I am a researcher at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, CNR, in Rome. You can look at my publications, or at my curriculum vitae, or contact me: giovanni.pezzulo(AT)istc.cnr.it I got a degree in Philosophy of Science and a PhD in Cognitive Psychology. My interests are both theoretical and computational, with several topics: anticipation and anticipatory behavior (in the framework of the EU funded project MindRACES); cognitive architectures (trying to bridge sensorimotor interaction with high-level cognitive capabilities such as practical reasoning); goal-oriented behavior; representations (theoretical and computational models); motivations (and their roles in determining behavior); decision making (theoretical and computational models, some experimental work).

Monday 5 February 2007

constructive perception and abduction

Constructive perception is focused on high-level perception where the sensorial stimulation is structured or organized through the application of schemas (recognition). The percepts are constructed through the schematization of the sensorial stimulation (sensations). The schemes are seen as procedures to construct and interpret the percepts. The sensorial stimulation is seen as a "sign" of the percept that the cognitive system has the goal to construct. The cognitive system sees the sensorial stimulation as a token of a specific type (or schema) and in this sense guesses what there is out there, makes hypothesis (to be verified) about the reality. The interpretation of the sensorial stimuli is then oriented by the already available schemas for interpretation that influences the way in which new information is gathered and actively pursued (epistemic actions) to fill such schemas. Besides the schema activates more knowledge of the object than what is present in the current stimulation. In front of an apple, the cognitive system sees it as an apple beginning from a particular stimulation i.e. by focusing on its shape and color. Emphasis is given also to the influence of top-down influences in perception (background assumptions, active pragmatic goals, external context).

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