sequences with diverse characteristics. It can be observed that humans have the ability to effortlessly comprehend, capture and utilise sequential information in everyday cognitive tasks such as vision, language, motor control and problem solving. It has also been demonstrated in the literature that one of the key factors behind human intelligence is the ability to store and utilise sequences. The work undertaken and reported on in this thesis focuses on building learning models and techniques for sequence analysis through incorporating theories on human cognition. In addition, the application of the proposed techniques to effectively capture and analyse sequences in multiple and diverse application areas is also demonstrated.Addressing the problems of capturing frequent, variable length sequences and their substructure, the Adaptive Suffix Trie (ASTrie) algorithm is first introduced in the thesis. The ASTrie algorithm incorporates the biologically inspired Hebbian learning rule into the suffix trie data structure and transforms it into a flexible learning tool for capturing sequences. Next, the Adaptive Suffix Tree (ASTree) algorithm is introduced as a space efficient successor to the ASTrie. %Both algorithms can capture discrete, long/short, dense/sparse and single dimensional sequences. These are based on the suffix trie and suffix tree data structures which can capture variable length sequences and their substructure. However, these are static data structures which store all suffixes of a given sequence. For most data analysis and data mining tasks capturing all sequences are not required. Rather the focus is on capturing the interesting or frequent patterns of occurrences. Most sequences indexed by time, such as time series data, are continuous in nature. In addition, elements in sequences could consist of multiple dimensions or attributes. In order to analyse continuous, multidimensional sequences, the ASTrie and ASTree algorithms are extended and the Continuous ASTrie (CASTrie) and Continuous ASTree (CASTree) algorithms are proposed. This is carried out through integrating a discretisation layer composed of the Growing Self Organising Map (GSOM), an unsupervised clustering algorithm which can handle continuous and multidimensional elements, in the ASTrie and ASTree algorithms. One of the main practical problems in sequence analysis techniques is the high processing time requirement. This is due to the exponential increase in the number of sequences when the length of sequences increases. In order to increase the efficiency of sequence analysis techniques, a measure is introduced for evaluating the quality of sequences and extracting only a subset of high quality sequences for analysis.The thesis also reports on the application and the efficiency investigations of the proposed models and techniques in diverse domains. First, the proposed algorithms and the quality measure are utilised in the domain of bioinformatics, for improving the efficiency of alignment free sequence comparison methods. Next, a novel sequence based text clustering model is proposed and it is demonstrated that the proposed model improves both the accuracy and the efficiency of the text clustering process while capturing better semantics. The proposed techniques are also applied to the analysis of geometric datasets at multiple levels of granularity. Finally, all components proposed in the thesis are brought together into a single framework for an integrated sequence capture and analysis suite of tools which could be used in diverse domains.
The investigation of what people understand and remember from rapidlypresented sequences of visual stimuli began in the late 1960s. In this book, prominent researchers approach the topic from psychological, neuropsychological, and electrophysiological perspectives. The investigation of what people understand and remember from rapidly presented sequences of visual stimuli began in the late 1960s. In this book prominent researchers approach the topic from psychological, neuropsychological, and electrophysiological perspectives. Specific issues include RSVP (rapid serial visual presentation), attentional blink, repetition blindness, and scene perception. The contributors review recent research on our ability to comprehend and remember pictures of objects and scenes, written words, and sentences when the visual stimuli are presented sequentially at rates of up to ten items per second. In short, the book is about our remarkably developed abilities to understand and remember the contents of very briefly presented material.ContributorsDaphne Bavelier, Veronika Coltheart, Helene Intraub, Nancy Kanwisher, Steven J. Luck, Nadine Martin, Mary C. Potter, Eleanor M. Saffran, Kimron L. Shapiro, Ewa Wojciulik, Jeremy M. Wolfe, Carol Yin
Essentials of the Cerebellum and Cerebellar Disorders is the first book of its kind written specifically for graduate students and clinicians. It is based on the 4-volume treatise, Handbook of the Cerebellum and Cerebellar Disorders (Springer, 2013), the definitive reference for scientists and neurologists in the field of cerebellar neurobiology. There have been fundamental advances in the basic science and clinical neurology of the cerebellum and its role in sensorimotor function and cognition. This monograph makes this large and expanding body of knowledge readily accessible to trainees and clinicians alike. The editors are world leaders in the field, and the chapters are authored by an international panel of experts drawn from ataxia clinics and cerebellar laboratories throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Essentials provides a solid grounding in the field of cerebellar research and ataxiology from cerebellar circuity to clinical practice, and it serves as a springboard to a deeper appreciation of both the principles and the complexities of cerebellar neurobiology. Clinicians are expected to have a deep appreciation of cerebellar disorders, not only in specialized ataxia clinics but also in adult and pediatric neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and neuropsychology practices, and in outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation settings. This book is an indispensable resource for students and practitioners navigating the evolving field of cerebellar motor and cognitive neurology. It also links to the more expansive Handbook for those who need to explore the topics in this monograph in greater depth.
Behavior and Culture in One Dimension adopts a broad interdisciplinary approach, presenting a unified theory of sequences and their functions and an overview of how they underpin the evolution of complexity. Sequences of DNA guide the functioning of the living world, sequences of speech and writing choreograph the intricacies of human culture, and sequences of code oversee the operation of our literate technological civilization. These linear patterns function under their own rules, which have never been fully explored. It is time for them to get their due. This book explores the one-dimensional sequences that orchestrate the structure and behavior of our three-dimensional habitat. Using Gibsonian concepts of perception, action, and affordances, as well as the works of Howard Pattee, the book examines the role of sequences in the human behavioral and cultural world of speech, writing, and mathematics. The book offers a Darwinian framework for understanding human cultural evolution and locates the two major informational transitions in the origins of life and civilization. It will be of interest to students and researchers in ecological psychology, linguistics, cognitive science, and the social and biological sciences.
Despite the importance of mathematics in our educational systems little is known about how abstract mathematical thinking emerges. Under the uniting thread of mathematical development, we hope to connect researchers from various backgrounds to provide an integrated view of abstract mathematical cognition. Much progress has been made in the last 20 years on how numeracy is acquired. Experimental psychology has brought to light the fact that numerical cognition stems from spatial cognition. The findings from neuroimaging and single cell recording experiments converge to show that numerical representations take place in the intraparietal sulcus. Further research has demonstrated that supplementary neural networks might be recruited to carry out subtasks; for example, the retrieval of arithmetic facts is done by the angular gyrus. Now that the neural networks in charge of basic mathematical cognition are identified, we can move onto the stage where we seek to understand how these basics skills are used to support the acquisition and use of abstract mathematical concepts.
How does the brain represent number and make mathematical calculations? What underlies the development of numerical and mathematical abilities? What factors affect the learning of numerical concepts and skills? What are the biological bases of number knowledge? Do humans and other animals share similar numerical representations and processes? What underlies numerical and mathematical disabilities and disorders, and what is the prognosis for rehabilitation? These questions are the domain of mathematical cognition, the field of research concerned with the cognitive and neurological processes that underlie numerical and mathematical abilities. TheHandbook of Mathematical Cognition is a collection of 27 essays by leading researchers that provides a comprehensive review of this important research field.
