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Cognitive systems optimize energy rather than information

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 August 2011

Arthur B. Markman  and
A. Ross Otto
Arthur B. Markman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712. [email protected]://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/Faculty/Markman/PSY394/[email protected]
A. Ross Otto
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712. [email protected]://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/Faculty/Markman/PSY394/[email protected]
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Abstract

Cognitive models focus on information and the computational manipulation of information. Rational models optimize the function that relates the input of a process to the output. In contrast, efficient algorithms minimize the computational cost of processing in terms of time. Minimizing time is a better criterion for normative models, because it reflects the energy costs of a physical system.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 34 , Issue 4 , August 2011 , pp. 207
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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